By Hunt Palmer
Mason Taylor’s career at LSU will be marked by two things—the catch against Alabama and the three-year run of consistent productivity.
He’s LSU’s all-time leader in catches and receiving yards as a tight end. That’s a career worth celebrating, and I think it’s trendsetting as opposed to hole-creating. Taylor was a model of consistency, but it would be a stretch to call him a matchup problem or dynamic athlete. He’s 6-foot-5 and 255 lbs. He ran a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash at pro day. All of that is very good. It’s not eye-popping.
Brian Kelly has churned out NFL tight ends for over a decade including Cole Kmet, Michael Mayer and Tyler Eifert. LSU’s offense is sure to feature the tight end, and we know that Garrett Nussmeier knows how to find one.
Taylor’s was a key piece to three really good passing offenses. His being picked in the second round says a ton about his consistency and locker room presence. LSU went shopping for a pair of tight ends in the portal and returns a potential star at the position.
WHO’S GONE
- Mason Taylor (NFL Draft – 2nd, #42 New York Jets)
- Ka’Morreun Pimpton (Transfer- TCU)
WHO’S BACK
- Trey’dez Green (6’7”, 240, Soph)
WHO’S NEW
- Bauer Sharp (6’5”, 246, Grad, Oklahoma)
- Donovan Green (6’4”, 250, R-Jr, Texas A&M)
- J.D. LaFleur (6’7”, 253, Fr)
WHAT WE KNOW
Green was lightly used last year because of Taylor’s presence in the offense. Taylor played 862 snaps to Green’s 191. For reference, Chris Hilton played 144 last year. So, Green did not play a ton. When Taylor opted out of the bowl game, Green stepped in as the only scholarship tight end on the roster and made six catches for 53 yards and pair of touchdowns against Dave Aranda’s defense. Taylor had two touchdowns on the season.
LSU won’t play a defense with a 6-foot-7 former SEC basketball player in the secondary. They don’t exist. That makes Green tough on everyone who covers him. That part goes without saying.
AUTOMATIC GREEN 🤑🤑🤑
Trey’Dez Green may just be unstoppable inside the Red Zone.
An Unguardable Aerial Adonis.
TREY’DEZ GREEN 2025 PROFILEhttps://t.co/x6c6T0TNds pic.twitter.com/JPFHTr6e7F— Lonn Phillips Sullivan (@LonnPhillips) July 23, 2025
There is a second part to playing tight end, blocking. Green was asked to block 88 times last season. His run blocking grade on Pro Football Focus was 40.7, and pass blocking (nine snaps) was 72.2. He’s got to improve in a big way in the run blocking part of the game.
Bauer Sharp can help. He’s a converted quarterback who impressed everyone in Norman until it was determined the Sooners didn’t have anyone to call plays or throw the ball. The Sooners offense finished dead last in the SEC in passing yards per game and yards per pass attempt. Anemic would be a kind description.
Donovan Green comes over from Texas A&M where he was “Top Newcomer” back in 2022 when he started four games as a freshman and made 22 receptions for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns. He caught one of those scores against LSU. An ACL injury in camp cost him 2023, and last year he was only called on to play special teams. Green is 6-foot-4 and 250 lbs.
J.D. LaFluer is a legacy at tight end. And his timing is perfect. Taylor’s second round selection was the earliest for an LSU tight end since J.D.’s dad, David, was a first-round pick of the Cowboys in 1997. The younger LaFluer is 6-foot-7 and 253 lbs. He’s two inches taller and the same weight Taylor was after three years in the program.
HUNT’S PROJECTION
I think Trey’dez Green is a problem for defenses. Blocking may still be an issue, but I do think defensive coordinators are going to have to spend significant time dealing with him because sending a linebacker out there to chase him isn’t going to work.
I also think Sharp has a similar skillset to Taylor’s. He’s not going to catch anywhere close to 546 yards worth of balls like Taylor did, but he can run every route he needs to. Green is just going to take some of that production.
Donovan Green and LaFluer can get in there and hit a 265 lbs. SEC defensive end in short yardage and goalline spots. Unless there’s an injury, I think that’s their role.
My contention is that Sharp and both Greens combine for the 726 yards and four scores that Taylor, Green and Pimpton combined for last year. I think conventional wisdom suggests that losing the most productive player in school history would create a large dropoff. I don’t see it that way. Kelly’s offense with Nussmeier pulling the trigger is going to create a lot of chances for the tight ends, and Trey’dez Green and Sharp have the skillset to pick up right where things left off last season.
We saw a ton of formations with two tight ends on the field in the spring. I expect that to carry over to the fall.
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