Jaleel Skinner is a tight end and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who played his final two collegiate seasons at the University of Louisville after beginning his career at the University of Miami. A native of Greer, South Carolina, Skinner was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top tight end prospects in the 2022 class, earning an invitation to the All-American Bowl and drawing scholarship offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, and LSU among others. He signed with Miami and showed promise as a true freshman with nine receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown in nine games before seeing limited action in 2023, logging just one catch in two appearances. He transferred to Louisville for 2024 and appeared primarily on special teams and at tight end with one reception, before expanding his role in 2025 and finishing with 21 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns across 13 games including six starts with the Cardinals.
Standing 6 feet 5 inches and approximately 225 pounds with exceptional length and track-developed straight-line speed, Skinner presents an athletic profile that NFL evaluators find genuinely intriguing as a developmental receiving tight end. His combination of height, wingspan, and fluidity gives him a large catch radius and the ability to create mismatches against linebackers who cannot match his size or safeties who cannot match his length at the catch point. The concerns center on his limited production and experience across four college seasons, his need to add functional mass to handle inline blocking responsibilities at the professional level, and the inconsistency in his hands and route mechanics that come with a player still learning the nuances of the position. He projects as a late-round selection or priority undrafted free agent with legitimate developmental upside in a system willing to invest in his physical gifts at the next level.
