Texas A&M tight end Jalen Wydermyer signs free agent contract following 2022 NFL Draft

Jonathan Wagner

On3 image — Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

Former Texas A&M Aggies tight end Jalen Wydermyer was not selected in the 2022 NFL Draft this weekend, but he has found a new home in the NFL as an undrafted free agent. According to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, Wydermyer is signing with the Buffalo Bills.

“Texas A&M tight end Jalen Wydermyer to the Buffalo Bills, per a league source,” Wilson tweeted.

As a freshman in 2019, Wydermyer caught 32 passes for 447 yards and six touchdowns. He then had nearly identical stat lines in 2020 and 2021, with 46 receptions for 506 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore and 40 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdowns as a junior this past season. Overall, Wydermyer caught 118 passes for 1,468 yards and 16 touchdowns in his three-year collegiate career, averaging 12.4 yards per receptions.

The Bills have Dawson Knox and OJ Howard at the top of the tight end depth chart, but Wydermyer could make the roster as a backup with a strong showing leading up to the preseason. He could also end up serving as valuable depth on the practice squad.

What the Bills are getting in Wydermyer

Prior to the NFL Draft, analyst Lance Zierlein gave an in-depth look at Wydermyer’s status as a prospect in this year’s class. Zierlein thought that Wydermyer could have been taken as early as the sixth round, but he was not and now lands in Buffalo.

“Productive three-year starter who failed to show much run-blocking and pass-catching development after his freshman season in 2019,” Zierlein said. “Wydermyer has NFL size, but pro teams will have a hard time ignoring his poor pro-day testing. The route work isn’t very crisp or explosive and he will likely wear NFL man coverage in short and intermediate routes.

“He’s athletic in the air and has jump-ball talent but needs to prove his 2021 drops were an outlier if he’s to be trusted by NFL quarterbacks. Wydermyer simply isn’t going to profile as an explosive athlete, so he’ll need to get much better as a run blocker.”