Adam
Trautman.
Adam
Trautman.
Dayton· 6'5"· 255 lb· 4.80s 40
"A converted high school quarterback who became the Pioneer Football League player of the year and Dayton career receiving record holder, then proved at the Senior Bowl the FCS tape would travel."Pre-draft read
Trautman is a converted quarterback who grew into a complete, in-line tight end. At 6-5 and 255 pounds he plays with his hand down on most snaps, moves to the wing and flexes to the slot, and offers real value blocking ends on the front side of a run.
As a receiver he is a big target with strong hands and body control rather than a separator. He boxes out smaller defenders, wins jump balls and finishes through contact, which is how he scored fourteen times as a senior. Testing was better than expected for his size and confirmed he could run the seam. The signature is completeness: a tight end who stays on the field every down because he blocks well enough to justify it, even if the production came in the Pioneer Football League.
A heavy-personnel run offense that uses two tight ends, asks the Y to block down on ends and linebackers, and rewards him with play-action seams and red-zone fades.
Year 1 TE2 who blocks in six-man protection and works the red zone, with a ceiling as a three-down starting Y in a run-first offense.
A spread passing attack that detaches its tight end and asks him to win one-on-one against nickel corners on the perimeter.
Adam Trautman | Dayton Flyers Tight End | 2019 Highlights
Senior-season cutup of the record-breaking 70-catch, 14-touchdown year.
Adam Trautman Dayton Highlights - Top FCS Tight End
Career reel showing both the in-line blocking and the contested-catch finishes.
Adam Trautman Tight End Saints 3rd Round Draft Pick | 2020 NFL Draft
Team-produced evaluation of the tape New Orleans traded up to acquire.
Trautman arrived at Dayton in 2015 as a quarterback who had set every passing record at tiny Elk Rapids High in northern Michigan, weighing 176 pounds and eating cold hamburger patties out of a plastic bag to gain weight. He redshirted while switching to tight end and then spent four years becoming the best player in the Pioneer Football League.
He caught 24 passes for 238 yards and three scores as a redshirt freshman, 43 for 537 and five as a sophomore, 41 for 604 and nine as a junior, and then exploded as a senior with 70 catches for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns. The 70 receptions broke the all-time Dayton record at any position; he finished as the school career leader in receptions with 178 and receiving yards with 2,295. He caught four touchdowns in one game against Jacksonville, then three more the following week at Valparaiso. He was PFL Offensive Player of the Year, a first-team All-American on six different teams, and a team captain.
The question was the level of competition. He answered it at the Senior Bowl, where he held up against FBS defenders, and again with a strong Combine. Scouts came away with a complete tight end who blocked, ran and caught, just one who had done it against the FCS. New Orleans traded up to take him at 105.
- 01
Complete in-line tight end
Blocks well enough to stay on the field for every down, which is rare for a small-school receiving producer.
- 02
Contested-catch strength
Boxes out defenders and finishes through contact, the basis for fourteen touchdown catches as a senior.
- 03
Elite small-school production
Dayton career record holder with 178 receptions and 2,295 yards, plus a single-season school record of 70 catches.
- 04
Tested better than expected
Athletic showing at the Combine confirmed he could threaten the seam against NFL-caliber safeties.
- 05
Rapid development curve
A converted quarterback who improved his output in each of four seasons and captained the team as a senior.
- 01
FCS level of competition
Dominated Pioneer Football League defenses that dressed nobody resembling an NFL starter at his position.
- 02
Not a separator
Wins on size and hands rather than route quickness, so tight NFL coverage takes away his easy throws.
- 03
Raw as a route runner
Only four seasons at the position, with stems and releases that still needed professional coaching.
- 04
Age relative to class
Turned 23 before his rookie year after a redshirt and four seasons, leaving less developmental runway.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.80sp50
- Vertical
- 34.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 114inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.78sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.27sp50
- Bench
- 18repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dayton | — | 24 | 238 | 3 |
| 2017 | Dayton | — | 43 | 537 | 5 |
| 2018 | Dayton | 11 | 41 | 604 | 9 |
| 2019 | Dayton | 11 | 70 | 916 | 14 |
| Career | — | 44 | 178 | 2295 | 31 |
Season receiving lines from Dayton official releases; the four seasons sum exactly to the school career records of 178 receptions, 2,295 yards and 31 touchdowns. Game and start counts for 2016 and 2017 are not published in the sources consulted and are left empty rather than estimated. He redshirted in 2015 while converting from quarterback to tight end.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
A dependable starting Y who blocks every down and produces modest, efficient receiving numbers for a decade.
The ceiling: a complete in-line tight end who blocks at a starter level and still commands 70 catches a season.
A tight end whose blocking keeps him employed as a starter while the receiving production never materializes.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
New Orleans traded three picks to move up for him, then never made him a featured receiver. He played fifteen games as a rookie in 2020 with six starts and 15 catches, took on more work in 2021 with 27 catches for 263 yards before an injury interrupted the year, and started twelve games in 2022 with 18 catches. The Saints traded him to Denver in May 2023 alongside a pick swap.
In Denver he became exactly what the blocking tape promised: a starting tight end nobody throws to. He started twelve games in 2023 with a career-high three touchdowns, fourteen in 2024, twelve more in 2025, and opened 2026 on the roster. Through seven seasons the line reads 95 regular-season games, 66 starts, 117 receptions, 1,238 yards and ten touchdowns, with five playoff appearances. In hindsight the pick returned a durable, long-tenured NFL starter and nothing close to the receiving weapon the small-school production suggested. The blocking was real, the separation never arrived, and a third-round trade-up bought a quality TE2 who happens to start.