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TE O.J. Howard, Raiders (1 Viewer)

Ha, now I know the two TEs you wouldn't tell me yesterday.

-Not Tex
LMFAO, I totally misunderstood what you were saying! My bad!

Unless one of them end up in Houston I'm grabbing both as early as I possibly can.

Tex

 
LMFAO, I totally misunderstood what you were saying! My bad!

Unless one of them end up in Houston I'm grabbing both as early as I possibly can.

Tex
I'm going to target both with my #15 pick.  Going to see if I can move M Bennett this offseason for another mid 2nd round rookie pick, and maybe if lucky I land both (or 2 of the "big 3") - as depth behind J Reed and Ebron. 

 
I'm going to target both with my #15 pick.  Going to see if I can move M Bennett this offseason for another mid 2nd round rookie pick, and maybe if lucky I land both (or 2 of the "big 3") - as depth behind J Reed and Ebron. 
Smart move! Move Bennett as soon as you can there are rumors that NE might not sign him. Instead they may draft one of the TEs that we are speaking of. Again, these are rumors so take it with a grain of salt.

Tex

 
Pro Football Focus compared Alabama TE O.J. Howard to Carolina Panthers TE Greg Olsen.
"Like Olsen, Howard can move around the formation and create mismatches in the passing game," explains the outlet. They also see Olsen's occasional issues in run-blocking as similar to Howard's, noting that while the 6-foot-6, 251-pounder was sterling in that arena with Alabama this past season, "his success in the trenches may rely more on scheme and fit." The PFF analysis team views Howard as a potential plug-and-play starter. He figures to land solidly in the first round.

 
 
Source: Pro Football Focus 
Feb 28 - 1:20 PM

 
Good news, pretty close to Jimmy Graham and slightly less but good news but still good he is also pretty similar to Olsen. Bad news, NFLN did player most similar due to just measureables and they spit out Fleener which makes sense because one of reasons I was always got steered down wrong path of believing Fleener could be something was I thought his measurables were similar to Graham and Olsen.
He's much more muscled than Graham he is Gronk 2.0. Will he be Gronk that is another matter but as a prospect he is blue chip and he can be a game changer.

 
 that hasn't shown the ability to use a talented TE, like the Dolphins, Rams, Arizona, etc.
You have to be careful with things likes this. The Dolphins and Rams have completely new staffs/philosophies in place and when did a team like Arizona even have a talented TE recently? If any of those three teams spent a premium pick on a TE, it would be a pretty strong indication that they plan to use him.

 
You have to be careful with things likes this. The Dolphins and Rams have completely new staffs/philosophies in place and when did a team like Arizona even have a talented TE recently? If any of those three teams spent a premium pick on a TE, it would be a pretty strong indication that they plan to use him.
Agreed, Gase and McVay used TE's extensively in their past jobs.  Arians, however, never really has, nor has Palmer had much history targeting TE.  That's probably a legit system concern.  Miami and LAR are not.

 
Agreed, Gase and McVay used TE's extensively in their past jobs.  Arians, however, never really has, nor has Palmer had much history targeting TE.  That's probably a legit system concern.  Miami and LAR are not.
True on Arians. I believe his philosophy is "TEs are for blocking and WRs catch the ball" - which is likely why Arizona hasn't bothered to address the position. That likely also means they won't be drafting Howard any way.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
True on Arians. I believe his philosophy is "TEs are for blocking and WRs catch the ball" - which is likely why Arizona hasn't bothered to address the position. That likely also means they won't be drafting Howard any way.
I do really like your point of "if they invest early, they are likely to use him" though.  The threat with Howard that way is his blocking, and why I prefer my TE's to be horrible blockers like Graham.  That way if they are going to use him to his strengths, it won't be blocking.  It's soul crushing to watch Witten stay in to block on 3rd and goal from the 8 when you are down 5 late on Monday night.

 
Agree with system concerns in Arizona but one thing to note is Arians used to not throw to the RB's much either, which made me lower on both Ellington and Johnson coming in and they both bucked the Arians trend so he's shown the ability to adapt his offense to his talent.

 
Not as high on Howard.  He didn't measure up to the 6' 6" billing that he was listed as before the combine.  He's only 6' 5 3/4".  So, first 29 teams in the draft, you should pass on him. 100%.

 
Alabama TE O.J. Howard met with the Giants for a formal interview at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Holding the 23rd overall pick in the draft, the Giants could be right in the range to draft Howard. Late last month, Pro Football Focus compared the 6-foot-5, 251-pounder to Panthers TE Greg Olsen. He figures to be off the board by the end of Day 1. While Howard logged a modest 45-595-3 receiving line in 15 games with Alabama last season, he has a ton of offensive upside for a more wide-open attack.

 
 
Source: nj.com 
Mar 2 - 7:57 PM

 
 

Alabama TE O.J. Howard turned in an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.51 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday.
Tis a fantastic mark for Howard, who measured out at 6-foot-6, 251 pounds. The future first-rounder met with the Giants earlier in Indy. He is unlikely to land within the top-10 picks, but a selection in the teens is most definitely in play for the athletic stalwart of a tight end. NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah -- who began scouting work in 1993 -- said on the NFL Network broadcast of the Combine that this is the most athletic group of tight ends he has ever evaluated.

 
 
Source: College Football 24/7 on Twitter

 
2nd best 40 time, 2nd most reps on bench press and swept the agility drills.  Pretty special for a guy that big to post that 40 and outperform every other TE in the agility drills.  

Add in his prowess as a blocker and I'm all in on Howard.  Pumped that I got him at the end of two devy drafts.  Have no issue with taking him in the 1st of rookie drafts.  Landing spot will be key to see how far up the 1st he climbs for me.

 
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ESPN's Todd McShay ranked Alabama TE O.J. Howard as the No. 8 prospect in the class following the NFL Scouting Combine.
Howard showcased what McShay terms as "elite seed for the position" when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds, an identical mark to that of LSU RB Leonard Fournette. Wrote the analyst of the 6-foot-6, 251-pounder, "He has the size and arm length (33¾ inches) to play as an in-line TE, and the speed to be a major matchup problem down the field for opposing defenses." You will be hearing his name on Day 1 of the draft, if not within the top-10 picks, then shortly thereafter.

 
 
Source: ESPN Insider 
Mar 10 - 3:36 PM

 
An NFL scout told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Alabama TE O.J. Howard's "upside is through the roof."
"There’s no dominant in-line guys anymore but he’s probably as good as you’re going to get coming out," the scout said. "As a receiver he’s still a little untapped. Only two years did he play with a pro-style quarterback. He’s a phenomenal human being." At 6-foot-6, 251 pounds, Howard clocked a sensational 4.51s 40-yard dash Saturday at the NFL Combine. "Nothing wrong with him at all," said another scout. "Big-time basketball player in high school. Just a country boy. Big, fast, athletic. Receiving tight end or every down."

 
 
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 
Mar 13 - 1:23 PM
 
 

Alabama TE O.J. Howard revealed he has visits lined up with the Bucs and the Titans.
The Titans have two first round selections and the Bucs could add a second tight end to push the passing game even further. Delanie Walker is clearly the Titans top pass catching target, but is getting older in age. Howard would add talent to any passing or running game.

 
 
Source: NFL.com 
Mar 15 - 11:14 AM

 
Is he in play for the Saints at 11?
I think he is in play there. As bad as their D is, they can't just fix it with a 1st rd D guy. But a guy like OJ doesn't come around that often. Huge weapon for Brees. Payton doesn't really care about D anyway. Howard can catch & block.

They now also have pick #32 and the D side of the draft is deep.

 
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McShay had him going fourth to the Jags which I think is ridiculous. I've heard the Giants as a possible landing spot.

 
 

In his latest mock draft, ESPN's Todd McShay projected Alabama TE O.J. Howard to the Jaguars with the No. 4 pick.
There are no true surprises in the first three slots of McShay's mock, which sees the Browns drafting Texas A&M EDGE Myles Garrett, the 49ers selecting Stanford DE Solomon Thomas and the Bears selecting LSU S Jamal Adams. Then comes Howard to the Jags. A year ago, there was a debate about whether Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott was worth a top-five pick. Howard at No. 4 would be far more controversial than that. We wouldn't be surprised to see the 6-foot-6, 251-pound Alabama product off the board within the first 15 picks, but top 10 would probably be stretching it and top five, well, that would be a story.

 
 
Source: ESPN Insider 
Mar 19 - 1:28 PM

 
Feels weird to say, but from a skill position standpoint, I'm not sure there is a player in this draft I feel more confident in than Howard, can't really see any bust potential at all.
Maybe, but I'd still take Engram over Howard in fantasy drafts. Howard's far more likely to put up at least solid numbers than Engram, but I'm not paying a first or early second for solid TE production, not when you can get Olsen, Walker etc. for the same or cheaper. Sure it's nice if a player has lower bust potential, but at TE I just don't care. 

 
Feels weird to say, but from a skill position standpoint, I'm not sure there is a player in this draft I feel more confident in than Howard, can't really see any bust potential at all.
In real life sure. But TE utilization is so important in terms of fantasy production. If he doesn't land in the right situation I'll take Njoku or Engram over him pretty easily 

 
In real life sure. But TE utilization is so important in terms of fantasy production. If he doesn't land in the right situation I'll take Njoku or Engram over him pretty easily 
True, but you don't take a TE as high as he's gonna go not to use him.

 
Maybe, but I'd still take Engram over Howard in fantasy drafts. Howard's far more likely to put up at least solid numbers than Engram, but I'm not paying a first or early second for solid TE production, not when you can get Olsen, Walker etc. for the same or cheaper. Sure it's nice if a player has lower bust potential, but at TE I just don't care. 
I was commenting on NFL value, but fantasy value, I'd argue Howard as a top-4 pick. He's the best TE prospect to come out since...Vernon Davis? Kellen Winslow? Before anyone says, "those guys struggled out of the gate" they had very unfortunate circumstances. Winslow basically missed his first 2 years to injury, and was instantly a top-5 TE his first healthy season, and Davis was stuck in an abysmal offense on some truly awful teams, in a less pass heavy era. I'd rather have Howard than Olsen or Walker going forward, I think his upside is being as good as anyone short of Gronk for years to come, his floor is being Zach Ertz, who has been a decent TE1.

I also think Engram is crazy overrated right now. He's my #4 TE, and a great deal behind Howard or Njoku, regardless of landing spot. I think he and Everett are pretty close, but I like Everett slightly more. My worry with Engram is that he's more in the Julius Thomas/Coby Fleener mold of basically being a pick your spot guy, rather than a consistent part of the offense.

 
According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Alabama TE O.J. Howard is "clearly at the top" of the Giants' draft board.
Howard's stock is rising rapidly and it's hard to envision him still being around when the Giants pick at 23rd overall. Raanan believes the Giants are also high on Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey, who might be more realistic at 23. For the Giants, Howard would be a massive upgrade on Will Tye, who earned PFF's worst grade out of 65 qualifiers at tight end last season.

Related: Giants
 
Source: ESPN.com 
Apr 9 - 12:37 PM

 
travdogg said:
I was commenting on NFL value, but fantasy value, I'd argue Howard as a top-4 pick. He's the best TE prospect to come out since...Vernon Davis? Kellen Winslow? Before anyone says, "those guys struggled out of the gate" they had very unfortunate circumstances. Winslow basically missed his first 2 years to injury, and was instantly a top-5 TE his first healthy season, and Davis was stuck in an abysmal offense on some truly awful teams, in a less pass heavy era. I'd rather have Howard than Olsen or Walker going forward, I think his upside is being as good as anyone short of Gronk for years to come, his floor is being Zach Ertz, who has been a decent TE1.

I also think Engram is crazy overrated right now. He's my #4 TE, and a great deal behind Howard or Njoku, regardless of landing spot. I think he and Everett are pretty close, but I like Everett slightly more. My worry with Engram is that he's more in the Julius Thomas/Coby Fleener mold of basically being a pick your spot guy, rather than a consistent part of the offense.
Sure I'd rather have Howard than Olsen, but even decent TE1 floor isn't all that appealing to me. Either he's a perennial top-3 guy who really does give you an edge every week, or he isn't. You may value floor a lot higher and every league is different and I'm not trying to argue with you about that, just for me it's "super star or bust". 

Not sure why a TE like Engram would even have to be on the field at all times. For fantasy, it's still about the amount (and quality) of targets and what you do with them and if a team spends a high pick on him, it probably has a scheme where he can stay on the field enough. I find Njoku to be overrated, great athlete but will need a lot of time if he ever amounts to anything, I'd rather take a gamble on a guy like Shaheen a little bit later. 

 
Most TEs in the league start slowly. It's a much more complex position than WR or RB, wouldn't be surprising if Howard, Njoku, and Engram stumbled out of the gate and were available for less midway through this season or after this season.  Many TEs don't reach their potential until season 3.

 
Most TEs in the league start slowly. It's a much more complex position than WR or RB, wouldn't be surprising if Howard, Njoku, and Engram stumbled out of the gate and were available for less midway through this season or after this season.  Many TEs don't reach their potential until season 3.
Agree, just see the last rookie TE with this much hype - Ebron.  That said, if Howard is there with my 10th pick, I'm going to pull the trigger no questions asked.

 
Most TEs in the league start slowly. It's a much more complex position than WR or RB, wouldn't be surprising if Howard, Njoku, and Engram stumbled out of the gate and were available for less midway through this season or after this season.  Many TEs don't reach their potential until season 3.
That's why I like Engram - he's just a natural route runner and should make an impact a lot sooner than everbody but Howard. Other than those two, I wouldn't take a TE as long as there are still promising players at RB and WR on the board for the reason you mentioned, which will probably be round 3 or so depending on league size and how the draft went so far. 

 

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