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The Philadelphia Eagles signed undrafted rookie free agent tight end Noah Togiai following the 2020 NFL Draft. In order to learn more about him, I reached out to SB Nation’s Oregon State blog: Building The Dam. Beavers writer Travis Johannes was kind enough to answer my questions.
1) Can you recap his college career?
Very up and down. He had a handful of injuries that really slowed him down throughout his career. Combine that with the fact that Gary Andersen and his offensive staff couldn’t coach their way out of a paper bag and you have a career that didn't reach its’ full potential.
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2) What are his strengths?
He has a great frame and is a solid weapon in the red zone when he is on his game.
3) What are his weaknesses?
He is not a great blocker. He will have to improve dramatically to have a long term chance in the NFL.
[BLG Note: BGN’s Benjamin Solak wrote the following about Togiai over at The Draft Network ... “Blocking ability is simply laughable. Misses in space as a stalk blocker, let alone a terribly poor hit rate as an H-back or in-line blocker. Cannot frame anyone in space: feet die miserably on contact and he arrives with almost no physicality to speak of. Leans into defenders and can be easily shucked; has little to no understanding of leverage and regularly leaves routes to the running backs open. Should be viewed exclusively as a receiver moving forward.”]
4) Are you surprised he went undrafted?
No. With his injury history and lack of production I would have been surprised had he been picked. That being said he is definitely a good flyer for a team to take as a free agent.
5) How do you see his NFL career playing out?
If he can stay healthy and improve as a blocker he can be a solid depth option for teams looking for a pass catching tight end.
6) Anything to know about him off the field?
He was recruited by several schools as a basketball player. He came to OSU as a dual sport athlete, but gave up on basketball to focus full time on the gridiron during his freshman year.
BLG’s take: The Eagles paid Togiai the third highest guarantee out of their 13 UDFA signings. He’s in position to compete with Alex Ellis and Joshua Perkins for the third tight end spot behind Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. The feeling here is that Ellis is the best option given that he’s demonstrated blocking and special teams ability in addition to showing some receiving chops. Togiai could be kept on the practice squad.
Noah Togiai is a TE prospect in the 2020 draft class out of Oregon State.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 14, 2020
He posted a good #RAS with poor size, elite speed, good explosiveness, good agility at the TE position.https://t.co/L0NjCV71Ar pic.twitter.com/kmcQkbgvVi