Josh Whyle, TE Cincinnati: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Whyle was a three-star recruit from La Salle High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in the class of 2018

Cincinnati tight end Josh Whyle is still developing as a blocker, but his athleticism and size make him an attractive Day 3 target in the 2023 NFL Draft. Whyle should take plenty of snaps in the slot early in his career before developing into a capable in-line blocker.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more updates and previews of the 2023 NFL Draft Guide.

Josh Whyle, TE Cincinnati: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior tight end from Cincinnati, Ohio

Background: Whyle was a three-star recruit from La Salle High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in the class of 2018. He was the No. 412 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 399 (four-star) for On3.com. Whyle was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. He committed to Cincinnati over offers from Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, TCU, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. La Salle posted a 50-8 record and won three Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II titles during Whyle’s high school career. In 2017, he produced 37 receptions for 442 yards and three touchdowns, earning First-Team Division II All-Ohio and First-Team All-Southwest District Division II honors from the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association. He also received First-Team All-GCL South honors. As a junior, Whyle tallied 40 receptions for 546 yards and six touchdowns, earning First-Team All-GCL-South honors as La Salle captured its third consecutive state title.  

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed games in 2018 because of a preseason injury, missed spring training in 2022 with a foot injury

Awards: 2020 Second-Team All-American Athletic Conference, 2021 Honorable Mention All-American Athletic Conference, 2022 First-Team All-American Athletic Conference

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal units, primarily played in-line and slot with some outside exposures, large wingspan, motor runs hot, quick off the line, acceleration and smooth speed to stretch the field, stacks linebackers up the seam, turns the corner and outruns linebackers’ angles, decent stop-start speed for his size, gives off “big receiver” vibes, speed after the catch to be a YAC threat, occasionally makes defenders miss with stutter steps, understanding of leverage when running routes, natural hands catcher, cut back on drops in 2022, tracks the ball well, strong focus at the catch point, makes catches outside of his frame, potential lethal red zone threat, significant improvement as a blocker over the past two years, displays effort as a blocker, engages arms early in the rep when blocking, keeps leg drive alive when run blocking

Cons: Age, three penalties in 2021 and 2022, lean lower half, high-hipped, play strength is average to slightly below average, lacks elite speed and separation ability, routes are more rounded than sharp, doesn’t create separation coming out of cuts, bumped off his routes, not very elusive in the open field, don’t expect many broken tackles, YAC potential will be limited by faster defenders, chopped down at the legs, negative in contested catch situations despite size advantage, struggles to sustain blocks and create displacement, pad level concerns, lacks the anchor ability for pass pro, doesn’t take ideal angles into his blocks, slips off blocks

Overview: Whyle took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6065 and weighs 248 lbs. He has 9 4/8-inch hands and 31 4/8-inch arms. Whyle had a 78 3/8-inch wingspan at the Senior Bowl. He took a significant number of snaps in the slot at Cincinnati, but primarily lined up as an in-line tight end or H-back. He’ll play more of the F tight end role in the NFL while he continues adding functional strength and developing his technique as a blocker. Whyle also carries more than 430 special teams snaps split between the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal units to the next level. He has a large wingspan and hot motor. The Ohio native is quick off the line and displays ideal acceleration for a pass catching tight end. He reaches a smooth speed to stretch the field and threatens to stack linebackers up the seam. The former three-star recruit turns the corner on outside throws and outruns linebackers’ angles. He displays decent stop-start speed for his size and offers enough speed to generate YAC. Whyle occasionally makes defenders miss after the catch with stutter steps. He understands leverage well when running routes and provides his quarterback with throwing lanes. Whyle is a natural hands catcher who makes catches outside of his frame, tracks the ball well, and displays strong focus at the catch point. His size makes him a potential lethal red zone threat. Whyle significantly improved as a blocker over his final two seasons with the Bearcats. He’s a willing blocker who engages his arms early and keeps his leg drive alive when run blocking. The All-Conference tight end is a high-hipped older prospect with a lean lower half and questionable play strength. He lacks elite speed and is inconsistent at generating separation. Whyle’s routes are more rounded than sharp, and he doesn’t create separation coming out of cuts. Linebackers bump him off his routes. Whyle isn’t elusive in the open field and struggles to break tackles. Despite his size, Whyle doesn’t dominate in contested catch situations. He struggles to sustain blocks and create displacement and plays with a poor pad level. The redshirt senior slips off blocks and doesn’t take ideal angles to his targets.

Overall, Whyle is an athletic tight end with ideal acceleration, speed, and ball skills, but he’s still developing as an in-line blocker. Whyle might never develop beyond being a backup if adding mass saps too much of his athleticism. He should contribute as a moveable “big receiver” early in his career.

Role & Scheme Fit: Large slot F tight end who occasionally plays in-line tight

Round Projection: Mid Fourth to Early Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-16-23