CJ Dippre TE Alabama | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
CJ Dippre TE Alabama
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Inline Multi-Role TE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/21/2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.69 seconds (72%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ROLE: Inline Multi-Role TE | |
| Last Updated: 03/21/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2025 | |
| 40 time: 4.69 seconds (72%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
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SHARE THIS PROFILE:
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| Overall Rating: | 78.0 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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77% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 91.0 | |
| Hands: |
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47% |
| Short Receiving: |
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63% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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75% |
| Deep Threat: |
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62% |
| Blocking: |
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55% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
7th
Overall Rank:
#232
Position rank:
#13
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| College Games: 51 College Snaps: 1745 | ||
ESPN RATING: 75/100
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247 RATING: 86/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.6 (92%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lucas Krull - Pittsburgh |
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84% |
| Leonard Taylor - Cincinnati |
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83% |
| Kyle Patterson - Air Force |
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73% |
Draft Profile: Bio
A Pennsylvania product with football running through his veins, CJ Dippre emerged from "The Iron Church" – his family's basement weight room – to carve out a solid collegiate career between Maryland and Alabama. Born into a weightlifting household with a father who played at UConn before becoming a competitive powerlifter, Dippre's physical development was practically predestined. The 6'4", 262-pound tight end began his journey as a multi-position athlete at Lakeland High School in Scranton, where he not only played quarterback, tight end, and defensive end but also excelled in discus, placing third in the state championships.After arriving at Maryland as a three-star recruit, Dippre gradually built his resume, making just one start as a freshman before breaking out his sophomore year with 30 receptions, 314 yards and three touchdowns. His transfer to Alabama for his final two seasons didn't produce the statistical explosion some expected, tallying 32 catches for 443 yards across his Crimson Tide tenure. Throughout four college seasons, Dippre accumulated 1,745 offensive snaps, steadily developing into a tight end with legitimate two-way potential who started in 11 of 14 games during his final season in Tuscaloosa.
Dippre's family background in weightlifting manifests in his play style – he brings a blue-collar toughness to the position, particularly as a blocker. Though his athletic testing shows better-than-expected burst, his production never matched his physical tools, leaving evaluators to question whether his ceiling as a pass-catcher remains untapped or if what we've seen is what we'll get at the next level.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Brings hammer-and-nail mentality to the blocking game, consistently looking to plant defenders into the turf with several pancake blocks against Auburn.
- Possesses natural feel for soft spots in zone coverage, showing innate spatial awareness to settle between linebackers with precise timing.
- Thick lower half creates natural leverage points in the run game, allowing him to anchor effectively against larger edge defenders.
- Displays surprising burst after the catch, showing immediate catch-to-attack urgency that belies his size and forces missed tackles.
- Moves well for 262 pounds with better-than-advertised 40 time (4.69), giving him vertical seam potential against slower linebackers.
- Gets his head around with perfect timing on seam routes, showing veteran savvy to manipulate defenders before locating the football.
- Quick outlet in the flats who instantly transitions upfield after securing the catch, maximizing available yardage with decisive north-south running.
- Shows consistent competitive toughness play-to-play, never taking downs off even when not the primary target or point-of-attack blocker.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Route tree lacks detailed craftsmanship, rounding off breaks and struggling to create consistent separation against man coverage.
- Hands turn questionable when asked to extend below his frame, leading to multiple double-catches and concentration drops on tape.
- Stiff hips limit his ability to make sharp cuts when trying to break tackles in space after the catch.
- Blocking technique shows inconsistency – base gets too wide at times, allowing defenders into his chest and compromising leverage.
- Possession-only receiver with limited long speed, severely capping his big-play upside even when schemed open down the seam.
Scouting Report: Summary
Dippre projects as a developmental Y-tight end whose immediate value comes as an in-line blocker with enough receiving chops to keep defenses honest. His best NFL landing spot would be with a team committed to 12 personnel that values tight ends who can survive as blockers while offering moderate chain-moving potential in the passing game. Don't expect him to transform an offense, but his willingness to do the dirty work and adequate athleticism give him a fighting chance to stick as a TE2 or TE3.The film shows a player with untapped potential in the passing game that the right coaching staff might unlock. His natural feel for zones and better-than-expected testing numbers suggest there could be more meat on the bone than his modest college production indicates. Teams running heavy play-action concepts will particularly value his ability to sell the run block before releasing into patterns where his instincts for finding soft spots can be maximized.
His ceiling might be capped by athletic limitations, but his floor is solid – a dependable complementary piece who won't be overwhelmed by the physicality of the NFL game. Look for him to carve out a role similar to Purdue's Payne Durham, gradually earning more snaps through consistent blocking and reliable hands when targeted.
Written By:
Bill Miller (SEC)
CJ Dippre percentiles vs other Tight Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate CJ Dippre (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
243.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
16.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.