Greg Dulcich might not be a premier name in the 2022 NFL Draft class, but as his scouting report below demonstrates, the UCLA tight end brings an underappreciated level of upside. The TE draft class took a hit when premier options opted to return to school — the UCLA TE could surprise with how high his name is called. Let’s examine Dulcich’s scouting report heading into the 2022 NFL Draft.
Greg Dulcich NFL Draft Profile
- Position: Tight End
- School: UCLA
- Current Year: Redshirt Junior
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 243 pounds
- Wingspan: 81 3/4″
- Length: 33 3/8″
- Hand: 9 7/8″
Greg Dulcich Scouting Report
Consistently one of the most dynamic tight ends in college football over the past two seasons, Dulcich clearly has an NFL future. The question isn’t whether he’ll get interest at the next level. Rather, how much will he get? And does he have enough talent to earn an opportunity as a starter? That’s a question we’ll explore below.
Dulcich’s combine performance and athletic profile
- 40-yard time: 4.61 seconds
- Bench reps: 16
- Broad jump: 10’2″
- 20-yard shuttle: 4.37 seconds
- 3-cone drill: 7.05 seconds
- Vertical jump: 34″
Measuring 6’4″, 243 pounds, Dulcich has solid size for a tight end. He’s a bit lighter than some, but he has the requisite size to be a mismatch for smaller defensive backs. Dulcich can use his wingspan to elongate his reach and snare high passes downfield. He can also track the ball and catch it in stride in the open field, using his size to box opponents out.
Beyond his size, Dulcich has intriguing athletic traits as well. The UCLA TE accelerates fairly well out of breaks, and he has enough acceleration to stretch the seam. In open space, he’s a long-strider with decent run-after-catch ability. He’s able to levy lateral cuts and disrupt tackling angles in space. That lateral quickness also shows up on his releases, where Dulcich can set up defensive backs and seep into blind spots.
Going further, Dulcich has displayed decent hip sink on routes at times — a vital element for gauging route running potential. He can keep some speed through breaks use loose hips to manipulate leverage on vertical routes. The UCLA TE has enough hip sink to execute posts and slants with effectiveness, in addition to his vertical routes.
Execution beyond the physical traits
Beyond his solid athletic foundation, Dulcich has a degree of refinement after starting for two full seasons. Most notably, he isn’t a liability as a route runner and a separator. He can speed up his feet into route stems and cut inside fairly well. The UCLA TE is also able to use targeted physicality at route stems to expand separation.
Moving on, Dulcich has solid zone awareness as well. As mentioned earlier, he can sneak into blind spots and manipulate defenders. He also knows how to find open zones and sit in them. He can then look the ball in as it comes his way. Although he can be more consistent here, Dulcich has shown he can haul in catches over the middle of the field with impending contact.
Additionally, Dulcich has value as a blocker. He accrued a lot of experience in that phase at UCLA, and he has a solid floor as a result. He can effectively square up and anchor opponents and gets decent push against linebackers and defensive backs. Dulcich brings active feet and hands as a blocker, and he can reset his base and gather defenders. Furthermore, he’s shown he can stack blocks at the second level, and he has enough strength to latch.
Lastly, Dulcich brings some versatility to the TE position. He’s shown he can line up in the slot, in-line, at H-back, and out wide — although he’s likely best at the former two spots in the NFL.
Areas for improvement
There’s plenty to like with Dulcich, but he can improve both as a receiver and as a blocker. Most notably, Dulcich isn’t an elite athlete, even with his passable physical floor. Although he’s an above-average athlete overall, he lacks an elite athletic trait, as his speed, explosiveness, and agility all fall short of the mark. The Bruins tight end doesn’t have the speed to separate from safeties on seam or drag routes, and he’s not much of a creator with the ball in his hands.
Dulcich is more of a linear Y tight end, and that linear mode shows up in other areas as well. Although he has decent route-running ability, Dulcich isn’t overly sudden or advanced in that area. He runs a lot of vertical and underneath routes, and he more rotates into his breaks than uses quick cuts. Dulcich rounds off his breaks more than desired, and his explosiveness isn’t always great enough to compensate.
Expanding on Dulcich’s receiving ability, he is occasionally prone to focus drops over the middle. His hands can be a bit stronger, and he can be more proactive working through contact. His frame is a bit light for an NFL tight end, and that can impact his ability to withstand contact. Dulcich also isn’t great at elevating or contorting for throws. His floor is serviceable here, but he lacks high-end flexibility.
Dulcich’s blocking also has flaws. The UCLA TE can improve blocking angles in open space, as he sometimes overshoots. In these situations, he can be a little stiff laterally when he has to adjust. Dulcich isn’t overly powerful either, as he can be driven backward with his upright style. Against defensive ends, he can be easily overwhelmed.
Dulcich’s 2022 NFL Draft scouting report overview
Dulcich is an interesting evaluation. That can be said for every draft prospect, but projecting Dulcich’s ceiling is especially complicated. The UCLA TE shows promise, and he has at least an above-average floor in both phases. He can separate on quicker routes, and he has enough athleticism to work up the seam and find space downfield. From there, he’s big enough to use his superior reach against safeties.
That said, while Dulcich brings plenty of utility, he may not have an elite trait. While he has decent explosiveness, he’s not elite with his acceleration. He has decent speed in space, but he can be run down by defensive backs. While he has great length and coordination, he can still be more consistent with his hands. And his route running can still be developed.
More simply put, Dulcich isn’t an elite separator or creator, and he doesn’t have the elite consistency in contested situations to compensate. He also has some flaws as a blocker. Without a super high ceiling, Dulcich may be relegated to the Day 3 range. But he at least passes the necessary threshold in several athletic categories. Moreover, he knows how to use his above-average athleticism to find space at multiple levels of the field.
As an early-to-mid-Day 3 pick, Dulcich could end up being a solid value deal with starting potential and strong rotational value at the very least.
Dulcich’s Player Profile
Recruiting stars have a way of directly and overtly valuing certain players over others. But time and time again, college football proves that stars don’t mean everything. Dulcich is one such example — underrated on various recruiting platforms in the 2018 class despite catching 50 passes for 1,168 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final high school season.
Dulcich was underweight and a hybrid wide receiver. That played into his lack of buzz as a tight end prospect. Failing to draw interest, Dulcich chose to walk on at UCLA. It was a decision that brought inherent uncertainty. But as it turns out, the decision to unite with tight ends coach Derek Sage would help Dulcich blossom into an eventual NFL Draft prospect.
Dulcich’s career at UCLA
Dulcich had a slow start with UCLA. He caught just 1 pass for 6 yards in his true-freshman season. He’d preserve his redshirt, collecting 8 passes for 105 yards and a score the next year. It was a small step up, but it would preface a larger leap in 2020. When Devin Asiasi made the jump to the NFL, there was an open spot on the tight end depth chart in Pasadena. Despite playing in just seven games in 2020, Dulcich put up 517 yards and 5 touchdowns on 26 catches.
Dulcich was a feature piece in 11 games for the Bruins, hauling in 42 passes for 725 yards and 5 more scores, earning almost 70 yards per game. He ranked in the top five nationally in several metrics among qualifying tight ends, including being second in yards per catch (17.3).
Tony Pauline’s scouting report for Greg Dulcich
Positives: Dynamic pass-catching tight end with a large upside. Fluid releasing off the line of scrimmage, quickly gets to top speed, and tracks the pass in the air. Consistently extends and snatches the ball out of the air with his hands, adjusts to errant throws, and lays out for difficult catches. Moves well downfield, displays soft as well as strong hands, and runs solid routes. Quickly gets into breaks, stays low on exit, and makes the difficult catch in a crowd.
Negatives: Possesses average blocking strength and doesn’t get much movement. Just one season of top production.
Analysis: Dulcich is a terrific pass-catching tight end who displayed consistent progress in his game the past two seasons. He’s more of a move tight end but has the frame to get stronger and develop into a blocker. Dulcich comes with tremendous upside, has starting potential, and could be a special player at the position two years down the road.