Duck tight end Sadiq preps for massive breakout year

Terrance Ferguson predicted greatness for Kenyon Sadiq. In 2025, it's finally his turn.

At Big Ten Media Days last summer Oregon's all-time leader in receptions (134) and receiving touchdowns (16) said about his gifted understudy:

"He has all the tools in the world to be better than me and better than anybody in Oregon history at the tight end position. He has everything it takes."

Now preparing for the first four rounds of the NFL draft, Ferguson left Eugene second all-time in career receiving yards among tight ends with 1,537 behind Ed Dickson.

Duck offensive coordinator Will Stein has compared Sadiq to Georgia and Las Vegas Raider tight end Brock Bowers in his versatility and athletic ability. Indeed, in high school the 6-3, 220 athletic wonder (now 250) lined up at wide receiver, the No. 57 wide receiver prospect in the country.

He won three state championships with Skyline High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho, a U.S. Army All-American who caught 62 passes for1,303 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior. He also starred in basketball and took first in the 100 meters at the District Championship.

At Oregon he's been clocked on the GPS at 22 mph. He fully displayed the athletic skills and agility at the Big Ten Championship Game in December, grabbing two touchdown passes in the Ducks 45-37 victory, the first a spectacular hurdle and race to the end zone.

Saturday after the Ducks' fifth workout of spring, tight end coach Drew Mehringer reiterated how high the ceiling was for his junior tight end.

"I don't know how many 247-pound, 22.5-plus-mile-an-hour people there are out there in the world," Mehringer said. "But more than that, I think he's a great kid. He's a physical blocker, on top of the fact that he runs fast and catches the ball and scores touchdowns. So I think that his best football is still to come."

Will Stein called him "one of the best players in the country."

Sadiq takes the praise in stride.

"It’s kind of just words, you know?" Sadiq said this weekend. "I mean, I’ve got to go out there and prove it. So, like I said, it means a lot coming from Stein. There's a high expectation that you have to come out every day and try to work up to.”

This season the Ducks have a hole in offensive production in the passing game after the departures of Ferguson, Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden to the NFL draft. It adds up to 2,207 yards and 18 touchdowns missing from the Quack Attack, just to match last year's 34.9 points a game, 17th in the country in scoring offense.

Sadiq's chasing history and Ferguson's impressive legacy, but there's also the stark reality of natural attrition. The Ducks need playmakers who produce. Right now, there are big roles the are only accounted for with hope and optimism.

With a new quarterback in Dante Moore, Sadiq and Louisville transfer Jamari Johnson become invaluable as big targets who can stretch the field. Getting more out of the tight end position, perhaps even a record-setting year from Sadiq, is a key to a playoff run.

Praise is nice, but production is king. Oregon needs Kenyon Sadiq to fulfill all that promise and harness his awesome gifts. And Stein has to dial up plays that make full use of his talents.

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