Talking Coastal Carolina Isaiah Likely
The Jets should be looking for a tight end, and Likely ticks a lot of the boxes.
🗽Good morning Jets fans and welcome to Thursday’s edition of TJW. We’re almost at the weekend which means another game, another opportunity for a lot of these young men to put some good reps on tape ahead of 2022, and another week closer to what is shaping up to be one of the more important off-seasons in recent memory.
Year two of a rebuild brings a little more pressure and a little more expectation. When you have two draft picks that are currently projected to land in the top-10, multiple picks in the top 75, and plenty of cap space, improvement is a necessity.
Today I thought I’d take a look at Coastal Carolina tight end Isaiah Likely. The coaching staff at Coastal were kind enough to send over the game film from all of Likely’s 2021 games, giving me a great opportunity to really dive into what he does well and where he may need to improve at the next level.
Background
Likely wasn't heavily recruited out of Everett, Massachusetts as a 6’2 220lb receiver. Listed as a 2-star recruit on 247, Likely received 8 offers from the likes of Bryant, Bethune-Cookman, Central Connecticut State, and Sacred Heart. Massachusetts pushed hard to keep Isaiah home, but the receiver decided to take his talent to Coastal Carolina.
That proved to be the right choice as Likely appeared in all 12 games as a freshman, and although he only caught 12 passes, he was tied for the team lead in touchdowns with 5. After being named to the Mackey Award pre-season watch list, Likely improved in 2019 as he found more playing time and more targets. He finished the year with 32 catches for 431 yards and 5 touchdowns which is good for a 13.5 yard per reception average.
In 2020 Isaiah took another lunge forward, catching 30 passes for 601 yards and 5 touchdowns, good for a mind-boggling 20.0 average per reception. Fast forward to 2021 and all of a sudden we're not talking about a 6’2, 220lb receiver, we’re talking about a 6'4 250lb tight end who moves as though he’s 30lbs lighter. 2021 was the breakout year that many expected, but I’m not sure many expected the kind of production that Likely put up. 59 catches, 912 yards, and 12 touchdowns with just one drop. Elite numbers by anyone’s standard.
Isaiah was asked before the 2021 season on what he thought about being compared to Giants tight end Evan Engram, and how he would describe himself and his game:
“Let me say real quick, it is nice I mean that it’s nice to be given some type of draft buzz, or love or whatever. But I know I need to keep working on my craft. I need to keep working and getting better. It is a nice thing to hear, but I want to worry about that when we get there. Right now, I am focusing on the things I can handle. Someone saying I play like Evan Engram, or remind them of him. is crazy. I think the guy is such a great player. In college, he was a star, and he is even better now. So that is crazy to me. But like I said I can’t worry about those things. I need to keep my head on what’s in front of me. As far as my playing style. You could say I am a guy that my team can trust. I am a guy that will work my butt off and get the job done. I think I can make a big play anywhere on the field. I know I am a playmaker. My coaches coach me up to be the guy I am, and I take it seriously. I know at the next level I can be a guy that my team can lean on to make a play. To block, or do any little thing that is needed to be a success.”
The first thing I’ll say is that the Evan Engram comparison isn’t a bad one at all, it’s the movement skills and the speed for the size that make sense, but Likely’s hands are better than Engrams coming out. One thing you want for a rookie QB is to have a tight end who is reliable and the one drop in 2021 shows us how reliable he is.
Scouting report
Speed: Shows excellent speed at all three levels, his long speed is exceptional for a man his size and he shows the burst to run away from NFL Linebacker and defensive lineman dropping into coverage. Doesn't lose momentum when cutting and has good acceleration out of breaks.
In-line blocking: A lot of people suggest he’s purely a slot guy but 55% of his snaps in 2021 came as a traditional inline TE. I’m not sure he has the play strength to be much of an in-line blocker at the next level, may struggle to hold up against defensive linemen and bigger Linebackers, but the improvement he made between 2020 and 2021 in terms of his blocking means I wouldn’t count him out.
Move blocking: A very good move blocker if a little inconsistent. Sometimes misses a downfield block through being too aggressive, but I would say his move blocking is a strength the majority of the time. A key aspect is he always gives 100% whether it's a run or pass play and he has plenty of good reps of move blocking on tape.
On this play Likely is the motion man who comes across the formation to throw a block.
Hands: Some of the best hands at the TE position in the draft. A natural pass catcher who high points the football, rarely body catches and has a vice grip to consistently come down with the ball through the contest. He had one drop in 2021 which is exceptional considering how often he was targeted and how much attention he drew through the season.
Ball Tracking: Shows the ability to track the ball in the air and adjust his body on the fly. Rarely loses sight of the football and his receiver background is evident by his body control.
Play strength: He’s plenty big enough and you like him in contested catch situations, often too strong for defensive backs, and can take multiple defenders to bring him down. He has the frame to add more lbs but there is a trade-off there with his athleticism.
Contested catches: Only had 4 contested catches in 2021 but his ability to win off the line and get separation limited his opportunities. His size gives him a mismatch that should be exploited more at the next level. If you rewind to 2020 then Likely caught 12/17 contested balls for a catch % of 70.6%, that’s an elite number.
Burst & Acceleration: Shows good release off the line and a sudden initial burst and acceleration to chew up space in off coverage. Definitely has a 2nd gear which will make defending him difficult for most Linebackers in the NFL. Acceleration out of breaks is a plus and leads to separation which would be considered NFL open.
Football IQ: I loved watching Isaiah play football, he knows where to sit down in zone coverage he knows how to use his leverage and his route running shows his ability to diagnose and adjust on the fly. On multiple occasions Likely worked back to the QB on busted plays. He’s a smart guy in the classroom and a smart guy on the football field.
📈 Key Stats 📊
Likely had 622 receiving yards (2nd best in FBS) and 6 TD’s (Best in FBS) against zone coverage.
He had just one drop on 77 targets for a drop percentage of 1.7% which is the 2nd best mark in the FBS for TE’s who saw at least 60 targets (20 players)
His 12 touchdowns for a TE were first in the FBS in 2021.
His 10 missed tackles forced were good for joint 7th for TE’s in the FBS.
He was penalized just once in 2021. Compare that with Trey McBride who was penalized 8 times and Jalen Wydemeyer who was penalized 5 times.
Likely caught 7 passes of 20+ yards on 9 targets. That 77.8% completion is the 4th best mark in the FBS and the top mark for the tight ends being spoken about in the top 3 rounds of the draft.
Testing the Waters
I always like to get an idea of how people currently view a prospect, before we enter the pre-draft process. Here are a few:
Final Thoughts
Likely is a guy that I really like for the Jets around the late 2nd to early 3rd. I’m not sure I like him as much as McBride, but it’s extremely close, much closer than most people suggest. The Jets are missing a really athletic receiving tight end, and Likely ticks all the boxes. His hands make him extremely QB friendly and he’s an outstanding red-zone threat, evidenced by his 12 touchdowns. If you’re looking for big-play ability from the TE position then his ability on deep balls will be attractive.
Likely will be appearing at the senior bowl, and we’re still waiting to hear which teams will be coaching in Mobile, Alabama (It may be the Jets).