Nate Adkins is listed as a tight end on the Denver Broncos‘ depth chart, but he only totaled four receptions for 22 yards as a rookie last season.
That’s because Adkins is not a typical tight end. He’s what coach Sean Payton describes as an “F” position, kind of a tight end/fullback hybrid. While he can catch, Adkins is used primarily as a blocker, and he rarely misses his assignment.
“He’s one of those guys — even when he came out of South Carolina — you could count on one hand his catches in college,” Payton said last month. “He was a blocking ‘F,’ not just fullback but tight end. Whatever the assignment is, he’s one of those guys that when you grade the practice, he ends up in the 90s always. The same thing happens in the kicking game. He gets his guy blocked. So he understands space and leverage.
“He’s a little better receiver than we expected, but he is that F-type player so he meets with the tight ends. If one day I said, ‘Go meet with the fullbacks and the running backs,’ nothing would change. He’s very smart. He’s very dependable, and I would say he’s really good relative to blocking and blocking in space and that’s why it carries over in the kicking game.”
After the Broncos dropped fullback Michael Burton from the 53-man roster down to the practice squad this summer, Adkins figures to have a bigger role on offense in 2024. Denver fans might not recognize the tight end following his quiet rookie season, but Adkins should become more well-known soon.
