Who is Hakeem Butler? Let’s take a look.

On Tuesday, the Eagles announced that they had signed Hakeem Butler off of Carolina’s practice squad. In a corresponding move, tight end Dallas Goedert was placed on injured reserve. Earlier on Tuesday, it was revealed that Goedert had a minor fracture in his ankle.

Also noteworthy in this transaction: the Eagles are transitioning Hakeem Butler from wide receiver to tight end. At the NFL Combine last Spring, Butler measured in at 6′ 5⅜” and 227 pounds. As a comparison, New York Giants athletic tight end Evan Engram measured 6’3″ and 234 pounds.

This sounds like somewhat of a project that the Eagles are taking on, but it’s certainly an interesting one. It’s possible Butler spends a couple of weeks on the roster and is cut without seeing the field. But this is the kind of big swing that this organization should be taking. Butler has some question marks, but the move to tight end is probably a good one for him long term. Let’s take a closer look.

Who is Hakeem Butler?

Butler was a standout wide receiver at Iowa State who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. As the first pick in the fourth round, that also means he was the first pick on Day 3 of the draft, so the Cardinals had plenty of time to think about the pick.

From the team’s announcement on Tuesday:

In three seasons at Iowa State, Butler totaled 110 catches for 2,149 yards and 18 touchdowns. He set a single-season school record with 1,318 receiving yards in his final year.

As we can see from his spider chart on MockDraftable.com, Butler was one of the largest wide receivers in the draft but was not lacking in athleticism:

If you click the “Numbers” tab above, you’ll see that he ran a 4.48 40-yard dash despite his size. His height, weight, wingspan, arm length, and hand size are all 94th percentile or better. And his bench press, broad jump, verticle jump, and 40-yard dash are all either excellent or above average.

Heading into the 2019 NFL Draft, there were a lot of mixed opinions about Butler. Most agreed that the size and athleticism were very attractive, but some had concerns that he was too raw to gamble high in the draft. However, PFF had him as their #30 overall prospect in the draft and projected him to be draft in the late first round or early second round of the draft.

Walter Mitchell wrote a pretty in-depth piece on Butler’s time with the Cardinals over at RevengeOfTheBirds.com that is worth reading. In the piece, titled “What happened with Hakeem?”, Mitchell chronicles how Butler was inconsistent in training camp in 2019 before landing on injured reserve with a fractured hand. During the 2020 NFL Combine, a report leaked out that the Cardinals were “relieved” that Butler landed on IR because of his worrisome training camp.

That probably hurt their chances of trading Butler, and with DeAndre Hopkins added to an already deep wide receiver room, Butler never really had a chance at sticking with the Cardinals this season. So, he was waived and eventually landed on the Panthers’ practice squad until the Eagles signed him on Tuesday.

What now for Butler?

Butler joins an Eagles team that has been decimated by injuries. And on paper, this move seems like a good fit. Dane Brugler, who is an NFL Draft analyst for The Athletic, had this to say about the move:

Brugler’s concern was one that multiple analysts had before the draft, and Butler’s early struggles make it sound like there is some truth to them. So, a move to tight end for the large-but-athletically-gifted Butler seems like it could make some sense.

But Butler is now joining a new team, during the season, while having to learn a new offense and a new position. The odds are stacked against him, and it’s unclear how patient the Eagles will be while they deal with a mountain of injuries and need the roster spots.

But Howie Roseman made this move for a reason, and it’s a high-upside gamble with no downside. If Butler takes to the move to tight end and the Eagles are able to coach him up, then they have just added a potentially electric weapon to their offense for years to come. If it doesn’t work out, they can either try to stash him on their practice squad or just cut him and move on.

And just for fun, here is a Hakeem Butler Iowa State highlight video. There is a lot to like here, especially the running after the catch, the jump ball abilities, and the top-end speed.