Erick All's journey in recent years has taken him from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Iowa City, Iowa, and now to Cincinnati, Ohio. On Saturday, All was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 15th pick of the 4th round in the 2024 NFL Draft.

First things first: yes, Erick All is a tight end from the University of Iowa. In recent seasons, drafting a Hawkeyes has been one of the most bulletproof draft strategies. George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, and Sam LaPorta have all gone from Iowa to the NFL and developed into Pro Bowl-caliber tight ends. (Noah Fant, the other former Iowa tight end selected during that stretch hasn't yet made a Pro Bowl, but has already started 74 games and caught 14 touchdowns in five seasons with the Broncos and Seahawks.)

Is All next in line to continue Iowa's TE U tradition in the NFL? He's got (ahem) All the tools to do so.

All started his college career at Michigan, and he finished second on the team in receptions (38), receiving yards (437), and touchdowns (2) as a sophomore in 2021. The future looked bright for All at that point, a but a back injury scuttled most of his 2022 season, as he saw action in just three games.

After that 2022 campaign, All and fellow Wolverine Cade McNamara (whose 2022 campaign was also cut short due to injury) each made the decision to transfer to Iowa and provide some much-needed juice to the Hawkeye offense.

Things haven't worked out quite as planned for either player.

McNamara went down with a season-ending ACL injury after playing at less than 100% five weeks into the season, while All also suffered a torn ACL at Wisconsin just two weeks later, ending his season as well.

With fellow TEU member Luke Lachey already shelved for 2023 with a broken leg in Week 3, All was in position to be a focal point of the Iowa offense. Despite playing in just half of Iowa's games last fall, All still led the team in receiving yards (299) and touchdowns (3).

That those stats could lead the team says plenty of unpleasant things about the state of Iowa's offense in 2023, none of which are All's fault or otherwise need to be delved into here.

All was extremely productive for the Hawkeyes prior to his injury, and was easily on pace to finish with 50+ catches and 600+ receiving yards, strong full-season numbers for any tight end.

The good news is that ACL tears are an eminently recoverable injury these days, and All's recovery seems to be going well. He was running down the field well earlier this week:

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All has the athleticism to make a big impact as a receiving tight end. He has enough speed to stretch the field and run deeper routes. He also has the footwork and short-area quickness and agility to get open on shorter routes as well. All's toughness as a receiver isn't in doubt -- he's very willing to catch the ball in tight spots and take big hits and he's also able to absorb initial contact and continue fighting for yards.

The biggest area of All's game that will need to improve at the NFL level is his blocking. All is a willing blocker, but he needs to work on sustaining blocks, as well as developing a bit more of a mean streak. His catching ability will need to get more consistent as well -- there were times in college when All would haul in difficult catches but miss a few easy ones.

The success of this pick really comes down to health. There's no denying that All's injury history is a big red flag with this pick -- the fact that he had season-ending injuries in both 2022 and 2023 and has only played 10 games since 2021 is definite cause for concern. The good news is that there were no issues with All's back at Iowa and while an ACL tear is a significant injury, it's also one that countless football players have returned from with little to no drop-off in their ability.

The injury risk in All's selection is also mitigated by his draft placement -- it's worth gambling on a player with All's potential in the fourth round. If All is able to put his recent injury woes in the rear view mirror and continues to hone his pass-catching and blocking skills, he can absolutely be a solid contributor on offense for the Bengals.