From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Ole Miss tight end Caden Prieskorn.
#86 CADEN PRIESKORN/TE OLE MISS – 6057, 246 POUNDS (Senior)
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Caden Prieskorn | 6057/246 | 10 1/8 | 33 | 79 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.77 | 1.65 | 4.54 | 7.15 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 8’11” | 31 | N/A |
The Good
– Great height that falls in the 90th percentile
– Above average Relative Athletic Score (RAS) that falls in the 54th percentile that is highlighted by his good speed testing
– Shows solid alignment versatility by often being the motion man and lining up in the slot, in-line or even in the backfield
– Flashes strong hands and attacking the ball
– Often will slip by zone coverage to get open
– Best performance came in his biggest career game
– Reduced penalties to only one in 2024
– Cut his drops in half in 2024 from 2023
– Good check-down option
– Often used as a blocker due to his large frame
The Bad
– Older age being already 25 paired with his weight falling in the 40th percentile
– Handful of his athletic testing was below average like his 15th percentile broad jump, 33rd percentile shuttle, and his 40th percentile vertical
– Catches, yards, and touchdowns have decreased every year since his 2022 season
– Lacks agility to make plays after the catch and make defenders miss
– Struggling blocker who usually lets up early instead of finishing through the whistle
– Called for seven penalties in 2023 alone
– Lacks explosiveness and long speed to create vertical separation
Bio
– 25 years old (September 21st, 1999)
– 29 games played for Memphis from 2020 to 2022 and 23 games played for Ole Miss from 2023 to 2024
– 112 catches, 1,531 receiving yards, 14 receiving touchdowns, and 13.7 yards per catch in his college career
– 27 catches, 401 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns, and 14.9 yards per catch in 2024
– Says that he had “a little injury” in 2024, 2023 foot injury that forced him to miss the first three games of that season
– Zero-star QB in his 2018 high school class from Lake Orion, MI
– Played quarterback and tight end at Fork Union Military Academy after high school
– In high school, played quarterback where he led his team to a state championship in 2016 as a junior
– Graduated in December of 2023 with a bachelor’s in multidisciplinary studies
– Was only 215 pounds when he walked-on to Memphis
– Says that he considered transferring to Louisville before ultimately deciding on Ole Miss due to the SEC atmosphere
– Parents, Jill and Jerry, played basketball at Northwood University, and younger brother, Brady, is a 2024 four-star tight end committed to Michigan
– Lost his father, Jerry, in October of 2023, due to a two-year-long battle with colon cancer
– Credits a lot of his success as a tight end to playing basketball growing up
– Peach Bowl Offensive MVP (2023), Second-team All-SEC (2023), Second-team All-AAC (2022)
Tape Breakdown
Ole Miss frequently used Caden Prieskorn in a check-release role, after which he’d run a shallow route and become a check-down option for the quarterback. Here, against Alabama, it worked pretty well for them. Prieskorn was able to pick up 21 yards on his only catch of the day due to the middle of the field being vacant. Though this play resulted in a chunk of yardage, you can see Prieskorn’s lack of agility when he attempts to make the defender miss.
— Steven (@Elspedd) April 8, 2025
This was his only other target in the Alabama game, and while drops are a rarity for Prieskorn, he doesn’t get enough opportunities for them to occur, especially with a pass that was put right on him. Followed by the drop was bad body language on his part. Throwing his hands up slightly and rolling his head is a clear sign of frustration. It is unclear if he was frustrated with himself or Jaxson Dart due to the pass being slightly low, but bad body language is always a negative thing, regardless of the reasoning.
— Steven (@Elspedd) April 8, 2025
This is a tough sequence for Prieskorn on back-to-back plays against Texas A&M. The first play is our first clip, where he is lined up out wide and gets open due to the two defenders biting on the running back. Dart then throws to Prieskorn, who makes an incredible effort play on the sideline to try and haul in this pass that is very low to the ground. However, Prieskorn ran out-of-bounds on his own accord, so they called a penalty on him for illegal touching.
In the next play, Prieskorn is lined up in the exact same spot with a post route. This might be the best route I have seen Prieskorn run from all the games I watched. He is able to slip under the defender and creates separation downfield. However, when attempting to haul in the pass, the defender knocks it out. The refs called a Texas A&M defender offside, so the play ended up not mattering, but it was still a tough end in one of the better plays I saw from Prieskorn. Both of these plays show Prieskorn with bad body language, which I also talked about earlier.
— Steven (@Elspedd) April 8, 2025
Here is one of Prieskorn’s two catches in the Texas A&M game. He is lined up out-wide again with a hook route. He gets open and attacks the ball at the high point to secure the catch. One thing about Prieskorn is that he often shows off his strong hands, which allows him to make this grab on third down.
— Steven (@Elspedd) April 8, 2025
Prieskorn had a great day against Penn State in the Peach Bowl, the biggest game of his career. He hauled in 10 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Two of his catches were hauled in with one hand, which is what I chose to highlight from this game. He claims his hand strength came mainly from playing a lot of basketball growing up, which makes catches like these easier for him. Also stating that this game meant a lot to him since he was able to showcase his potential against one of the best teams in the country on national television only a few months after his father passed away.
— Steven (@Elspedd) April 8, 2025
Conclusion
Caden Prieskorn is a guy with a great underdog story. Coming out of high school as a quarterback and transitioning to tight end, where he played division I football for Memphis, speaks to the athlete he is. Then, when he had his breakout season in 2022, he told me it was amazing to see his hard work pay off.
He transferred to Ole Miss, where his numbers slightly declined in the following two seasons. Despite the drop in production, he was still a serviceable tight end in the SEC. In 2023, he was the Peach Bowl Offensive MVP and made the Second-team All-SEC. This is despite the hardship of losing his father during that season.
Sadly, he lacks the traits you want in a tight end prospect. He will turn 26 years old in September, which is noticeably older than his peers at the position in this class. This is also with his 15th percentile broad jump, 33rd percentile shuttle, 40th percentile vertical, and 40th percentile weight.
My pro comparison for Prieskorn is Colby Parkinson. Coming out of college, Parkinson posted the same exact bench, 40-time, and 3-cone numbers as Prieskorn while being similar in the other testing categories. Prieskorn averaged 35 catches for 484 yards (13.8 per catch) and five touchdowns per year from 2022 to 2024, while Parkinson averaged 39 catches for 537 yards (13.9 per catch) and four touchdowns per year from 2018 to 2019. This shows similar college production over their final years of college, along with similar athletic testing numbers. I think Parkinson adds the same value to an offense that Prieskorn has shown to add in college by being the not-so-flashy guy who can put up decent numbers.
Projection: Undrafted
Depot Draft Grade: 5.1 – Camp Invite (Undrafted Free Agent)
Games Watched: Shrine Bowl (2025), Wake Forest (2024), Alabama (2023), Texas A&M (2023), Penn State (2023)
