I’ve watched the tight end position evolve over the years, starting with Shannon Sharpe with the Broncos in the early 90’s, then to Tony Gonzalez, who was a undersized power forward that may be arguably the best to ever play the game. With guys being taller, stronger, and faster, teams are always looking for that game changer at the position. Here are my top prospects at the position.
1. TE Maxx Williams 6’4 249 lbs rSo. Minnesota (#43 on the Big Board) Grade: 2nd Round
Career Stats: 25 games 61 rec 986 yards 16.2 avg 13 TD
40 Time: 4.78 Bench Press: 17 Vertical: 34.5 Broad Jump: 9’9 3 Cone: 7.30 Short Shuttle: 4.37
Strengths: Williams has excellent hands, body control, and is an good athlete on tape. He goes up and makes some acrobatic catches in traffic. He flashes the speed to threaten the field vertically. He gets separation with crisp route running, but also makes tough contested catches in traffic. Flashes some run after the catch ability. Young, raw, with good upside.
Weaknesses: Williams needs to work on his run blocking, plays to high at the point of attack, and his effort isn’t always there.
2. TE Clive Walford 6’4 251 lbs rSr. Miami(FL) (#76 on the Big Board) Grade: 3rd Round
Career Stats: 48 games 121 rec 1,753 yards 14.5 avg 14 TD
40 Time: 4.79 Bench Press: 20 reps Vertical: 30.5 Broad Jump: 10’0 3 Cone: 7.32 Short Shuttle: 4.57
Strengths: Very good drive blocker as a traditional TE. Plays with a good pad level, moves guys off of the line of scrimmage. Moves well for a man his size, finds open spots in zone coverage and is a crafty route runner, flashing the ability to get open vs man coverage. Reliable hands.
Weaknesses: Doesn’t create separation on a consistent basis. He also has concentration lapses, causing easy passes to be dropped.
3. TE Jesse James 6’7 261 lbs Jr. Penn St.(#83 on the Big Board) Grade: 3rd Round
Career Stats: 36 games 78 rec 1,005 yards 11 TD
40 Time: 4.66 Bench Press: 26 reps Vertical:37.5 Broad Jump: 10’1 3 Cone: 7.53 Short Shuttle: 4.48
Strengths: Traditional, big body, in line tight end. Very good run blocker. Has strong reliable hands, makes tough contested catches in traffic. With his height, he’s able to go up and make jump ball catches. Played in a pro style offense in his career, he’s a plug in and play guy in my opinion.
Weaknesses: Doesn’t always create tons of separation coming out of his breaks vs man coverage. Tested pretty well, but that athleticism isn’t always on display on the field.
4. TE Tyler Kroft 6’6 246 lbs rJr. Rutgers (#128 on the Big Board) Grade: 4th Round
Career Stats: 37 games 70 rec 901 yards 12.9 avg 5 TD
40 Time: 4.75 Vertical: 34 inches Broad Jump: 10’0 Short Shuttle: 4.50 3 Cone: 7.18
Strengths: Gets open well vs zone coverage, has good hands, decent speed. Flashes some ability to threaten the seams vertically. Has good size for the position.
Weaknesses: Below average run blocker, must get stronger, play with a lower pad level at the point of attack. Not a run after the catch guy. This year’s class of TE’s are considered weak, Kroft entered the draft, but I thought he could of used another year in college to get better at his craft.
5. TE Ben Koyack 6’5 255 lbs Sr. Notre Dame (#134 on the Big Board) Grade: 4th Round
Career Stats: 50 games 44 rec 532 yards 12.1 avg 5 TD
40 Time: 4.76 Vertical: 30 inches Broad Jump: 9’8 3 Cone: 7.32 Short Shuttle: 4.52
Strengths: Had to wait his turn as there were NFL level TE’s at Notre Dame playing ahead of him. Very physical blocker at the point of attack, also displays the ability to assist in pass protection. Used as a lead blocker in certain situations. Soft, reliable hands. Decent possession receiver.
Weaknesses: Needs to tighten up his route running, Doesn’t do much with the football after the catch. Not very fast, doesn’t separate well out of his breaks.
6. TE Nick O’Leary 6’3 252 lbs Sr. Florida St. (#138 on the Big Board) Grade: 4th Round
Career Stats: 50 games 114 rec 1,591 yards 17 TE
40 Time: 4.93 Bench Press: 21 reps Vertical: 30.5 Broad Jump: 9’2 3 Cone: 7.40 Short Shuttle: 4.50
Strengths: O’Leary is a tough, hard nosed TE/H-Back prospect. He doesn’t wow you in workouts, but really knows how to play the game of football. Very good run blocker, plays with great leverage, finishes through the whistle. Very reliable hands, finds the open spots vs zone coverage. Makes tough, clutch catches on third downs. Good enough to be used as lead blocker or possibly the TE2 or TE3.
Weaknesses: He’s undersized and a below average athlete. Doesn’t beat man coverage consistently because of his lack of speed and explosiveness.
7. TE Jeff Heuerman 6’5 254 lbs Sr. Ohio St. (#143 on the Big Board) Grade: 5th Round
Career Stats: 51 games 52 rec 792 yards 15.2 avg 7 TD
40 Time: 4.80 Bench Press: 26 reps Vertical: 34.5 inches Broad Jump 10’0
Strengths: Showed some potential and promise heading into the 2014 season after averaging 18 yards per catch as a jr. He flashed some ability to get down the field and make some big plays as a pass catcher. Very good run blocker whether it’s in line or flexed out in the slot. Will be a help in the run game.
Weaknesses: Had two Lisfranc surgeries on his foot heading into his 2014 season. He simply didn’t look like the same athlete as he did as a junior. Didn’t win a lot vs man coverage, struggling to get separation.
8. TE Nick Boyle 6’5 268 lbs Sr. Delaware (#172 on the Big Board) Grade: 5th Round
Career Stats: 41 games 101 rec 984 yards 12 TD
40 Time: 5.00 Bench Press: 20 reps Vertical: 30.5 inches Broad Jump: 9’4 3 Cone: 7.13 Short Shuttle: 4.23
Strengths: Classic, old school TE prospect. Big, strong inline tight end that is a very good run blocker. Could make an impact on a team from day one as a blocking tight end. Soft hands, possession target.
Weaknesses: Limited athlete, who doesn’t win vs man coverage on a consistent basis. Not a threat to make big plays down the field.
Other TE’s with Draft worthy grades:
9. TE Gerald Christian 6’3 244 lbs rSr. Louisville (#176 on the Big Board) Grade: 5th Round
10. TE Wes Saxton 6’3 248 lbs Sr. South Alabama (#183 on the Big Board) Grade: 5th Round
11. TE/H-Back MyCole Pruitt 6’2 251 lbs Sr. S. Illinois (#192 on the Big Board) Grade: 5th Round
12. TE Rory “Busta” Anderson 6’5 244 lbs Sr. South Carolina (#196 on the Big Board) Grade: 5th Round
13. TE/H-Back Casey Pierce 6’3 244 lbs Sr. Kent St. (#197 on the Big Board) Grade: 6th Round
14. TE Blake Bell 6’6 252 lbs Sr. Oklahoma (#242 on the Big Board) Grade: 6th Round
15. TE Jean Sifrin 6’5 245 lbs Jr. UMass (#247 on the Big Board) Grade: 7th Round
16. TE A.J. Derby 6’4 255 lbs rSr. Arkansas (#248 on the Big Board) Grade: 7th Round
Muslim Football Scout 