Notre Dame tight end Eifert has the right moves

Up the road from here, Tyler Eifert used to play a little basketball in the driveway with his father, Greg Eifert.

His father played for Gene Keady and the Purdue Boilermakers in the 1980s and taught his son a few moves on the court.

Tyler Eifert used his basketball skills at Bishop Dwenger High in Fort Wayne, Ind., before going on star as a tight end at Notre Dame. With the basketball influence and his smooth hands, Eifert helped the Fighting Irish land a spot in the BCS Championship game last season and is considered one of the top tight ends here at the NFL scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“My dad was a good player,” Eifert said. “I like to use some of my moves on the field, too. Playing basketball was very helpful for me.”

Eifert caught 107 passes for 1,427 yards over his last two seasons at Notre Dame. He won the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation’s top tight end, after last season.

“We got the ball to the tight ends quite a bit, and I benefited from that,” Eifert said. “Coach (Brian) Kelly moved me around in the offense and lined me up at fullback and stuff like that.”

Eifert, who was listed at 6-foot-6, 251 pounds by Notre Dame, has begun to meet with NFL teams and will visit with the Falcons.

“The main thing is I can block and am I willing (to block),” Eifert said. “I just try to reiterate that I understand that’s a concern for most teams, and it’s something that I’ve been working at. I have the ‘want’ to do it.”

Eifert doesn’t want to be tagged as a pass-catching tight end.

“I’m tired of people saying that,” Eifert said. “I want to make the improvements, and I want to be better at that.”

He likes the way that NFL teams are relying more on their tight ends.

“I just see the Patriots with two tight ends and how they utilized the position,” Eifert said. “A team that does that would be beneficial for me personally. Right now, I’m just trying to do my best at the combine and make a good impression with everyone.”

Falcons general manger Thomas Dimitroff is waiting to hear from future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, who played basketball in college and has revolutionized the position with his moves over the past 16 seasons. The Falcons hope that he returns for another season.

The Falcons plan to do their due diligence in scouting tight ends, even if Gonzalez decides to return before the draft, which is set for April 25-27.

“It’s a good tight-end group,” Dimitroff said. “The numbers are good. The athleticism is good. The ability to catch the ball is good. That’s what we are looking for, and I think there are some blockers in there.”

The Falcons have relied heavily on Gonzalez, who led the team with 93 catches and had 930 yards last season.

“We all know the importance of the tight end position,” Dimitroff said. “It’s not just about catching the ball. It’s about being able to get in line and block the right way. It’s not always as effective as the big blocking tight ends, but if you have the total package, and I think there are a number of guys in this group that have that sort of total package, blocking and receiving ability.”

Brian Polian, son of longtime NFL general manager Bill Polian, recruited Eifert to Notre Dame. Brian Polian has since joined the staff at Stanford, which has Zach Ertz, another highly regarded tight end in this draft class.

“I probably know more than I should about them,” said Bill Polian, who’s now a commentator on NFL Sirius XM radio. “They are both great prospects.”

Polian, who built winning NFL teams in Buffalo, Carolina and Indianapolis over his career, gave his assessment of Eifert and Ertz.

“Eifert is much more of an athletic tight end,” Polian said. “He’s along the lines of Dallas Clark, but I think taller. He runs more than good enough and he has very good hands and ball skills. He really goes and gets after the ball.

“He gets a lot of jump balls, and he’s highly competitive. He’s not the kind of guy that’s going to knock anybody on their rear end blocking. The physical load of being inside attached would be a little difficult for him.”