Could new TE Michael Roberts be next great red-zone threat for Patriots? His college position coach thinks so (UPDATED: Trade called off)

The first thing you’re going to notice about new Patriots’ tight end Michael Roberts? His hands.

“When you shake his hand, it’ll engulf yours,” said Robby Discher, who was Roberts’ position coach at Toledo.

At the combine in 2016, Roberts’ hands were measured at 11 5/8 inches. They were the biggest at the combine that year, and just 0.125 inches off the combine record. He used those massive mitts to haul in a whopping 16 touchdowns (most in college football that year) on 45 catches as a senior with the Rockets.

Now, Discher sees New England using Roberts as its’ next great red-zone possibility.

(UPDATE, Friday at 5:21 p.m.: The trade has been called off because of a failed physical, per a league source. Roberts was subsequently released by the Lions.)

“He’s a big red-zone target,” Discher told BosonSportsJournal.com on Thursday, hours after the Patriots landed Roberts in a trade. “If I was an NFL tight ends coach, that’s where I’d really try and use him. I don’t know much about the other tight ends in New England, but I know Mike can do it in the red zone. He’s a natural pass carter with really good hands. He’s fluid in and out of breaks. He’s a big target, and did well fighting for passes. Obviously, if you’re that big, you don’t have to be open, to be open.

“He has the physical skills — he’s very athletic. Probably a shade under 6-foot-5, but with really long arms. He’s a natural pass catcher who had the biggest hands at the combine a few years ago,” he added. “He’s smooth. We had him run option routes against safeties and corners and linebackers, and you can tell when he took balls away from them, they’d get angry.”



Discher isn’t sure why Roberts never seemed to mesh in his two seasons with the Lions. A fourth-round pick in 2017, Roberts had knee and ankle issues, which could be part of the reason. But with plenty of turnover at the position the last couple of years — including the decision to draft T.J. Hockenson in the first round earlier this spring — it seemed he was never going to get a chance to really find his footing with Detroit. He finished his career with the Lions with 13 catches for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 23 games, five starts.

“Good competition in the (tight end) room right now, so we had an opportunity to move on from Mike and hopefully get something in the future for it,” Lions coach Matt Patricia said when asked about the team's decision to deal Roberts for a conditional seventh-round pick.

So what sort of player are the Patriots getting? In some ways, he’s a little like Matt LaCosse in that he’s a buy-low sort of prospect who could thrive given the chance to work in an elite offense. Ultimately, Discher sees Roberts as a red-zone fit with New England who could benefit from a change of scenery.

“He’s very, very talented, and he’s going to as good a situation as anyone could with the Patriots,” Discher said. “He’s big, and he’s fluid. As far as NFL talent at the position, he’s what you’re looking for. I know Detroit had some movement there and drafted a tight end, so I think in the end, the change of scenery — and working with the greatest coach and quarterback of all time — will do him good.”

In terms of Roberts’ potential drawbacks, Discher said his blocking has improved, but it will remain as a point of emphasis for him moving forward.

“In college, he was a better pass catcher, route runner and receiver than a blocker, but since then, he’s continued to progress as a blocker,” Discher said of Roberts. “He’s certainly better at that now than he was in college, and he continued to get better with the Lions.”

In the end, Roberts is getting a fresh start, while the Patriots obtain another layer of depth as they look to remake the tight end position in the post-Rob Gronkowski era. Discher says where it all goes from here will be largely up to the 25-year-old, who has been handed (no pun intended) an opportunity to hit the reset button on his professional career.

“God, the opportunity for him to go to New England? If I was Mike, I couldn’t have picked a better spot,” Discher said. “I think it’ll be a great opportunity for him — I’m sure he’s excited. Sometimes, a change of scenery can be a good thing. For whatever reason, he wasn’t used a lot in Detroit, but to get a chance to go to the defending champs, a team known for their tight ends, it’s a real chance for him to show what he can do.”