Hello: Devin Asiasi
[Isaiah Hole/247]
While most of the focus yesterday rightly centered on Rashan Gary, Michigan pulled off a Signing Day coup when Concord (CA) De La Salle TE Devin Asiasi chose the Wolverines in the afternoon. Asiasi had planned to attend the same school as four-star DT teammate Boss Tagaloa, who committed to UCLA in the same ceremony, and there was considerable pull from his family to stay close to home; in the end, Asiasi's desire to go to Michigan overcame those factors.
Asiasi is the third tight end in Michigan's 2016 class, joining Sean McKeon and Nick Eubanks. Even though McKeon is already on campus, Asiasi is the most likely of the group to make an immediate contribution; he's the highest-ranked and the biggest, most well-rounded prospect of the three.
GURU RATINGS
Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
4*, #4 TE, #67 Ovr |
4*, #2 TE, #46 Ovr |
4*, 85, #3 TE-Y, #44 Ovr |
4*, 92, #8 TE, #218 Ovr |
4*, #3 TE, #74 Ovr |
Asiasi is a top-75 overall prospect to everyone except 247, which still has him as a top-ten tight end but ranks him considerably lower than the other three sites. My assumption is 247 is concerned about whether Asiasi can stick at tight end; if he gets much bigger, he may outgrow the position, and while he's also got excellent potential at defensive end they may not like the positional uncertainty.
About that size: Asiasi is listed anywhere from 6'3" to 6'5" and 253-272 pounds, and he looked to be on the higher end of those listings in the Army All-American Game. He's got the build to see the field right away as an in-line tight end.
[Hit THE JUMP for the informative portion.]
SCOUTING
Asiasi has spent much of the last couple years convincing scouts he can be a tight end at the college level instead of flipping over to defense. Last March, 247's Barton Simmons named him the best TE at the Pylon 7-on-7 National Championship, and even then he suggested Asiasi best projected to the other side of the ball:
We think Asiasi is likely a defensive lineman on the next level but the way he ran around and made plays at tight end, there’s no doubt he’s capable. The huge, physically imposing prospect was just too strong for defenders and too nimble. He’s a definite stock up guy.
Asiasi subsequently moved into 247's top 100; I haven't found why they dropped him down the rankings since. Asiasi stood out again at The Opening, and while 247 started coming around to his potential as a TE, the DE possibility still loomed:
Some feel Devin Asiasi could have a brighter future at defensive end, but on Thursday he once again showed that Isaac Nauta and Kaden Smith are not the only elite tight ends at The Opening. The 6-4, 271-pound prospect provided a big target in the red zone for Fly Rush, with a couple touchdown catches where he caught the ball away from his body while using his size to keep defenders from being able to make a play on the ball. If perceived frontrunner USC snags this U.S. Army All-American, they might want to consider keeping him on offense early and then deciding whether to transition him to defense down the road.
Scout moved Asiasi up the rankings a couple times over the course of his senior year. Greg Biggins wrote in their midseason update that "he'll be an impact player no matter what side of the ball he's on," and he also handled Asiasi's free evaluation on Scout:
Evaluation
Asiasi is a huge tight end target who could honestly have even more upside as a defensive end down the road. He's pushing 270 pounds and will have no problem stepping in to a college offense and being physically able to handle those battles in the trenches. Where he surprises people is with his ability to run and catch. He's a very coordinated athlete for his size and can get down the field. He also has very soft hands and will be that reliable 3rd down pass catcher every quarterback loves to have. He's a tremendous blocker and comes from a system at De La Salle where you learn to block early on or you won't play. As long as he can keep his weight down, Asiasi should be a tremendous tight end at the next level with Sunday potential.Strengths
- Ability To Beat Jams
- Frame
- Hands and Concentration
Areas to Improve
- Elusiveness with Catch
ESPN praised his hands, strength, and ability to run through—albeit not around—defenders after the catch; here's their detailed breakdown of his blocking and their final conclusion, which brings up an unusual and intriguing player comparison:
Comes from a run oriented scheme with a lot experience as a blocker and can be very strong in this area, with size, strength, toughness and experience. Can for more consistency, but overall demonstrates good ability to come off with pad level, deliver a pop, roll hips and push defenders off the ball. Physical player that can play with some nastiness.
Asiasi comes from a successful HS program and should bring with him an understanding of what it takes to win and be successful. He is a big well-rounded TE, but is also a good D-Lineman and you could argue that he is even a better player on that side of the ball and like former Minnesota player Ra'Shede Hageman, Asiasi could enter college as a TE and leave as a real handful as a DL. While defense could be intriguing, certainly has tools to be a very good college TE that can excel as a blocker, help move the chains as a receiver and even offer a little versatility to a unit. Regardless of how utilized, darn good football player that can be an asset to a Power-5 roster.
Hageman came to Minnesota as a 6'6", 250-pound three-star tight end; he didn't stick on offense long, becoming a 318-pound All-American defensive tackle and second-round NFL draft pick.
Hagemen never quite showed the promise Asiasi has displayed on offense, however, and Asiasi may have sealed his future as a big-bodied tight end at the Army game. After a few practice sessions, Scout's crew of analysts said he improved his stock:
Four-star tight end Devin Asiasi comes from a well-known run-heavy offense at De La Salle in Concord, Calif., so we wanted to see how he looked getting more receiving reps. The answer? Great. He's dropped only one pass in three practice sessions and has shown why he's a national top 100 prospect. His size and playing experience suggest that he'll be just fine as a blocker at the college level. Alabama, USC, UCLA, and Washington are the top contenders for Asiasi.
(I left that last sentence in because MICHIGAN OUT OF NOWHERE.)
Rivals concurred after the three practice sessions:
The massive prospect is one of the biggest players on the roster yet he moves remarkably well down field and through his routes. Asiasi has been a favorite for the West quarterbacks throughout the week and that continued Thursday, especially in the red zone. He had a couple nice grabs near the goal line where he could use his size to beat defenders.
Asiasi overcame an uncharacteristic drop in the Army game itself to score a touchdown; Scout's Brandon Huffman named him one of the West team's top performers of the week:
Concord (Calif.) De La Salle tight end Devin Asiasi is the West's No. 1 tight end and cemented that during the week. While he played in a run-heavy offense for the Spartans, during Army Bowl week he was utilized as a receiver instead of having to focus on just blocking. He had a touchdown in the Army Bowl and just missed another one. His size and playing experience suggest that he'll be just fine as a blocker at the college level but it is watching him catch and run, especially at around 265-270, that makes you think he can be an impact tight end in college.
Rivals bumped him from the #4 TE to the #2 TE in the country in the aftermath.
I'll give the last word to The Wolverine's Tim Sullivan, who evaluated Asiasi after his commitment:
He is a naturally strong player with good inherent strength. Both of those aspects will only improve when he gets into a college weight training program. That should allow him to win physical battles against defensive ends in the run game, and also to get off the line of scrimmage going out on pass routes.
It's the passing game where Asiasi is the most gifted. He has good athleticism, and a solid understanding of how to run routes (and the quickness to make that knowledge count). Most importantly, though, he has outstanding hands, and will be very consistent when it comes to reeling in catchable balls.
Tim concluded Asiasi "may be too good to keep off the field" as a true freshman; I'm very inclined to agree.
OFFERS
Asiasi held offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Cal, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Miami (YTM), Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon State, San Jose State, Tennessee, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Washington, and Washington State. He had his pick of west coast schools and some great options elsewhere, as well.
HIGH SCHOOL
Concord De La Salle is a national powerhouse that's produced some very familiar names. Michigan fans will remember WR Amani Toomer and QB Matt Gutierrez. There's also Maurice Jones-Drew, Aaron Taylor, TJ Ward, DJ Williams, and several other NFL alums.
STATS
According to MaxPreps, Asiasi caught 17 passes for 311 yards and five TDs in DLS's run-heavy offense as a senior; he added 49 tackles, 11 TFLs, four sacks, and five passes defensed on the defensive line.
FAKE 40 TIME
Asiasi has a combine-verified 40 time of 5.08, which gets zero FAKEs. While he moves well for a big guy, he's not going to be confused for a field-stretching burner. As Brian has described him, think more like (senior) AJ Williams with a power mushroom.
VIDEO
Senior highlights:
Junior highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
With the departure of AJ Williams, there's an opportunity for someone to step up as the second in-line tight end, and even when including the returning players Asiasi looks best-suited for that role. That role should fall either be Asiasi or TJ Wheatley; not only does Asiasi have more potential as a tight end, there's a possibility Wheatley ends up as an offensive tackle.
I expect to see Asiasi on the field right away; he's an advanced blocker for a high school prospect and he's a threat up the seam as a pass-catcher. We'll see if he outgrows the position down the line, but early in his career he should stick on offense, and I'm guessing Jim Harbaugh would prefer to keep it that way as long as Asiasi can stay nimble enough to be a factor in the passing game. If he does outgrow the position, he's got plenty of potential as an SDE or five-tech, as well.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
It contains an Asiasi.
February 4th, 2016 at 4:04 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 4:25 PM ^
I think he probably meant his agility not straight line speed, which I agree with. That said, it sounds like he might be carrying some bad weight. Trimmed down and with some conditioning work to work on his speed, I could see him knock of a few tenths of that 5 sec time.
February 4th, 2016 at 7:49 PM ^
A few tenths would put him in the 4.4 range, assuming that 4.74 is real for now.
Actually, I would love to see Seth or someone do a chart on verified 40 times vs weight.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:27 PM ^
Personally I love how almost every guy we land reminds people of the best to play in an era or one of the top 3-4 guys in the NFL at their position. We have an army of Fred Jacksons. :)
Who is one of the better blocking TEs in the NFL with adequate catching skills? That is probably who Asiasi would be best compared to. Gronk is a freak of nature and with maybe 1-2 guys (at the NFL level) who is a comparable or even should be spoken of in same sentence.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
Just looked him up actually. Green was a Pro Bowl TE for the Steelers in the mid 90's. He was also the biggest TE in the NFL at the time, at 290 pounds. So it is conceivable that Asiasi could get bigger and still stick at the position.
February 4th, 2016 at 7:54 PM ^
The game has evolved since then. There was a time when tight ends were essentially extra offensive tackles who could slip out and grab a few passes. That's not really the case with pass-happy offenses these days. A.J. Williams is kind of an exception, or at least a player with a specific role (BLOCK!). The best tight ends these days are guys who can get out and run, catch passes, and be jumbo receivers.
February 4th, 2016 at 8:08 PM ^
But Green was not the type of TE you're referring to. When Eric Green made the Pro Bowl in 1993, he caught 63 passes for 942 yards. Those numbers match up very favorably with 2016 Pro Bowl TE's.
Travis Kelce: 72 rec 875 yds.
Tyler Eifert: 52 rec 615 yds.
February 4th, 2016 at 4:24 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 4:00 PM ^
We talk about "outgrowing the position" a lot, and I don't think it's a concern grounded in fact. A player may continue to grow taller in his college years, but if a player is "accidentally" gaining weight without increasing in height -- regardless of the weight's composition in fat and muscle -- that would be an incredible indictment on the training staff.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:40 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 4:00 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 4:03 PM ^
Jake Butt is listed at 6'6'', 250
Gronk is listed at 6'6'', 265
Travis Kelce = 6'6'', 260
Jason Witten = 6'5'', 265
So-So (Asiasi) is listed at 6'4'' and "pushing 270"...at 18 years old (lulz, that's large).
February 4th, 2016 at 4:04 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 4:29 PM ^
I think it's pretty comical (and amazing) that the DT recruit (Gary) ran a faster 40 than the Top 100 4* TE (Asiasi). Crazy.
February 4th, 2016 at 4:51 PM ^
February 5th, 2016 at 12:40 PM ^
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February 4th, 2016 at 4:04 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 4:09 PM ^
300 LB FB paving the way for Kareem & Kingston sounds awesome!!!
February 4th, 2016 at 4:20 PM ^
I doubt he'll be a fullback, but he could be an H-back guy that you move around. I think it's better to have fullbacks who are about 6'1" or shorter, so they can get underneath linebackers.
February 4th, 2016 at 4:15 PM ^
Big, strong guy with college ready size brought in to play Tight End after AJ Williams graduates. Color this a great development, especially with the push a USC was putting on a lifelong USC fan. Welcome Aboard!
February 4th, 2016 at 4:19 PM ^
This is the type of guy I am really excited to see hit the weight room. He is not too light or too heavy, but if you can switch some of his bad weight out for muscle early on since he does not have to change his weight we can see him get quicker and stronger. I see him topping out at 4.85 in the forty after technique and the weight room.
February 4th, 2016 at 4:20 PM ^
Can't wait for a few Butt, Bunting and Asiasi sets....
February 4th, 2016 at 4:47 PM ^
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February 4th, 2016 at 5:10 PM ^
February 5th, 2016 at 12:34 PM ^
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February 4th, 2016 at 4:21 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 4:24 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 4:23 PM ^
Asiasi's QB Oh Noes one-handed touchdown on the seam route. The side judge tosses a flag high in the air as Asiasi is crossing the goal line. Upon further review it appears that he was citing #75 Boss Tagaloa for entering the field of play as he ran down the sideline cheering.
February 4th, 2016 at 4:51 PM ^
Kinda feel for Boss. I get the sense he really wanted to come to Michigan with Devin but couldn't leave his family (his little brother has health issues I believe). Tough situation for him to be in. Although, he is going to UCLA to play football so I guess that ain't too shabby.
February 4th, 2016 at 4:24 PM ^
He is going to be a nightmare and beast under Harbaugh. He is exactly like AJ Williams but with a "power mushroom."
February 4th, 2016 at 4:46 PM ^
i wonder if their whole recruiting pitch was just showing AJ's highlight reel from this past season. "you see? look what we did with that big dude."
February 4th, 2016 at 5:00 PM ^
But I wonder if what happened with Chris Clark at UCLA factored into his decision at all. Different situation, but you have to look at all Pros and Cons
February 4th, 2016 at 5:00 PM ^
I'm mostly excited about the fact that we have finally reloaded the all important "Devin" position on the roster.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:03 PM ^
and considering he's basically a 5.1 in the forty..... I have to believe this kid becomes a 3 or 5 tech on the d-line by his sophomore year, especially when he gets into a college weight program and is 285+ in a year. How big is Wheatley now, he seemed like a good fit to be a jumpo TE, but if he's put on a lot of size maybe he moves down to tackle. Good thing we picked up a few TE's in this class as someone is going to need to step up in 2017 for Jake.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:15 PM ^
Why do you assume he'll put on weight at Michigan? Not everyone who shows up is asked to gain weight. In fact, he'll probably be asked to slim down since he's playing tight end. The guy is super athletic, catches the ball well, and blocks as well as any 18-year-old I've seen. There's no way Harbaugh is moving him from one of the offense's most important positions.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:18 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 5:31 PM ^
Houma didn't get huge.
#PolynesianExemption
But yeah in general these big Polynesian guys do seem to end up as lineman down the road. They just have massive frames. Even sitting next to Boss T yesterday at the press conference he looked like he was 2 years older than Boss. That's a big boned kid.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:43 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 7:16 PM ^
Your last comment reminds me of one of my favorite Cartman lines....
February 4th, 2016 at 5:06 PM ^
Asiasi subsequently moved into 247's top 100; I haven't found why they dropped him down the rankings since.
#Aquaman'd
February 4th, 2016 at 5:08 PM ^
You are missing it. Man, this has to be the best film I have seen since the Kaleke kid from Pennsylvania, What a treat, this guy almost has as many pancakes as Onwenu. I lol on one block he layed down. He plays QB and can catch anything thrown his way. Talk about anticipation, watch out B1G Michigan will make every TE in the country jealous. This offense is going to be scary for every LB who has to line up against them.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:09 PM ^
I cant even think of NFL TEs who are super effective in the 270s (or higher after a year in S&C) so he and Ty Wheatley will be interesting case studies. Most seem to top out around 260-265. Maybe I am missing someone. It will make for some serious run blocking however with our 2 TE sets with beef like that on the ends.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:27 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 5:36 PM ^
This is true - athletes everywhere in the NFL, to be a TE there you have to be one, just like the OLB or S they play in NFL have to be very good athletes.
I hope he does stick at TE - I cannot imagine a college level safety trying to take this type of guy down. Obviously you are going to try to cut him down at thighs or lower but if you try to hit him high you will just bounce off - someone like Dymonte is all of 190 lbs and a TE like this would outweigh you by 80 lbs. Granted if it was that easy everyone would roll out 270 lb TEs so it will be interesting to watch. I like his blocking ability however - we lack that, even with Butt who often got negative UFRd. Harbaugh specifically mentioned McKeon for his blocking ability too.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:50 PM ^
February 4th, 2016 at 5:11 PM ^
I wonder if the scouting projects him to DE in college because no other program uses as many TEs as Michigan.
The #2 prospect at his position should not expect to play somewhere else, you know?
February 4th, 2016 at 5:13 PM ^
"He is a naturally strong player with good inherent strength."
Wow.
February 4th, 2016 at 5:30 PM ^
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February 4th, 2016 at 5:48 PM ^
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