Film Evaluation: Holden Staes

Not every Penn State tight end has been built the same over the past six years, but one thing has been constant: they’ve been game-breakers in the passing game. There are several excellent candidates to continue that trend already on the roster, and now tight ends coach Tyler Bowen and head coach James Franklin have found a player to help secure the future in tight end Holden Staes from Atlanta. With a great mix of size, enthusiasm for run-blocking and vertical speed, Staes could be the complete tight end that can do it all.

*Important Note: Scouting notes are based on highlight videos. They should not be seen as a complete picture of the strengths and weaknesses of a prospect. As these young men are still in the early stages of their development, projections are based on potential and development.

Vertical Threat: Even the best tight ends in the NFL aren’t always used down the field. It’s a special skill to be a threat vertically at the tight end position. Staes shows the ability to threaten the seams of a defense with long, powerful strides that eat up ground in a hurry. He also has great body control to navigate traffic and get to his spot quickly.

He shows natural instincts as a receiver as well. The Westminster High School product has a good feel for finding open spaces in a defense and making the throw easier for his quarterback. He does all of this and makes it look fairly natural.

In this way he’s a comparable talent to current Penn State tight end Brenton Strange who was an explosive, downfield threat for Parkersburg high school. They have different ways of going about doing it - we’ll get to in a minute - but the result is the same.

Frame/Blocking: At 6-foot-4, Staes has the perfect body type for an in-line tight end. He has long arms and legs and a very well built frame that you can easily imagine supporting another 20 to 30 pounds. Not only that, but Staes has experience as a blocker already. Unlike so many players who convert to the position, the Georgia native not only has blocked, but makes it clear that he wants to block. Even among tight ends, it’s rare to have your second highlight be of a block.

He shows promise as a classic tight end with his hand in the dirt as well.

If you have to pick between a player that can run and catch or a player who can block at the tight end position, you want the receiver in today's game. But the ultimate prize is a guy who can do it all. States can be that guy. He could be the next in a growing line of high-profile, high-producing tight ends who can block, run and catch.

Long Speed: We’ll get to his overall athleticism in a moment, but it’s clear that Staes is the type of player that can do serious damage when he gets a head of steam. He’s a fluid athlete that builds up speed and can do damage if he’s not impeded in his release or route.

This is part of what makes Staes a very good vertical threat. Not only does he have the ability to get deep on vertical routes, but he shows the concentration to make contested catches down the field as well.

All of this adds up to make Staes a fairly complete package as the tight end position.

Starts: There’s a good bit of evidence that Staes can become more explosive once he gets bigger and stronger. Currently, he tends to get off the line a bit slower than you’d like for a receiving threat. The good news is that there is evidence that he’s capable of snapping off the line and gaining separation in a short amount of time.

While that poor defensive back is clearly outmatched in both size and skill, Staes beats him with quickness and efficiency off the line. That’s not a consistent trait, even when he’s lined up in the slot.

Go back and watch the highlights in the previous section again (particularly the first from long speed) but pay attention to how he releases from his stance. It’s not always clean nor crisp. This is a critical skill that can take a good athlete and make them a great one. Being able to separate at any level of the field is a special skill. It will be interesting to see if Staes can learn to do this, or if he will develop into more of a straight-line athlete. Again, the good news is that he shows good burst at other parts of the field and this trait will come with more training in the weight room and in positional drills.

Breaking Tackles: As we’ve seen from should-be 2020 All-American tight end Pat Freiermuth, what you do with the ball in your hands is just as important as what you do before the ball gets there. Freiermuth was a nightmare to bring down last season. According to PFF, he forced nine missed tackles on 43 catches in 2019, which was sixth-best among FBS tight ends.

That’s a highlight that is noticeably missing from Staes highlights. Part of this has to do with his usage as a vertical threat, where it’s harder to break tackles. He also did not seem to have a large number of targets either. The other part has to do, once again, with the fact that he’s a sophomore and still developing physically. He will gain strength, power and explosiveness over the next year-and-a-half and become a much bigger physical presence on the field.

Tight End: There’s a reason that Staes has offers from over two dozen schools, many of which are among the nation's best. Teams like Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, LSU and Ohio State all see the potential in Staes’ game. He’s still very raw physically, yet shows the ability to be a game-breaker from the tight end position. That, combined with his familiarity in lining up both in the slot and next to a tackle, make him an easy projection from a usage standpoint. His natural body fluidity, frame and clear football intelligence make him a very appealing young prospect.

It seems like a good certainty that Staes will continue to develop physically and gain strength and mass in his lower half. That, along with continued growth at the position, make him an excellent candidate to be the next all-around tight end for the Nittany Lions. Staes can block, catch and break games open as a receiver. With the players currently on the roster and the ones that have committed recently, Penn State is becoming the new "Tight End U."

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