Nope. I'm literally wearing my ND shirt right now, but Mayer is a high-floor, low-ceiling type. I don't think he has either the size advantage or the speed/burst advantage to be a real difference maker in the NFL. He's a very good route runner and run blocker and a technician, but your coverage LBs will be able to stay on him without giving up much size or speed. He will be very steady and good for a long time, and is a good addition to any team, but he's not going to be a real difference maker. 3rd slowest 40, slowest 10y split by a chunk, 3rd worst vert, bottom half broad.
Now, a 6'7", 270# monster who ran the 3rd fastest short shuttle of all combine participants (shifting that much weight back and forth just a touch slower than JSN?!?) to go along with his 4.64 40 (6th TE) and 1.57 10 split (T-2nd TE), who is a certified people-mover in the run game? A guy who is a bit taller than, a bit faster than, significantly quicker than, with slightly bigger hands and longer arms than Rob Gronkowski to match with soft hands and proven ability to pull the ball out of traffic? Who was a team player willing to do the dirty work inside and risk his future to take a back seat to another, more fully developed talent to help his team win back-to-back national championships?
Yes, please. Darnell Washington can join my offense any day...And he's still just learning.
As it turns out, at many positions pure size/speed/athleticism isn't terribly predictive of success in the NFL. Production and specific traits tend to be better guides. But not for TEs. My guess is because the whole point of the TE position is to create and take advantage of physical mismatches in height, weight, and/or speed, whether in blocking or in route running.
This year those TEs are Washington, Musgrave, and Kuntz. And Kuntz is really just an enormous, fast, but not-that-coordinated WR. There's a kid at Albany who might surprise as a UDFA. There are a bunch of guys who should make good NFL TEs, like Schoonmaker, LaPorta, Kinkaid, Kraft...and Mayer is probably the best of these. Mayer is probably an upgrade to Hunter Henry, and a very similar player.
But a TE that elevates an offense and creates fear in defensive coordinators? Washington.