TE Terrance Ferguson Oregon, 4SR
BACKGROUND: Terrance Ferguson, who has two older brothers, grew up in Littleton, Colo. (south of Denver), with his parents (Cody and Dawn Ferguson). His younger brother (Phillip) played linebacker at Heritage High before signing with NAIA Presentation (S.D.) College in 2019. Ferguson was a multisport athlete throughout childhood and played for the Patriots and Eagles at the Pop Warner level. He grew up competing in the Arapahoe Youth League with the Littleton Thunder as a tight end, defensive end and linebacker, and he helped the team to a 2014 league super bowl. Ferguson also played basketball and lacrosse for the Thunder throughout middle school. He proposed to his high school sweetheart (Sophia Meyer) in July 2024. Ferguson enrolled at Heritage High in Littleton (his father was on the coaching staff) and was a four-sport athlete. After seeing varsity action as a freshman wide receiver and tight end, he had a breakout sophomore season (69 receptions for 972 yards and nine touchdowns). Ferguson earned 2018 Metro Player of the Year and all-conference honors, as he helped Heritage improve from two wins in 2017 to eight. As a junior, he again earned Metro Player of the Year and added all-state honors with 54 catches for 929 yards and 14 total touchdowns (11 receiving, two rushing, one passing). As a senior captain, Ferguson caught 30 passes for 472 yards and two touchdowns in a schedule shortened to six-games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He played more of a role on defense that year as well, posting 49 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble at outside linebacker. Ferguson finished his prep career with 2,373 career receiving yards. He also lettered in lacrosse, track and basketball — he averaged 9.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks on the hardwood as a junior. A four-star recruit, Ferguson was the ninth-ranked tight end in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 1 recruit in Colorado. His recruitment took off after his productive sophomore season, with offers from Arkansas, LSU, Ohio State and Colorado in the spring of 2019. As a junior, Ferguson added several national offers before narrowing his choice to five programs: Auburn, Oregon, Tennessee, USC and Wisconsin. The summer before his senior year, he committed to the Ducks and was the 14th-ranked recruit in former head coach Mario Cristobal’s 2021 class. He was the second-ranked tight end in that class, behind Moliki Matavao, but Ferguson jumped to the top of the tight end depth chart as a freshman. (Matavao later transferred to UCLA and is also in this year’s NFL Draft class.) Ferguson accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl.
YEAR (GP/GS) REC YDS AVG TD DROP NOTES
2021: (14/8) 17 141 8.29 2 0 Enrolled February 2021
2022: (13/6) 32 391 12.22 5 1 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12
2023: (14/12) 42 414 9.86 6 2 First Team All-Pac-12
2024: (12/11) 43 591 13.74 3 4 Missed two games (appendix surgery)
Total: (53/37) 134 1,537 11.47 16 7
HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP NOTES
COMBINE 6053 247 9 1/4 32 7/8 80 1/8 4.63 2.66 1.61 39 10′ 2″ DNP DNP DNP No SS, three-cone, bench (choice)
PRO DAY 6052 249 9 1/2 33 1/4 81 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 15
STRENGTHS:
● Athletic pass catcher to snatch and immediately get upfield
● Natural hand-eye coordination to scoop or reach back and bring in throws
● Knows where the sticks are and consistently gets hidden yards (72.1 percent of his catches in 2024 resulted in a first down or touchdown)
● Runs physical routes and doesn’t allow safeties to muscle him off his path
● Subtle foot quickness in and out of breaks — able to sink and break opposite to create a passing window
● Functional strength as a base blocker, inline and out in space
● Shows blocking range out of the slot on swing screens
● Willing run blocker who will get his face dirty and showcase toughness at the point of attack
WEAKNESSES:
● Too much of one-speed athlete
● Needs better salesmanship and pacing to hide route intentions
● Physical finisher as a ball carrier but needs to use athleticism more to sidestep tacklers
● Below average in contested situations senior season
● Engages well as blocker but will struggle to control defenders
● Put some weak, chicken-wing chips on tape
● Much better home-game performer (80 percent of catches in 2024 and 13 of 16 career touchdown grabs came at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium)
● Missed two games as senior because of appendectomy (Oct. 2024); missed second half of UCLA game with head injury (Sept. 2024)
SUMMARY: A four-year starter at Oregon, Ferguson was a versatile tight end in offensive coordinator Will Stein’s spread scheme, lining up for 42.0 percent of his 2024 snaps in the slot and 40.5 percent inline/wing (often used as a blocker for a two count before releasing as a target). Although his senior season didn’t quite reach the heights scouts were hoping for, he was a dependable target and his role continued to expand. A high school hooper, Ferguson displays athleticism both as a route runner and after the catch, along with steady ball skills (25.6 percent of his catches in 2024 resulted in 20 yards or more). He needs technical work (tighter hands and feet) as a blocker but finds ways to stalemate defenders. Overall, there isn’t much about his game that screams “exceptional,” but Ferguson is solid across the board and should continue to ascend as he adds consistency to his blocking and patterns. He has the foundational traits to carve out an NFL career similar to that of Jake Ferguson (no relation).
GRADE: 2nd-3rd round (No. 75 overall)[/quote]
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