Steve Heiden, Detroit Lions confident in tight ends room entering 2024 NFL season.
, the No. 34 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, caught the most passes by a rookie tight end in league history . Plus, he became just the third rookie at the position to finish with at least 10 receiving touchdowns. And, on top of all that, the Iowa product recorded 889 receiving yards, the fifth-highest mark by a tight end in 2023.
“James has done a nice job,” Heiden said of Mitchell. “When he had the opportunity to play, he made some plays late in the season. Came in at Minnesota , did some things that we just got to continue on that same path and trajectory and see where it takes us this year.”, a reserve tight end in Detroit since 2021, did not suit up for a single game in 2023. His best season as a pro came in 2022 when he caught 11 balls for 60 yards and four touchdowns.
He spent the entire past season on injured reserve with a knee ailment that he suffered in training camp last summer. He was injured near the end of a practice when he caught a short pass in the flat and was hit low – in the knee – by defensive back Khalil Dorsey. “Really good to have him back,” Heiden said of Zylstra. “He hasn’t missed a beat. He looks like himself out there, so it’s nice to have him back. … It’s just getting into the football stuff, the stuff you can’t mimic when you’re just working out. So, he’s done a good job. He’s always in his playbook, knows what to do.”is clearly a fan of Detroit's tight ends room, which also includes former Michigan and Dallas Cowboys tight end.
“Some of the things that we come up with as a group that we need to work on, both in the run game and in the pass game, just try to hone those things in,”expressed. “You can still go through technique and do all those things, even though we’re doing a walkthrough. It can still be a mindset and thought of when you’re doing the walkthrough stuff, even though it’s not physical.”Vito has covered the NFL and the Detroit Lions for the past five years.
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