2019 Senior Bowl: 5 players who improved stock

Dax Raymond, TE, Utah State

There are always a few small school players that help themselves mightily during the Senior Bowl. This week there were a few. UMass slot receiver Andy Isabella and Georgia State’s Penny Hart both impressed with their speed and route running. They will be intriguing players to watch going forward to see where they land in the draft. For my money, the most impressive player that was rarely discussed before this week was Utah State’s Dax Raymond.

At 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, Raymond fits the mold of what seam-splitting tight end looks like in the modern NFL. Raymond is long too with almost 33 inch arms. He may not an in-line blocker but he can hold his own when asked to do it.

Where Raymond really sepearted himself from the other group of tight ends is with his route running. It is normal in the NFL to see these big bodies running complex routes but it is not as easy as they make it look. Raymond did that during this week. Here he put poor Miami defensive back Sheldrick Redwine into a blender.

Raymond will make his money in the NFL in the red zone. He has a knack for finding soft spots in the zone and showing his numbers to the quarterback. Here, against a very good prospect in Virginia’s Juan Thornhill, he shows that skill plus excellent concentration.

He may not be a first round talent but he elevated his stock significantly with his play this week. Raymond should be in the day two discussion. He is the type of player that can help almost every NFL offense in some capacity. Plus he has room to grow in his young game.