Dallen Bentley TE Utah |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #88 ROLE: Inline Blocking TE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 02/23/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.62 seconds (85%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #88 | |
| ROLE: Inline Blocking TE | |
| Last Updated: 02/23/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.62 seconds (85%*) | |
| Overall Rating: | 81.1 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
|
77% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 107.0 | |
| Hands: |
|
81% |
| Short Receiving: |
|
78% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
|
82% |
| Deep Threat: |
|
76% |
| Blocking: |
|
60% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
6th
Overall Rank:
#200
Position rank:
#15 (TE)
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| College Games: 28 College Snaps: 1189 | ||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Elijah Arroyo - Miami |
|
86% |
| Luke Schoonmaker - Michigan |
|
86% |
| Brenton Strange - Penn State |
|
86% |
Drafted: ROUND: 7 - Pick Number: 256 (DEN)
Draft Profile: Bio
Dallen Bentley a product of Taylorsville High School in Utah, Bentley logged roughly five total snaps during his prep career. He earned a contributing role as a senior following a major growth spurt, caught a 40-yard reception in the season opener, and then snapped his tibia and fibula on that same play. That was it for high school football. He served an LDS mission in Colorado afterward, and college football was nowhere on his radar until his cousin talked him into walking on at Snow College.At Snow College, Bentley took to the position quickly despite having never played tight end before arriving in Ephraim. Over one season with the Badgers in 2022, he hauled in eight catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns, bulked up to 250 pounds, and earned NJCAA All-America Second Team and NJCAA All-Academic honors. Programs from across the country came calling, with offers from Washington, Colorado, Louisville, San Diego State, and New Mexico. But Utah's tight-end pedigree, fresh off turning Dalton Kincaid from an FCS transfer into a first-round pick, sealed the deal for a kid who grew up cheering for the Utes.
Bentley's first two years in Salt Lake City tested his patience. In 2023 he battled injuries and appeared in just six games, catching one pass for five yards in the Las Vegas Bowl. The 2024 season was a different kind of frustration: he played 376 offensive snaps across all 12 games and earned seven starts, but the vast majority of his work was blocking. He finished with just two catches for 15 yards while Brant Kuithe absorbed most of the tight end targets. Everything changed in 2025. With a clear path to the TE1 role and new quarterback Devon Dampier, Bentley broke out in a big way. He started 12 of 13 games, caught 48 passes for 620 yards and six touchdowns, ranked seventh among all tight ends nationally in receiving yards, and was named a John Mackey Award semifinalist and All-Big 12 Third Team. His six-catch, 106-yard, one-touchdown performance in the Las Vegas Bowl capped what had been a long time coming for a player who spent years waiting for his shot.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Thick, well-built frame at 264 pounds with above-average weight for the position, giving him a natural advantage absorbing contact through his routes and after the catch.
- Outstanding ball security and concentration at the catch point; recorded zero drops on 76 targets in 2025, which is borderline ridiculous reliability for any pass catcher.
- Flashes real body control and flexibility adjusting to off-target throws, going up to high-point the football and playing bigger than his 6'4" frame would suggest.
- Genuine versatility in his alignment, logging meaningful snaps inline, from the slot, and out wide, with experience in pre-snap motion and H-back looks that give coordinators options.
- Solid receiving production across all three levels of the field, with his best work coming on intermediate routes where he finds soft spots in zone coverage and sits down with good timing.
- Lower-body strength and contact balance stand out on film; he absorbs hits through his routes without losing his feet and picks up extra yardage with physicality after the catch, forcing ten missed tackles in 2025.
- Shows craft in his route running with an effort to sell stems, work in head fakes, and get low at his breaks, giving him more nuance than his build would suggest.
- Near-flawless pass protection efficiency in 2025, allowing just one total pressure on 47 pass blocking snaps while also keeping his man clean on the vast majority of his reps.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Below-average height for an inline tight end limits his ability to box out defenders at the catch point, and he won just four of 15 contested targets in 2025.
- Run blocking remains the biggest concern on tape; his technique is inconsistent with hand placement and leverage, and he struggles to sustain blocks through the whistle.
- Lacks top-end speed and explosive athleticism, giving him an average athletic profile that limits his ability to threaten defenses vertically or separate down the seams.
- Heavy production against zone coverage raises questions about how well his route running translates against NFL man-to-man, where his lack of suddenness at the top of stems will be more exposed.
- One-year production sample at the FBS level makes it harder to trust the 2025 breakout, especially considering he totaled just three catches in two prior seasons at Utah.
Scouting Report: Summary
Bentley's film tells the story of a late bloomer who maximized a long-awaited opportunity. The receiving production in 2025 was legitimate: zero drops, strong intermediate and short-area work, and real comfort sitting in zone windows and making himself available. He catches the ball cleanly, adjusts well to imperfect throws, and brings enough physicality after the catch to move the chains. For a one-year starter, the feel he showed as a route runner was encouraging, even if the lack of burst and separation speed puts a ceiling on what he can do against tight man coverage at the next level.The blocking side of the equation is where evaluators need to be honest about what they are getting. Bentley's run blocking grades out as average across the board, and the film backs that up. He gives effort and will compete, but he does not consistently anchor with a good base or stick with his assignments through the rep. At the NFL level, that is going to need significant development. His pass protection was actually quite clean in 2025, and his thick build gives him the raw material to improve as a blocker, but right now he is more of a receiving tight end who can line up inline than a complete two-way player.
The fit here is in an offense that values tight end versatility in the passing game and can scheme around his blocking limitations early on. His alignment flexibility, trustworthy hands, and ability to work all three levels make him a useful chess piece for play-action heavy systems that move the tight end around pre-snap. He is not going to be a mismatch weapon or a dynamic playmaker, but the ball skills and zero-drop reliability give him a real chance to carve out a long career as a dependable No. 2 tight end who can step into a larger role when needed. For a player ranked in the back half of the draft, the floor feels safer than most because you know he is going to catch the football.
Dallen Bentley percentiles vs other Tight Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Dallen Bentley (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
208.6
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
20.0
*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.