Brenton Strange, TE Penn State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Strange was a four-star recruit from Parkersburg High School in Parkersburg, W.Va. in the class of 2019

Penn State produced several quality tight ends in the past decade, including Pat Freiermuth and Mike Gesicki. Brenton Strange has the athletic upside to reach that same level of prominence. He will be a difference-maker in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Brenton Strange, TE Penn State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior tight end from Parkersburg, W.Va.

Background: Strange was a four-star recruit from Parkersburg High School in Parkersburg, W.Va. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 352 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 221 for Rivals, and No. 398 for On3.com. Strange was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He committed to Penn State over offers from Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wake Forest. Strange played varsity football for four seasons in high school and was a team captain twice. He earned USA Today First-Team All-USA West Virginia Football Team honors in 2017 as a defensive back and in 2018 as a tight end. After earning an honorable mention selection as a sophomore, Strange was a First-Team All-State selection for the West Virginia Sports Writers Association in his final two high school seasons. He was an All-Mountain State Athletic Conference selection four times, including First-Team selections in 2017 and 2018. Strange holds Parkersburg High School records for receptions and receiving yards in a season and a career. He also holds the season record for receiving touchdowns and career record for interceptions returned for touchdowns. Strange made 65 receptions for 1,083 yards and eight touchdowns as a high school senior, while amassing 65 tackles, including ten tackles for loss and six sacks, and three interceptions. As a junior, he totaled 95 tackles, including nine tackles for loss, and three defensive touchdowns to go along with 57 receptions for 938 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. Strange also played basketball for four seasons, earning Third-Team All-State honors from the West Virginia Sports Writers Association as a junior.

2022 Production: 13 games, 32 receptions, 362 yards, 5 touchdowns

2021 Production: 13 games, 20 receptions, 225 yards, 3 touchdowns

2020 Production: 9 games, 17 receptions, 164 yards, 2 touchdowns

2019 Production: 2 games, 1 reception, 4 yards, 1 touchdown (Redshirt Year)

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Media), 2022 Third-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches)

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, experience playing in the slot, in-line, and out wide, room on his frame to add mass, appears to have ideal arm length, upper body strength to break arm tackles and shrug off shoulder hits, athleticism to hurdle defenders, eliminated drops in 2022, sure-handed, adjusts to make catches outside of his frame, elevates for contested catches, excellent concentration at the catch point, consistently provides his QB with a clear target, always works to get open when the play breaks down, strong feel and understanding of how to find and sit in open space, acceleration to pull away from linebackers, good acceleration off the line of scrimmage, quick footwork at the top of his route, willing and competitive blocker, athleticism to pick off defenders as a blocker in the open field, easily seals defenders on outside runs, block power to absorb and deaden crashing linebackers, will take defensive backs for rides as a blocker, performs well in gap, inside zone, and outside zone blocking plays

Cons: Committed three penalties in 2022, frame lacks dense mass and is high-hipped, has good but not great long speed, unknown if he will maintain speed with added weight, never a high-volume target, doesn’t break many tackles, chopped down at the legs, left a lot of YAC on the table, not shifty in the open field, benefited from screens and manufactured YAC on short throws, occasional false steps in his release, needs to expand route tree, routes are more rounded than sharp, doesn’t consistently separate from man coverage, room to improve pad level as a blocker, sometimes allows defenders into his chest, positioning as a blocker isn’t always correct, aggression as a block varies, doesn’t consistently sustain blocks, inconsistent at creating displacement

Overview: Strange is unofficially listed at 6'3", 247 lbs. He has special teams experience on the kick return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, along with experience playing in the slot, in-line, and out wide. Strange appears to have ideal arm length to accompany a frame that still has room to add mass. He has the upper body strength to break arm tackles and shrug off shoulder hits. Strange is an explosive athlete who frequently hurdles defenders and uses his acceleration to pull away from linebackers. He displays quick footwork at the top of his routes and is sure-handed. Strange adjusts to make catches outside his frame and displays excellent concentration at the catch point, which helps him win in contested catch situations. He consistently provides his quarterback with a clear target and always works to get open when the play breaks down. The redshirt junior has a strong feel and understanding of zone coverages and where there is open space. He’s a willing and competitive blocker who has the athleticism and power to operate in gap, inside zone, or outside zone schemes. However, Strange’s positioning as a blocker sometimes allows defenders to slip past him and into the play. His aggression as a blocker varies, and he doesn’t consistently sustain blocks or generate displacement. The former four-star recruit appears high-hipped and lacks the mass to dominate as a blocker. He has good but not great long speed, and it’s unknown if he will maintain his speed once he puts on mass in the NFL. Despite his flashes of upper body power, Strange doesn’t break many tackles and is frequently chopped down at the legs. He left a lot of yards after the catch (YAC) on the table over the past two years. The West Virginia native isn’t shifty or dynamic in the open field. He benefited from screens and manufactured YAC on short throws but still wasn’t a high-volume player. Strange suffers from occasional false steps in his release. He needs to expand his route tree while refining his route running. Right now, he doesn’t consistently separate from linebackers and defensive backs in man coverage.

Overall, Strange is an athletically enticing prospect who offers ideal acceleration, understanding of zone coverage, motor, and scheme versatility as a blocker. The Penn State product should enter the NFL and immediately serve as a functional TE2. Strange projects primarily as a slot player early in his career, but he should develop into a strong in-line blocker after some time in the weight room.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot tight end with in-line potential, scheme diverse blocker

Round Projection: Mid Fourth to Early Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 02-27-23