UNPROVEN POTENTIAL
#6: Can the rookie tight ends make an impact?
Welcome to 10 Patriots training camp questions! Each day leading up to the start of camp, the Herald will explore one of the biggest questions facing the Pats this summer. Several pertain to the offense, which held the team back in 2019 and will feature a new quarterback this season. Others cover the defense and special teams, units whose success should hinge on the play of a few players and/or positions. Once the Patriots hit the field, here’s what they must learn before the 2020 season kicks off.
The last time the Patriots had a pair of rookie tight ends make a significant impact was a decade ago.
That’s when Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, both 2010 draft picks, were inserted into the Patriots offense, and became difference-makers almost immediately.
The dynamic duo quickly left their mark, energizing the offense the minute they stepped on the field. The way Gronkowski and Hernandez were utilized ultimately revolutionized the position. The offense basically revolved around them and their ability to catch the football, which was a complete shift from the traditional role of the tight end.
Given the Patriots’ tight end group was a nonfactor last season, they need someone to step up in 2020. And, with a new quarterback, be it Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham, that need is multiplied.
Can Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene follow in Gronk and Hernandez’s footsteps?
Looking at the numbers alone, it’s hard to see them packing that kind of wallop so soon.
During Gronk’s rookie season, he caught 10 touchdown passes during a 42catch season with 546 yards. And he was just getting started. Hernandez?
He had 45 catches for 563 yards with 6 TD receptions.
That bar is incredibly high for either Asiasi or Keene, especially with their onfield learning hampered by the pandemic. Having to grasp both passing and blocking schemes ratchets up the degree of difficulty.
But that doesn’t mean they’ll just be wallflowers on the sideline, and won’t eventually make their mark as rookies. At the very least, one or both will provide a much-needed shot in the arm for the tight end group. As it is, having the Patriots select them in the draft, moving up in the third round to nab both, was a knock on the incumbent crew of Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo.
Bottom line: Whether it’s Tom Brady or Newton at the controls, an effective offense requires healthy contributions from the tight ends.
So, assuming the Patriots don’t make a trade for Browns tight end David Njoku, who requested a trade, or acquire some other veteran of note, at least one of the rookies needs to step up.
Having spent most of the offseason learning virtually, with no practice reps to speak of in rookie camp or OTAs, it’s just going to make it tougher for them to jump right in and contribute to a new offense.
Given their respective skill sets, however, both should eventually be more involved, and provide some diversity. Asiasi figures to take the lead, becoming a vital outlet for Newton or Stidham as the season rolls along.
Asiasi worked out with Newton at UCLA recently, while Keene has spent time with Stidham catching passes at a Brookline school.
With his 6-foot-3, 257pound frame, and a 4.73 time in the 40-yard dash, Asiasi is considered more of a complete tight end.
While he needs to refine his technique as a blocker, Asiasi can make plays down the seam, much like Gronkowski did for parts of the past decade. Also in the Gronk mold, Asiasi should be a good red zone target.
Austin Burton, who had been in UCLA’s quarterback stable before recently transferring to Purdue, raved about his former tight end during a recent conversation with the Herald.
“He’s probably one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen,” said Burton, the son of WBZ sportscaster Steve Burton. “He gets in and out of his cuts unbelievably well. He runs great routes. Just catches every ball that’s headed in his direction.”
Last season at UCLA, playing for Chip Kelly, who has close ties to Bill Belichick, Asiasi took over the No. 1 role and hauled in 44 passes for 641 yards and four scores.
Asiasi’s experience with Kelly, who is known for his multiple tight end looks, should provide a good background for the Patriots system.
Keene, meanwhile, didn’t put up eye-catching numbers while at Virginia Tech, but his versatility should help him get in the mix. Along with tight end, “Rambo,” as he is known, can fill an H-back role, or perhaps even play fullback.
Together, both should help shape the post-Brady offense, with Asiasi likely to be the most impactful of the two this season.