July Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 11 TE Elijah Arroyo
CaneSport is breaking down the top 30 Miami players on the roster, and today we’re at No. 11, TE Elijah Arroyo.
THE BIG PICTURE
Will Mallory is gone, and it’s time for someone to step up and fill his shoes in the new Shannon Dawson offense. The most likely guy to be extremely productive in all aspects from the position this year is Elijah Arroyo. Arroyo was mixing in a lot with Mallory last year before an early season-ending injury, and he was also out the spring rehabbing. But he’ll be back full go for the start of fall drills, and Miami is very much relying on Arroyo stepping up. The starting job won’t just be handed to him, though. The Canes brought in Oregon transfer Cam McCormick, who in his eighth year (yes, eighth year) is a very physical presence. But McCormick has nowhere near Arroyo’s skills catching the ball down the field. Jaleel Skinner also hopes to factor in, but he isn’t an adept blocker and he struggled holding onto the ball last year. Then there are a couple of talented true freshmen as well that will look for reps, with Riley Williams in particular standing out. But if you are looking for a tight end who can line up split wide, in the slot, attached to the line or in the backfield, that’s going to be Arroyo. He should be a big part of this offense, hence why we rank him No. 11 on the team despite his not really making a big splash in his first two years at Miami.
THE ANALYSIS
Arroyo missed the spring coming off an injury suffered during the early part of last year, but we think he fits in perfectly with the scheme that Shannon Dawson is implementing. He’s got enough physicality to help out as a run blocker/pass protector while also already showing in limited reps at Miami that he can make some plays down the field in the receiving game. To this point Arroyo has served as a backup in his two years at Miami, but with Will Mallory gone it’s expected he will be the main guy. Last season Arroyo missed the final seven games due to the aforementioned injury (4 catches, 66 yards), and as a true freshman in 2021 he played in every game and started once (he had 5 catches for 86 yards and a TD as a freshman, then 5 for 66 yards in his four games last year). As for his Pro Football Focus grades? In 141 reps as a freshman he graded out at 61.0 overall with 70 considered a good grade (54.4 receiving, 57.9 pass blocking, 70.3 run blocking). This past season he played 138 reps and graded out at 54.9 percent (69.1 as a receiver, 53.4 pass blocking and 43.5 run blocking).
THE PROJECTION
Arroyo hasn’t proven much to this point. He’s only played 279 total reps in his two years, and he hasn’t graded out particularly well or made a lot of plays in the passing game. So you can say there are question marks. But he is the most well-rounded tight end on the roster and has plus playmaking ability down the field for sure. He’ll get plenty of opportunities to help this team win games, and should be right in the range of where Mallory was production-wise (last year Mallory had 42 catches for 538 yards).
THE JUMP HE NEEDS FROM SPRING TO FALL CAMP
At 6-4 and 245 pounds Arroyo can be a receiving and blocking threat, although he needs work on his blocking mindset/technique. We think there’s a great chance he emerges as a weapon in the Shannon Dawson offense this year, and it’s expected he’s the next man up at Tight End U. Arroyo has the speed and size to present mismatches for safeties and linebackers, and he can also help as a run blocker if he really dedicates himself to that side of the game. Arroyo can be an outstanding all-around tight end, he just has to prove himself.
The post July Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 11 TE Elijah Arroyo appeared first on On3.
