The NFL Draft will begin on April 25, 2024. We take a look at Tip Reiman, an explosive in-line tight end with all the physical tools needed to become great.
247 Sports rated Reiman as a zero-star linebacker coming out of high school. He committed to Illinois despite only having offers from South Dakota and South Dakota State.
In his four-year career at Illinois, he recorded 418 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 41 receptions.
Tip Reiman, Illinois, Tight End
Name: Tip Reiman
Jersey: No. 89
Position: Tight End
School: Illinois
Class: Redshirt Junior
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 271 lbs.
Tip Reiman | TE | ILL
Massive frame w/ great top end speed and explosiveness. Shows body control & quickness to improve as a route runner + soft hands over the MoF. Angry blocker w/ the strength & base to control EMLOS, loves to finish blocks. Needs a lot of route experience. pic.twitter.com/wfZ5dtoUWS
— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) April 2, 2024
Tip Reiman’s Strengths
Reiman is a massive tight end with all the power to duck-walk defenders downfield. When his footwork and pad level come together, he becomes an amazing in-line tight end no matter the run scheme. As the pin man in pin and pull, he fires his second foot and destroys the edge defender. Illinois used Reiman as the pin man often because his consistency and mean streak made sure the edge was open. On the play side of zone, he can open the gap with his insane upper body torque. Even at his size, he successfully cut off defenders on the backside of zone with his consistent first step.
As a receiver, Reiman was asked to be the flat option on rollouts and bootlegs where his freakish top speed took over. Many of his routes were runaways where he experimented with a stair step to get the extra separation downfield. He developed reliable hands, improving his drop rate every year of his career. Once the ball is in his hands, Reiman becomes a true RAC threat with his 4.64 top speed and ability to shrug off tacklers. In his career, 57.8 percent of his yards came after the catch, which shows his dynamic ball-carrying ability.
Tip Reiman’s Weaknesses
Despite his highlight blocks, he is not a consistent blocker yet. There are many reps where Reiman has poor pad level or hand placement. When cutting off defenders, he comes in too high and lets the defender collapse the line of scrimmage to make the play. On base blocks, he will have poor placement on his initial punch, causing him to lose at the point of attack and get shucked. Though he is patient when blocking in space, he doesn’t have the athleticism to mirror shifty second- or third-level defenders. Reiman has the strength to be a great pass protector, but his inability to extend his arms let the defender get to his chest and rip across his face.
Though he is a good runaway threat, his size makes him unable to change direction or get in and out of breaks efficiently. Illinois rarely asked him to run such routes, limiting his current route tree and route tree projection. He won’t have the agility to become a nuanced route runner and separate against man coverage at his current size. This limits his three-down potential. Even with his massive frame and decent vertical, he is inconsistent as a 50/50 target, only averaging a 44.4 percent success rate. Reiman lacks the body control or agility to rotate and convert back shoulder targets.
Draft Projection: Day 3 Selection
Tip Reiman’s straight-line speed and potential as a dominant in-line blocker will make him an early Day 3 pick for a team missing a consistent pin man. With further development in his hand placement and lateral movement skills, there is no doubt he can expand his game into a move blocker as well.
If Reiman goes to a team willing to use his athleticism as a runaway threat, he will find his way into many chunk plays. His explosiveness and demeanor after the catch will also give him a prominent role on a team as soon as he is drafted.
The team that drafts Reiman will get a modern-day in-line tight end with the power to clear rushing lanes and the juice to expose unathletic linebackers.
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