Hogs Haven takes a look at 2024 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders
Tanner McLachlan, TE
School: Arizona | Conference: Pac-12
College Experience: Redshirt Senior | Age: 24
Height / Weight: 6’5” / 245 lbs
Projected Draft Status: Rounds 5-UDFA
Player Comparison: Cade Otton
College Statistics
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2022 | Arizona | Pac-12 | SO | 12 | 34 | 456 | 13.4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 456 | 13.4 | 2 | ||
| *2023 | Arizona | Pac-12 | JR | TE | 13 | 45 | 528 | 11.7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 528 | 11.7 | 4 | |
| Career | Arizona | 79 | 984 | 12.5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 984 | 12.5 | 6 | |||||
Player Overview
The route to this point in Tanner McLachlan’s career has been circuitous. He dreamed of playing football at Arizona after seeing them defeat Washington State near his native home of Alberta. He played basketball but took an extra year of high school to play football as a wide receiver. He ended up at Southern Utah where he played sparingly and tore his ACL. After several years with Southern Utah, McLachlan walked on at Arizona. He not only earned a scholarship, but put up numbers in 2022 that rivaled Wildcat great Robert James Gronkowski. For an encore, he put up even better numbers in 2023 and helped Arizona have their best season since 2014. In the process, he broke Gronkowski’s record for most receptions by a tight end at Arizona and earned Second-Team All-Pac-12.
Strengths
- Tall frame with long arms makes for excellent target
- Lines up inline and flexed out
- Agile and quick athlete
- Understands how to find openings in zone coverage
- Strong hands and finishes catches through contact
Weaknesses
- Effort blocker, but needs to improve in this area
- Although quick, top speed looks average
- Can handle contact, but I’d like to see more broken tackles
Let’s See His Work
Arizona TE Tanner McLachlan hurdling dudes #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/IuVxdGAVMq
— WBG84 (@WBG84) February 18, 2024
How He Fits on the Commanders
The tight end position, like many others, needs retooling. Logan Thomas has held down the starting position for the past four seasons. Although he is coming off his second-most productive season, he’ll be 33 soon and has dealt with injury. John Bates has been a good backup, but never looked like a reliable starter when he played for a significant time. Cole Turner was drafted to impact the receiving game from the position, but hasn’t made an impact. Armani Rogers is coming off of injury, but looked like a promising talent in limited play. All these players are under contract, but Thomas, Bates and Rogers will be free agents next year.
Tanner McLachlan will have to compete for a space on the roster. He’s more of a receiver than Bates and a better blocker than Turner. He would probably be competing to be TE3 and push Turner or Rogers to the practice squad or off the team completely. McLachlan is 24, so there are some questions about how close he is to his ceiling as a player. If the Commanders are convinced he can get stronger and improve his blocking, McLachlan could provide the team with a well-rounded option at tight end for the next several years.
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