The Buffalo Bills brought in former Texas A&M tight end Jace Sternberger to Orchard Park yesterday before his scheduled visit the Chicago Bears. The tight end announced he was in Buffalo on his Instagram.
At 6’4” and 251 lbs, Sternberger is exactly the same size as Iowa’s T.J. Hockenson. Sternberger’s 4.75-second 40-yard dash is close to Hockenson’s 4.7-second run, as well. However, that is where the similarities end, as Sternberger was far less productive throughout most of his collegiate career when compared with Hockenson. Sternberger also tested lower than Hockenson in terms of explosion (broad jump, vertical jump, short shuttle runs) at the Combine.
Sternberger began his collegiate career at Kansas in 2016. After red-shirting that year, he played sparingly in 2017, catching only one pass for five yards in two games. He transferred to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, a junior college, following that season. He caught 21 passes for 336 yards and six touchdowns there, which led to him transferring to Texas A&M for the 2018 season. He had a breakout season as a junior, hauling in 48 passes for 832 yards and ten touchdowns.
Sternberger is viewed as a mid-round prospect by many, so if the Bills are hesitant to do what we did and select a tight end at nine overall, they could instead choose to wait on a player like Sternberger in what is a very deep draft for tight ends.