BYU defensive end Tyler Batty is rising up NFL Draft boards

BYU defensive end Tyler Batty is coming off a First Team All-Big 12 season and is currently preparing for the NFL Draft. One major step he recently took in this process was participating in the East-West Shrine Bowl and as I’ve covered extensively, Batty balled out in this premier all-star game.

With the Shrine Bowl now in the rearview mirror let’s check in with the latest on Batty’s draft stock.

Here’s how four of the leading mock draft websites currently assess the defensive end’s draft prospects.

Tyler Batty in NFL Mock Drafts

Pro Football Focus – Fifth round

PFF provides extensive grading and rankings of college prospects after evaluating every one of the players’ snaps. Pro Football Focus views Tyler Batty as a draftable prospect. On PFF’s Big Board they rank him as the No. 171 overall prospect in this year’s draft. Sometimes Big Boards can be deceiving though because it also matters where a prospect falls in terms of his position. The good news for BYU fans is a recent PFF seven-round mock draft had the Cleveland Browns snagging Batty in the fifth round at No. 165.

NFL Mock Draft Database – Sixth round

One of the valuable tools provided by NFL Mock Draft Database is it shows how a player’s draft prospects changed over the course of the season. Concerningly, Tyler Batty’s chart was consistently trending down throughout his senior season to the point that in mid-January he was the No. 325 prospect, meaning he wasn’t viewed as a player who would have his name called on draft day. But over the past couple of weeks as Batty participated in the Shrine Bowl practices, his draft profile skyrocketed. NFL Mock Draft Database’s most recent assessment is Tyler Batty is the No. 181 prospect overall and a sixth-round pick.

NFL Draft Buzz – Sixth round

As part of the NFL Draft Buzz player profiles, they provide assessments of the player’s strengths, weaknesses, and an overall summary. As part of Batty’s summary they call him a “high-motor edge defender with three-down potential.” They also cited his versatility and his ability to play in either a 3-4 or a 4-3 scheme, something that’s key for a potential late-round pick. They give this positive and accurate final assessment: “While far from a blue-chip prospect, Batty’s likely floor is of a reliable rotational piece with starter upside.” In the end, they project him as a sixth-round pick.

Pro Football Network – Seventh round

While Pro Football Network doesn’t provide nearly as much detail as some of the other sites, they do list Batty as the No. 212 prospect on their Big Board. This puts him squarely in the seventh round, which means he’s getting drafted, and that’s the ultimate goal.

Tyler Batty NFL Draft summary

After Tyler Batty’s stellar final season in Provo followed by his solid Shrine Bowl performance, he’s now showing up on a lot of mock draft sites. Given his NFL size at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds and extensive college resume, it’s unlikely he’ll fall much from here. Now, if he massively underperforms at the Big 12 Pro Day (he’ll almost assuredly participate) or other pre-draft workouts, he could still go undrafted.

Something else working in Batty’s favor is how most NFL front offices view players drafted in Rounds 5-7, which is likely his destiny. Put simply, expectations are low for Day 3 picks. It’s a major win for most NFL front offices if a late-round pick can become decent depth piece who can provide capable rotational snaps. Given Batty’s experience and NFL body, he’s about as low risk as it comes.

As of today, it looks like Tyler Batty will likely be a late-round pick.

That’s good for him, good for BYU, and will ultimately be good for the team that lands him.