Michael Mayer (American football)

Last updated

Michael Mayer
2023 NFL ProCamp (1) (cropped).jpg
Mayer in 2023
No. 87 – Las Vegas Raiders
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Born: (2001-07-06) July 6, 2001 (age 24)
Independence, Kentucky, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school: Covington Catholic (Park Hills, Kentucky)
College: Notre Dame (2020–2022)
NFL draft: 2023: 2nd round, 35th pick
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Receptions:48
Receiving yards:460
Receiving touchdowns:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Michael Richard Mayer (born July 6, 2001) is an American professional football tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, finishing as their all-time receptions leader at tight end with 180.

Contents

Early life

Mayer was born on July 6, 2001, in Independence, Kentucky. [1] He attended Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky. As a senior in 2019, he was the Gatorade Kentucky Football Player of the Year after recording 49 receptions for 970 yards and 15 touchdowns. [2] He was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl. [3] He committed to the University of Notre Dame to play college football. [4] [5]

College career

Mayer was Notre Dame's starting tight end as a freshman in 2020. [6] [7] In 2021, Mayer was named a third-team All-American. [8] In 2022, he surpassed Tyler Eifert to become the school's all-time receptions leader at tight end with over 140 catches. [9] He was named a consensus All-American, the first in program history since Ken MacAfee in 1976. [10]

College statistics

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
SeasonGamesReceiving
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTD
2020 1244245010.7292
2021 12127184011.8527
2022 12126780912.1379
Career 36281802,09911.75218

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+12 in
(1.94 m)
249 lb
(113 kg)
31+58 in
(0.80 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
4.70 s1.66 s2.75 s4.44 s7.26 s32.5 in
(0.83 m)
9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
21 reps
Sources: [11] [12]

The Las Vegas Raiders selected Mayer with the 35th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft. [13] In Week 10, he scored his first professional touchdown against the Jets. [14] He finished his rookie season with 27 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns through 14 games and 12 starts. [15] In the 2024 season, he finished with 21 receptions for 156 yards. [16]

Personal life

Mayer's cousin is Luke Maile, a professional baseball catcher who currently plays in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals organization. [17]

NFL career statistics

YearTeamGamesReceiving
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTD
2023 LV 14122730411.3322
2024 LV 118211567.4290
Career 2520484609.6322

References

  1. "TE Michael Mayer". Notre Dame Insider. December 17, 2019. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  2. Frakes, Jason (December 6, 2019). "Covington Catholic's Michael Mayer named Gatorade Kentucky Football Player of the Year". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  3. Weber, James (November 5, 2019). "Chosen 25 TE Michael Mayer almost didn't play HS football; now he's an All-American". USA TODAY High School Sports. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  4. James, Tyler (June 1, 2020). "How one phone call helped convince incoming Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer to play football". Notre Dame Insider. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  5. Weber, James (June 23, 2020). "Covington Catholic grad Michael Mayer projected to get playing time for Notre Dame this fall". The Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  6. Sampson, Pete (February 18, 2020). "What drives 'once-in-a-lifetime kid' Michael Mayer, Notre Dame's next elite TE". The Athletic. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  7. "Former CovCath star makes immediate impact for Notre Dame during 27–13 win over Duke on Saturday". NKyTribune. September 12, 2020. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  8. Sallee, Barrett (December 13, 2021). "2021 AP All-America team: Alabama's Bryce Young, Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson headline first-team selections". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  9. Driskell, Bryan (October 9, 2022). "Michael Mayer Sets Notre Dame All-Time Catches Mark". SI.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  10. Hansen, Eric (December 13, 2022). "ND TE Mayer gets the last word, clinches consensus All-America honors". InsideNDSports. Archived from the original on December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  11. "Michael Mayer Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  12. "2023 NFL Draft Scout Michael Mayer College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  13. Edwards, Levi (April 28, 2023). "Michael Mayer selected by the Las Vegas Raiders with the 35th pick". Raiders.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  14. Gossen, Rachel (November 12, 2023). "'That's something I've been looking forward to since the day I got drafted here': Michael Mayer scores first NFL touchdown". Las Vegas Raiders. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  15. "Michael Mayer 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  16. "Michael Mayer 2024 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  17. Glaser, Kyle (April 27, 2023). "2023 NFL Draft Prospects With Baseball Ties". Baseball America. Retrieved June 12, 2023.