The Green Bay Packers began to secure their future at tight end in the 2019 NFL Draft by selecting Texas A&M's Jace Sternberger in the third round.
A former Kansas transfer turned JUCO star, Sternberger thrived in his lone year at College Station. He finished the year as Jimbo Fisher's favorite tight end, compiling 832 yards and 10 touchdowns on 48 receptions. At the NFL Combine, he tested well. He measured in at a stout 6-foot-4, 251 pounds and posted a 4.75 second 40-time, 17 bench press reps, 31.5-inch vertical, 113-inch broad jump, and 7.19-second 3-cone-drill time.
Sternberger's production, size, and athletic measurables created a draftable prospect in the third round. As a middle-round selection, expectations are high. This leads us to ask if he can find a role immediately with the Packers.
With Jimmy Graham starting, Jace Sternberger is set to compete with Marcedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan, Evan Baylis, Malcolm Johnson, and Pharoah McKeever for the second job. It's an ideal situation for a rookie looking for a role. Graham and Sternberger are considered locks to make the roster, and Lewis can follow due to his outstanding blocking. As for the rest, the training camp will be a place to earn a job.
Newly hired head coach Matt Lafleur will run a wildly different scheme than the Packers ran in years past. Part of that scheme is dependent on tight ends, specifically, the 1-2 personnel grouping. According to Sharp Football Stats, LaFleur (with Tennessee in 2018) used 1-2 personnel on 32% of his plays called — the third-highest rate in the NFL. It had a cumulative success rate of 47%, and 43% on passes alone. The stats on those pass plays go as follows: 106.1 passer rating, 5-3 TD-INT ratio, and five sacks allowed. Those metrics essentially mean Lafleur is keen on involving his tight ends as pass catchers, specifically in the 1-2 personnel.
With Graham, Lafleur gets his main receiving option at tight end. However, the 1-2 is a two-tight end set, with both often acting as a receiver. At times, the second tight end fills in the slot while the other runs from the Y. This means the Packers need a second pass catching tight end. Lewis won't offer that — he'll be a blocker most of the time — and the others outside of Sternberger have marginal NFL experience at best.
This is where Sternberger comes into play: What he does best is catch the ball. The former Aggie earned fans before the draft due to his proficiency in this area. After reviewing the film, this praise is justifiable. Sternberger is one of the cleanest route runners coming into the NFL, for his position, in the last two drafts. He runs well, isn't too nuanced, and can handle a broad route tree. Per Pro Football Focus, he tallied 2.08 yards per route run, the eighth-highest rate in the 2019 draft class.
Sternberger boasts reliable hands as well. He's not drop-prone (three in 2018, per PFF). He caught 60.5% of his intended passes as an Aggie. Both are impressive considering his quarterbacks last year had accuracy problems, specifically starter Kellen Mond.
More impressive is what he can do after the catch. He's a fluid — albeit not fast — athlete with good vision and blocking awareness. His traits helped him get more yards after the catch (YAC) in 2018. According to PFF, he had 405 of his 832 yards after the catch at Texas A&M.
It gets even better. Sternberger is not averse to running out of the slot: He caught six receptions for 51 yards there in college, via PFF.
Sternberger's abilities as a receiving tight end should earn him snaps immediately with the Packers. Though inexperienced, his game is ready for success as a pass catcher in the NFL, and Lafleur will surely utilize that out of the 1-2. However, he won't be their lead option yet — and not just because of Graham.
Sternberger is a negative asset as a blocker in large part due to a lack of strength and massive size. Lewis will take most of those snaps on obvious run plays while that area of Sternberger's game develops. Nonetheless, expect to see the rookie in 2019. The Packers could use his receiving abilities in a big way on 1-2 sets and as a slot mismatch.
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