Michael Mayer at Notre Dame
Photo: Chad Kainz, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tight end, Notre Dame, 2020–⁠22

Michael Mayer

Number
No. 87
Height
6′4″
Weight
265 lb
Class (2022)
Junior
Hometown
Independence, KY
Born
Jul 6, 2001, in Independence, Kentucky

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Michael Mayer played tight end at Notre Dame (2020–⁠22). He was a consensus All‑American in 2022. The Las Vegas Raiders took Mayer in round 2, No. 35 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
840
Receiving yards, 2021 (Notre Dame, 11–⁠2)
Drafted
No. 35
Round 2, 2023 NFL Draft (Las Vegas Raiders)

Career highs

11catches, career highvs. BYU, 2022120receiving yards, career highat Florida State, 20212receiving touchdowns, career highfour times; last at USC, 2022

Honors

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2020Notre Dame4245010.7229
2021Notre Dame7184011.8752
2022Notre Dame6780912.1937
Career1802,09911.71852

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2020Notre Dame87TEFr.
2021Notre Dame87TESo.
2022Notre Dame87TEJr.6′4″265

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2020Notre Dame560.7275th (n=346)0.5540.67%
2021Notre Dame940.6345th (n=410)0.6759.311%
2022Notre Dame800.7961st (n=683)0.7162.810%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2022 Notre Dame 12 games, 67 catches, 809 yards, 9 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLong
Sep 3atOhio StateL 10–⁠21532017
Sep 10vs.MarshallL 21–⁠268103130
Sep 17vs.CaliforniaW 24–⁠1721016
Sep 24atNorth CarolinaW 45–⁠32788120
Oct 8vs.BYUW 28–⁠2011118224
Oct 15vs.StanfordL 14–⁠16560021
Oct 22vs.UNLVW 44–⁠216115134
Oct 29atSyracuseW 41–⁠24354037
Nov 5vs.ClemsonW 35–⁠14444117
Nov 12vs.NavyW 35–⁠32323014
Nov 19vs.Boston CollegeW 44–⁠0564023
Nov 26atUSCL 27–⁠38898224
2021 Notre Dame 12 games, 71 catches, 840 yards, 7 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLong
Sep 5atFlorida StateW 41–⁠389120141
Sep 11vs.ToledoW 32–⁠29781228
Sep 18vs.PurdueW 27–⁠131505
Sep 25vs.WisconsinW 41–⁠13761022
Oct 2vs.CincinnatiL 13–⁠24893020
Oct 23vs.USCW 31–⁠16554016
Oct 30vs.North CarolinaW 44–⁠34451030
Nov 6vs.NavyW 34–⁠6428014
Nov 13atVirginiaW 28–⁠3784122
Nov 20vs.Georgia TechW 55–⁠0386152
Nov 27atStanfordW 45–⁠149105034
Jan 1 ✦vs.Oklahoma StateL 35–⁠37772219
2020 Notre Dame 12 games, 42 catches, 450 yards, 2 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLong
Sep 12vs.DukeW 27–⁠13338017
Sep 19vs.South FloridaW 52–⁠01505
Oct 10vs.Florida StateW 42–⁠26225117
Oct 17vs.LouisvilleW 12–⁠7112012
Oct 24atPittsburghW 45–⁠3573123
Oct 31atGeorgia TechW 31–⁠1331507
Nov 7vs.ClemsonW 47–⁠40567029
Nov 14atBoston CollegeW 45–⁠31112012
Nov 27atNorth CarolinaW 31–⁠17454016
Dec 5vs.SyracuseW 45–⁠21536020
Dec 19vs.ClemsonL 10–⁠34551015
Jan 1 ✦vs.AlabamaL 14–⁠31762018

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2023Combine or pro day 2023
Height6′4½″
Weight249 lb
Arm length31⅝″
Hand size9½″
Wingspan76¼″W
40-yard dash4.70 s
10-yard split1.66 s
Vertical jump32½″
Broad jump9′10″
Bench press21 reps
3-cone drill7.26 s
20-yard shuttle4.44 s

Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

4 seasons, 42 games with a stat; latest team: Las Vegas Raiders.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2023Las Vegas Raiders13273042
2024Las Vegas Raiders11211560
2025Las Vegas Raiders13353281
2026 (so far)Las Vegas Raiders5211711
NFL career421049594

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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