More and more, college football offenses are trending toward playing tight ends as oversized slot receivers.
But there are still some throwbacks at the position, like Michigan's Jake Butt, and it's no surprise that he's drawn a comparison to another more traditional tight end in Dallas Cowboys veteran Jason Witten.
"Butt does remind me a little of Jason Witten coming out," an NFL personnel executive recently told NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
Witten played at Tennessee from 2000-2002, and was listed in college at a similar size -- just an inch shorter and a bit heavier at 6-foot-5, 265 pounds -- as Butt (6-6, 250). While both have imposing size, their receiving skills aren't to be overlooked. Butt caught 51 passes for 654 yards a year ago, and already has 19 receptions for 234 yards and three touchdowns in four games this season for the Wolverines. A steal of a third-round pick for the Cowboys in 2003, Witten has amassed more than 1,000 career NFL receptions for more than 11,000 yards, and hasn't missed a regular-season start since 2006.
"I really like the comparison to Jason Witten," Jeremiah said. "Both guys are physical, instinctive and catch everything."
As a senior, Butt will be eligible for the 2017 NFL Draft.
The biggest difference between the two could lie in Butt's need to show NFL scouts improvement as a blocker. In evaluating three of Butt's game tapes from last season, Jeremiah noted his natural pass-catching skills, but also significant blocking struggles. In that review, Jeremiah compared Butt's receiving skills to Cincinnati Bengals TE Tyler Eifert.
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