There’s not a lot of hype surrounding this year’s tight end class, but Baylor’s Michael Trigg is someone to watch. He currently ranks as the TE4 on the LWOS Big Board, sitting at 66th overall.
Michael Trigg 2026 NFL Draft Profile
Measurables*
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 240 lbs
*has not had official measurements yet
Player Background
Michael Trigg was a four-star recruit out of Carrollwood Day School in Lake Magdalene, Florida. He played football and basketball throughout high school. Out of high school, he committed to USC. As a freshman, he played only 6 games before suffering a significant knee injury. According to reports from the time, he avoided anything truly serious, although the injury ended his season. Following that, he transferred to Ole Miss. In 2022, he once again only played 6 games before suffering another significant injury. This time, a broken collarbone knocked him out until the Rebels’ bowl game against Texas Tech. He stayed at Ole Miss for another year in 2023, but he sat out after 3 games to maintain his redshirt year.
After redshirting, he transferred to Baylor for the 2024 season. Trigg had a solid season for the Bears, hauling in 30 receptions for 392 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was voted to Second Team All-Big 12 by the coaches for his efforts. He stuck with Baylor for 2025 and truly broke out. Last season, he racked up 50 receptions for 694 yards and 6 touchdowns. He was a finalist for the Mackey Award, made multiple All-American teams, and was selected to the First Team All-Big 12 by the coaches. To top it all off, he received an invitation to the Senior Bowl. However, he did not participate.
Strength
Great concentration at the catch point
Elite hands & constantly makes contested catches
Consistently fights for extra yardage while being tackled
Highly capable at breaking tackles after the catch (28 missed tackles forced at Baylor)
Showed ability to help extend plays, good chemistry with QB
Weaknesses
Blocking is inconsistent (62.6 PFF run block grade in 2024, 46.0 in 2025)
Didn’t play a high percentage of snaps in-line (34.1% in 2024, 27.2% in 2025)
5th-year player with injury history, will be 24 by Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season
Player Comparison:Isaiah Likely
Projected Draft Capital: Late Day 2/Early Day 3
Team Fits:Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots
Last Word on Michael Trigg in the 2026 NFL Draft
Michael Trigg is an intriguing player in this year’s tight end class. The class overall lacks flashes outside of potential first-round selection Kenyon Sadiq from Oregon. Trigg provides this class with flashes as a pass catcher, as he constantly made circus catches while at Baylor. He’s not your traditional tight end, using his lighter frame to stack defensive backs easier. Once he’s done that, he uses his height and elite hands to beat defenders at the catchpoint. This athleticism translates to after the catch as well, as he forced missed tackles at a high rate while at Baylor. The caveat to this is his inexperience as an inline player. He registered below 35% of snaps in-line during both seasons at Baylor. This will limit his every-down potential in the NFL. This inexperience has caused him to be an inconsistent blocker as well, as seen by the grades listed earlier. His best chance to thrive will be in a pass-first offense. Thus, the Bengals fit. He could see success in a balanced attack as well, but it would most likely come in a reduced role.
Main Photo: [Raymond Carlin III] – Imagn Images