We continue scouting the 2026 NFL Draft draft class of the Dallas Cowboys by looking at the undrafted free agent class. Today we are looking at tight end Michael Trigg from Baylor.
Michael Trigg
TE
Baylor Bears
Senior
4-star rating
6’4”
240 lbs
History
Michael Trigg committed to USC in 2021. His first year in college he played six games and finished with seven receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown, flashing vertical seam ability and run after catch traits but in a limited role.
In his second year, Trigg transferred
to Ole Miss looking for more opportunity. He played in seven games and posted 17 catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns. His 2023 season at Ole Miss was mostly defined by the midseason separation from the program. On the field he played three games and produced four catches for 65 yards. In the September of that season he was no longer with the team, with Lane Kiffin publicly confirming he wasn’t part of the program.
His fourth year saw him find his home, this time at Baylor. He played 11 games and broke out as a featured receiving tight end with 30 receptions for 395 yards and three touchdowns, showing the downfield move tight end role he’s best known for today.
His final year in college was his peak production season. He made 50 catches, 694 yards, and six touchdowns in 11 games, becoming a central part of Baylor’s passing game.
2025 Statistics
574 Offensive Snaps
85 Targets
50 Receptions
694 Receiving Yards
63 Rec YPG
6 Total TDs
274 YAC
7 Dropped Passes
17 Missed Tackles Forced
31 First Downs
98.8 Passer RTG When Targeted
4 Penalties
Snap by Position
Inline- 27%
Wideout- 3%
Slot- 70%
NFL Combine/Pro Day
Awards
2024: Second-Team All-Big 12
2025: First-Team All-Big 12
All-America Third Team
Scorecard
Overall– 70.8
Speed- 75
Acceleration- 77
Agility- 79
Strength- 59
Catching- 68
Route Running- 81
YAC Skills- 80
Pass Blocking- 61
Run Blocking- 54
Discipline- 84
THE GOOD
- Mismatch receiver when detached
- An excellent vertical seam stretcher
- Yards-after-catch ability
- A big stride runner who can turn upfield, split pursuit angles, and generate chunk gains when hit in space
- A large target with a functional catch-window advantage thanks to his 84⅜” wingspan
- A good red-zone mismatch
- Runs more receiver-like routes than many tight ends in the draft class
THE BAD
- Blocking is a real limiting factor
- Plays too high, opens his chest, and loses leverage in the run blocking
- Play strength and anchor against NFL edges is average
- Drops to often on concentration catches
- Route detail tempo isn’t consistently pro-ready
- Intensity drops when he isn’t the primary read
- Doesn’t win enough true 50/50 situations
- Career volatility coming from a multiple-school path
THE FIT/PROJECTION
Trigg’s best fit is as a move tight end who can win detached from slot, in motion, and on seams. He gives Dallas a receiving mismatch in 12 personnel while he develops the blocking piece that will decide whether he’s active on Sundays. Dallas is already built around Jake Ferguson as the featured tight end, with Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford in the room as the primary depth options. Trigg’s realistic early lane is competing for the back-end TE spot, likely the practice squad, and being the most dynamic pass-game option among the depth tight ends and showing special-teams utility.
SUMMARY
Michael Trigg is a receiving-first move tight end who wins like a big slot. He has a smooth accelerator off play-action, natural seam route, and legitimately dangerous after the catch when he has space. His best work happens when working from wing and slot alignments, finding voids in zone, and creating chunk plays with stride length and balance.
The main concerns are role and consistency. He’s not a finished in-line blocker, he can get displaced if asked to live attached to the tackle, and his hands have been volatile, so teams will want cleaner catch efficiency and more reliable dirty work to justify starter snaps.
Overall, he projects as a TE2/3 early who can be a high-impact passing-game piece in 12 personnel and in the red zone, with upside to become a true starter if he rounds out blocking technique and stabilizes the drops.
PRO COMPARISON
Gerald Everett
BTB OVERALL RANKING
121st
CONSENSUS OVERALL RANKING
110th
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services, including BTB)
