McCallan Castles 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• Transfer from Cal in 2019 to UC Davis

• Originally a four-star recruit out of Hhgh school
• First-Team All-Big-Sky (2021)

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Spread Offense
• 2022 projected role: Mismatch “F” with ability to play in the slot or outside

Pros: McCallan Castles is a small-school prospect with high-level traits. He is a former transfer from Cal and was a top recruit out of high school. He offers very good size and length and is a good overall athlete. He primarily operates as a receiving tight end for the Aggies and is moved all across the formation to create mismatches. Castles offers good speed off the line and eats up grass with his long stride. He is able to stress the seam vertically and can clear past second-level defenders with ease. He has excellent ball skills, hands, and body control and can easily locate and track the ball. Castles has a large catch radius and is a nightmare to cover in the red zone. He runs a full route tree and offers good wiggle and fluidity and the top of the stem in and out of breaks to create separation. He is a difficult tackle with the ball in his hands and runs hard gaining yards after the catch. 

Cons: McCallan Castles needs to continue to add strength and mass to his frame. He struggles to play on the line scrimmage as he lacks the necessary power at the point of attack to generate movement in the run game. He is much more of a positional/wall-off blocker than a mauler at this stage in his development. He is more of a smooth athlete than explosive and doesn’t create much separation out of breaks as a player who can really explode out of cuts. He doesn’t create after the catch and relies on his size and strength rather than his elusiveness. Overall, I like his ability as a receiver but he must improve as a blocker to ever contribute at the next level.

McCallan Castles NFL Draft Scouting Report by Brentley Weissman