Isaac Nauta

Nauta is not an NFL-caliber receiving tight end. He’s averaged 3.2 yards on his five targets through two seasons. The seventh rounder will spend most of his time on special teams and as a run-blocker.

The team's former seventh-round pick from last year, Nauta played 41 snaps (4%) in six games behind T.J. Hockenson and Jesse James. A fringe athlete at the Combine with a 4.91 forty, 28-inch vertical, and 7.45 three-cone time, Nauta has a few years of developmental reps remaining before he's considered an impactful NFL player.

Burke also notes that the Lions "badly want a multifaceted fullback," and their top guy at that position, Nick Bawden (knee), has ended each of the past two seasons on injured reserve due to knee injuries. That's what paved the way for Nauta to serve as the team's lead blocker down the stretch in 2019, and Bawden's recovery from his most recent setback will presumably play a large role in how much time Nauta will see at fullback in 2020. In any case, Nauta's versatility as a blocker and receiver should help his odds of securing a roster spot in advance of Week 1,

Detroit took a flier on Nauta in the seventh round of last year's draft and the Georgia product ended up appearing in a handful of games for the team. With incumbent No. 3 tight end Logan Thomas headed for unrestricted free agency, there soon could be an opportunity for Nauta to move up a peg on the depth chart in advance of the 2020 campaign. After all, it seems unlikely that the Lions will again devote significant resources to bring in more competition at tight end.