Although Zach Gentry will remind many Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans of Matt Spaeth, a man who functioned as a glorified offensive tackle and blocker, tight ends coach James Daniel believes there’s work to be done with the newest Steelers’ draft pick.
“He was a quarterback so I would say he’s a little more depth at the receiving end of it,'” Daniels told reporters. “He’s got some adjusting to do to become a good blocker. But I think the kid is excited about it and willing.”
Gentry, like Heath Miller many moons ago, played quarterback in high school before making the switch when he arrived at Michigan. He came on strong the last year years, averaging over 16 yards per catch. Our Nick Farabaugh and Daniel Valente posted clips of Gentry making plays downfield.
Still, Gentry arrives as a backup and will function as an in-line tight end, meaning he’ll have to do the dirty work that comes with being a Steelers’ tight end. He ran just a 4.9 flat at his Pro Day with a 29.5 inch vertical.
We already knew this from our Pro Day tracker but Daniel was one of the many personnel members who attended the Michigan Pro Day.
“I saw him at the Combine. He had his Pro Day up at Michigan and I was up there for his Pro Day. We had dinner with him the night before when we went up there. So I spent a little bit of time with him.”
He’ll compete with Xavier Grimble for the #2 job and likely start out the year as the #3. At 6’8, he could be a factor in the red zone. The Steelers finished with a historically strong red zone offense last year, tops in the league, but will have to look to stay there without Antonio Brown.
