College
Nebraska
Hometown
Class
Council Bluffs, IA
R-Junior
Height
6' 5''
Weight
243 lbs
Arm
34''
Hand
10 5/8''
By Lance Zierlein
NFL Analyst
Draft Projection
Round 5
NFL Comparison
Josh Oliver
Overview
Fidone is long and linear with impressive athleticism but just two years of game experience due to injuries over his first two seasons. He's a willing blocker with pretty good technique but needs to add strength to handle the work in-line. He needs to become more elusive with his release and more physical at the catch point, but he's fast and fluid through his routes. He has the ability to uncover and stress the defense beyond the first level. Fidone's effort, athleticism and ability to improve a passing game give him a chance to become a TE2 in the NFL.
Strengths
Plays with ideal motor and effort.
Explosive leaper with impressive build-up speed.
Athletic with ability to sink and uncover at the top of the route.
Able to run complex routes and threaten second level.
Does a nice job of settling feet and centering his block.
Efforts to close distance and corral edge with outside gather hand.
Weaknesses
Will require additional mass for his long frame.
Needs to drop his pad level as a run blocker.
Inconsistent success rate as a lead blocker.
Slowed and knocked off course by route redirection.
Tardy getting eyes to the quarterback out of breaks.
SIS
Overall
Thomas Fidone II projects to be a backup Y- tight end with his athleticism and potential development as a run blocker. The 4th-year player had to overcome a lot of adversity after tearing his left ACL in back-to-back years causing him to be sidelined for almost the entirety of his freshman and sophomore seasons. Even with his lower extremity injuries, he displays athleticism and explosion in his lower half as a route runner and pass catcher. He flashes the ability to sink at the top of his breaks, with good hip mobility to transition in his routes. He shows promise after the catch, with his athleticism and toughness to gain yards after contact. As a blocker, he shows the willingness and flashes of technique to be a good in-line blocker at the next level. His play strength and body control need improved for him to be a consistent blocker at the POA. His athleticism provides upside as a movement blocker in space as well. He can be a threat on 3rd downs over the middle of the field, but will also need to compete on special teams to earn a roster spot.
Brugler
TE13 Thomas Fidone II Nebraska, 4JR
HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL BIRTHDAY AGE HT WT NUM
Council Blufs, IA Lewis Central Sep 20, 2002 22.59 6050 243 #24
BACKGROUND: Thomas Fidone II was born and raised in Omaha, Neb., with his father (Thomas Jay "T.J.") and mother (Jennifer Ernste), as well as
his stepmother (Elizabeth Simon). His father, a high school wrestler, was a defensive end at Air Force before playing semi-professional arena
football. His uncle (Sal), a "second father" and role model for Thomas, died in January 2017 after being struck by a car while doing road repairs as
part of his job with Omaha Public Works.
Raised in a large Italian family of diehard Nebraska fans, Fidone grew up wearing Huskers red and playing football (plus riding dirt bikes and playing
other sports). He started playing organized football at age 6 and continued playing through Pop Warner and middle school. As a hobby, Fidone is a
tattoo artist — he has inked several tattoos on his father and teammates.
Fidone attended Lewis Central High, across the state line in Council Blufs, Iowa (less than five miles from Omaha). Over his first two high school
seasons, he caught passes from quarterback Max Duggan, who later led TCU to the national championship game and then was selected in the
seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft. As a sophomore, Fidone posted 311 receiving yards and three touchdown grabs, as Lewis Central captured
the 2018 district championship. As a junior, he caught 39 passes for 576 yards and seven touchdowns, helping Lewis Central to the semifinals of
the 2019 3A state playofs. Fidone, who added 40 pounds between his junior and senior seasons, was named a first-team All-American in 2020.
He posted 43 receptions for 845 yards (19.7 average) and 10 touchdowns in 10 games, including a program single-game record 244 receiving
yards in the opener. He competed for the Warren Academy 7-on-7 football team. Fidone, the school's homecoming king as a senior, was also a
standout basketball player (registered 27 dunks during his junior season) and track athlete (jumps and hurdles). As a sophomore, he finished
seventh in the high jump at the state championship (6 feet, 3 inches).
A four-star recruit, Fidone was the second-ranked tight end in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 1 recruit in Iowa. A lanky wide receiver as a high
school sophomore, he was widely unknown on the recruiting trail, but his play in 7-on-7 football helped put him on the map before his junior
season. Fidone impressed at summer camps and received his first ofer from in-state Iowa (July 2019), followed by ofers from Iowa State and
Nebraska. LSU and Michigan each ofered him a scholarship during his junior season, then his recruitment skyrocketed after his performance at
the National Combine. Fidone added ofers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, USC and others. In the end, his
Nebraska roots — and the connection he'd developed with former head coach Scott Frost — led him to Lincoln. Fidone was the top-ranked recruit
in the Huskers' 2021 class. He earned Academic All-Big Ten honors three straight years (2022-24). After four seasons, he elected to skip his
redshirt senior season and enter the NFL Draft. Fidone accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl.
YEAR (GP/GS) REC YDS AVG TD DROP NOTES
2021: (1/0) 0 0 0 0 Redshirted; missed almost entire season (ACL); enrolled January 2021
2022: (-/-) Missed season because of injury (ACL)
2023: (12/8) 25 260 10.40 4 3
2024: (13/9) 36 373 10.36 0 1
Total: (26/17) 61 633 10.38 4 4
HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES
COMBINE 6050 243 10 5/8 34 82 5/8 4.70 2.74 1.61 35 1/2 10' 6" 4.29 7.01 DNP No bench (choice)
PRO DAY 6056 245 10 5/8 34 1/4 83 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 17
STRENGTHS:
● Runs routes with the acceleration of a big wide receiver
● Releases cleanly and doesn't lose momentum in and out of breaks
● Adequate foot speed to stretch the seam
● Uses long arms to cast a wide net and pull in catches
● Comfortable working over the middle and taking a hit (see 2024 Indiana tape)
● Persistent efort as a move blocker
● Competitive at the point of attack and attempts to run his feet
● Played in all 25 games the past two years after injuries robbed him of his first two college seasons
WEAKNESSES:
● Doesn't sport ideal bulk/girth on his frame
● Lacks the base strength or core power to battle NFL defensive ends
● Too upright as a blocker and route runner
● Average separation skills, because of his straight-linish tendencies
● Wasn't enough of a factor after the catch
● Just 41.7 percent of his catches in 2024 resulted in a first down or touchdown
THE BEAST | BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS 166
● Non-contact torn ACL in his left knee during spring practices (April 2021), which sidelined him for his first season in Nebraska's program
(played three snaps); tore ACL in his left knee again the following spring (March 2022) and missed a second straight season
● Below-average career production
SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Nebraska, Fidone was a Y tight end in former ofensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield's pro-style spread (61.5
percent of snaps inline, 35.1 percent in the slot). Highly recruited out of high school (ranked one spot ahead of Brock Bowers in the 2021 tight end
recruiting class), his career was sidetracked by two major knee injuries, although he returned to the field and flashed that high-level ability.
Fidone is at his best on a linear plane, where he can get down the seam and utilize maximum extension with his arm length to pull in throws away
from his body. He is cognizant of his hands and positioning as a blocker, but he is more of a "lose slowly" player than an overwhelming force.
Overall, Fidone is a plucky athlete with appealing length and speed, but he hasn't yet played his best football and will need to develop quickly
once in an NFL camp to earn a role. He didn't play much special teams in college, which will need to change at the next level.
GRADE: 5th-6th round
I like that they didn't try to find some athletic pass catching tight end at this point in the draft. Drafting a guy who knows how to block makes sense here. Obviously the two ACLs are a huge concern, but this is the 7th round. You have to accept warts here and focus on attributes. If he can overcome the health stuff, he could be an asset on a team that needs all the help blocking it can get.
Quote from: DaveBrown74 on April 27, 2025, 07:10:43 AMI like that they didn't try to find some athletic pass catching tight end at this point in the draft. Drafting a guy who knows how to block makes sense here. Obviously the two ACLs are a huge concern, but this is the 7th round. You have to accept warts here and focus on attributes. If he can overcome the health stuff, he could be an asset on a team that needs all the help blocking it can get.
As a HS prospect, he was actually ranked higher than Brock Bowers. If he can fully regain his form prior to the two left knee ACLs, he could be special.
Still, I agree, getting guys who can block is important.
Quote from: MightyGiants on April 27, 2025, 07:42:54 AMAs a HS prospect, he was actually ranked higher than Brock Bowers. If he can fully regain his form prior to the two left knee ACLs, he could be special.
Still, I agree, getting guys who can block is important.
He and Bowers were ranked either 1 or 2 out of high school, depending on which ranking you looked at. The health of Bowers obviously allowed him to improve well beyond Fidone's current level of performance. He isn't just a blocker. This is a guy who could easily develop into a #1 TE if he can stay on the field, which has been an issue. He is a 7th rounder for that reason. In the meantime, he is a willing blocker who has the frame to add more weight, and by all accounts a high-effort guy EVERY play who figures to contribute on special teams early. He has A+ soft hands (10 3/4") and makes good ball adjustments. He impressed early as a receiver at the Senior Bowl practices and started moving up the TE rankings. He will be interesting to watch in the coming years.
Considering Bellinger's obvious ceiling as an effective player .(Really effective?)..worth a shot to develop him as a backup..practice squad destination type.and Theo coming off surgery.
:Giants:
Quote from: spiderblue43 on April 27, 2025, 08:32:27 AMConsidering Bellinger's obvious ceiling as an effective player .(Really effective?)..worth a shot to develop him as a backup..practice squad destination type.and Theo coming off surgery.
:Giants:
It says something about Bellinger that a 7th-round pick could be competition for his job
And we can now add Jermaine Terry, TE from Oregon State to the mix as an UDFA. The most successful teams in the NFL in recent years don't utilize only one TE. They have two. Bellinger has been solid, but might already be on the outside looking in. These guys can play and have considerably more upside.
Don't forget the best blocking TE in the league, Mr Manhertz, glad we resigned him. Oh and there's this....
https://x.com/gmengalaxy/status/1916553944848904490