Not that he will wind up doing this but I think Rafdal has the frame to be a hell of a Tackle. He doesn't run that well for a tight end but his size, length, and frame could make him an elite player as a Tackle.
This may be true, but he has pretty good hands in my opinion. Most tight ends do not have break away speed, in fact I recall Wisconsin having elite tight ends that were a bit slow. His size makes him a matchup nightmare in the redzone. If you do double him it can open up other players too, I think tight end will be his position here or we would not have spent time recruiting him imo.
Theres no doubt he starts his time here at TE but I personally am really not that high on him there. Re-watch his highlight film, its not that he doesn't have "break away speed", the kid is really really slow in space:
http://247sports.com/Player/Kurt-Rafdal-85660
And we have big(ger) bodies at the position too who fill the role of big TE matchup nightmare in the red zone. Austin Allen is 6'8. Matt Snyder is 6'5. David Englehaupt to me looked like a player who will be a really nice player for us in a few years as he continues to add weight and finds his way onto the field. He gets to the second level on his routes quickly. Haven't even gotten to Cameron Jurgens yet who is a top 100 player in the country and is coming here to play tight end.
It was just an observation by me but don't rule it out because we recruited him as a tight end. Freedom started out at TE and is a multiple year starter at DE. Zack Darlington is a WR for us and he came in as a top 15 rated duel threat QB in the country. Things/people change and kids want to get onto the field.