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2017 Rookie TE Edition (1 Viewer)

BigTex said:
Outstanding!

I would not take Everett over Hikutini though. I'm not sold on Everett as of yet IIRC he has 8.5 inch hands. I know that alone should dismiss him but I'm just not sold yet and I'm a big Cole fan he's just in the wrong draft lol!

Tex
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I haven't included data on drop rate or hand size yet.

Hankmoody said:
ZWK said:
Looking at college receiving production for 12 TEs who have gotten a lot of attention, I have them ranked (from most productive to least productive):

1. Evan Engram    Mississippi
2. Jordan Leggett    Clemson
3. Gerald Everett    South Alabama
4. David Njoku    Miami FL
5. Cole Hikutini    Louisville
6. O.J. Howard    Alabama
7. Bucky Hodges    Virginia Tech
8. Jeremy Sprinkle    Arkansas
9. Blake Jarwin    Oklahoma State
10. Josiah Price    Michigan State
11. Darrell Daniels    Washington
12. Jake Butt    Michigan
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Shocked to see Butt so low.  What criteria did you use here?
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I look at TDs per game and yards per target, and to a lesser extent yards per game, 25+ yard receptions per game, and first downs per game. I mostly look at each player's best season, and to a lesser extent their second best season. Comparing Butt's best season (2016) to these other guys' best seasons, Butt ranked 8th out of 12 in TD/g (4 TDs in 12 games), 11th in YPT (8.20), 8th in ypg, 9th in 25+/g, and 5th in FD/g. The 4 guys with less ypg than Butt are Daniels & Jarwin (who had significantly higher YPT) and Sprinkle & Price (who had significantly more TDs).

 
ZWK said:
I haven't included data on drop rate or hand size yet.

I look at TDs per game and yards per target, and to a lesser extent yards per game, 25+ yard receptions per game, and first downs per game. I mostly look at each player's best season, and to a lesser extent their second best season. Comparing Butt's best season (2016) to these other guys' best seasons, Butt ranked 8th out of 12 in TD/g (4 TDs in 12 games), 11th in YPT (8.20), 8th in ypg, 9th in 25+/g, and 5th in FD/g. The 4 guys with less ypg than Butt are Daniels & Jarwin (who had significantly higher YPT) and Sprinkle & Price (who had significantly more TDs).
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That confirms what I pretty much felt about him, thanks.

 
BigTex said:
This class will be like no other. I do recall some talk about Sprinkle. I will try to find the article, it spoke at how much better Sprinkle was over Henry as recall he's an "upgrade" and Henry will not be missed.

Tex
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I saw the same article and was excited about Sprinkle.  Then he got busted for shop lifting after a free shopping spree where he got to pick out up to $450 worth of merchandise.  Might not be the sharpest tool in the shed...

 
STEADYMOBBIN 22 said:
Cowboys LOVE OJ Howard. 
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Its all about your ability to "get open" with Dak.  See: Cole Beasley.

An OJ strength in college.

From his NFL page: Easy separator who creates instant throwing windows...

:thumbup:

 
Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline relays that Washington TE Darrell Daniels "looked tremendous in pass-catching drills" during Saturday's pro day.
"Daniels, who was described as a 'specimen who looks the part,' ran crisp routes, caught the ball well and showed a great catch radius," writes Pauline. Playing in an offense with a plethora of other options, the 6-foot-3, 247-pounder logged a 17-307-3 receiving line this past season. Pauline stamps him with a seventh-round grade, though his raw athletic chops could get him drafted higher than that. The analyst relays that the Dolphins have shown "heavy interest" in the former Huskies tight end.

 
 
Source: Draft Analyst 
Mar 12 - 2:03 PM
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Are we missing the boat on Kittle? I remember when he was seen as the best in this class even higher than Howard. He was plagued with injuries and never fully recovered until now. He had a really good Combine and he's one of those that could be had late in fantasy drafts.

Im really interested in where he'll be drafted. If he gets drafted on day one or two we may need to take another look.

Tex

 
George Kittle has long been highly regarded by NFL Draft experts such as Josh Liskiewitz of Pro Football Focus. He told the Register in December:

“I really thought he was the best tight end in the country coming into this year. He still graded out well as a blocker. Blocking tight ends that can run — there aren’t many of those guys. I think he’s going to play right away at the next level. ... I think he’ll be a better pro than he was a college player.”

 
JohnnyU said:
I wouldn't take Engram over Howard or Njokiu.  He's too small and too slow  No thanks.  I have my doubts he's a full-time player at TE.
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Huh? Didn't this cat run a sub 4.5? I don't care if he is a wr playing the TE position, matter of fact that works just fine for me.

 
NFL scout compares Ole Miss TE Evan Engram to former Saints WR Marques Colston.
"Not as fast or quick-footed as Marques but more of a big slot receiver," he said. "He could probably be 245 but he’ll never be a point-of-attack guy. He’ll have to be a back-side flex guy if you want to get any kind of production out of him." At the NFL Combine, Engram led the tight end field in the 40-yard dash with a 4.42. "He’s a receiving tight end, not an in-line blocker," another scout said. "He can play slot. Smooth athlete, good speed. This is where the modern-day offense is going." Pro Football Focus likens Engram to Miami Dolphins TE Joseph Duarte.

 
 
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Western Oregon TE Andrey Avgi met with the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night.
He's also, per the website Draft Analyst, drawing interest from the Cleveland Browns. Avgi played basketball all four years at Western Oregon (and football for two). As such, you know he's big and athletic. He measured into his pro day event at 6-foot-5 and 263 pounds. Avgi leapt 35.5 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-2 in the broad. He clocked a 40 of 4.77s.

 
 
Source: Draft Analyst 
Mar 21 - 2:29 PM
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Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline predicts that Wyoming TE Jacob Hollister will make an NFL roster next year.
"Hollister is incredibly athletic but needs to improve his blocking," Pauline wrote. Hollister posted a career-best 32-515-7 line last year.

 
 
Source: Draft Analyst 
Mar 21 - 4:00 PM
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ZWK said:
Looking at college receiving production for 12 TEs who have gotten a lot of attention, I have them ranked (from most productive to least productive):

1. Evan Engram    Mississippi
2. Jordan Leggett    Clemson
3. Gerald Everett    South Alabama
4. David Njoku    Miami FL
5. Cole Hikutini    Louisville
6. O.J. Howard    Alabama
7. Bucky Hodges    Virginia Tech
8. Jeremy Sprinkle    Arkansas
9. Blake Jarwin    Oklahoma State
10. Josiah Price    Michigan State
11. Darrell Daniels    Washington
12. Jake Butt    Michigan

Looking at size/athleticism (going by nfldraftscout estimates, and using weighins from events like the Senior Bowl where possible), I have those 12 guys ranked:

1. Darrell Daniels    Washington
2. David Njoku    Miami FL
3. O.J. Howard    Alabama
4. Evan Engram    Mississippi
5. Jordan Leggett    Clemson
6. Jeremy Sprinkle    Arkansas
7. Jake Butt    Michigan
8. Gerald Everett    South Alabama
9. Blake Jarwin    Oklahoma State
10. Bucky Hodges    Virginia Tech
11. Josiah Price    Michigan State
12. Cole Hikutini    Louisville

Which leads to this overall ranking for those 12 guys:

1. Evan Engram    Mississippi
2. David Njoku    Miami FL
3. Jordan Leggett    Clemson
4. O.J. Howard    Alabama
5. Darrell Daniels    Washington
6. Gerald Everett    South Alabama
7. Cole Hikutini    Louisville
8. Jeremy Sprinkle    Arkansas
9. Bucky Hodges    Virginia Tech
10. Blake Jarwin    Oklahoma State
11. Jake Butt    Michigan
12. Josiah Price    Michigan State

with the top 6 rating as relatively strong prospects.

nfldraftscout currently has slow 40 time predictions for Adam Shaheen (4.87) and Michael Roberts (4.93); they'll need to do better to crack the top part of the list.
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This is a very good break down on your part. 

 
Mavis said:
ZWK said:
Looking at college receiving production for 12 TEs who have gotten a lot of attention, I have them ranked (from most productive to least productive):

1. Evan Engram    Mississippi
2. Jordan Leggett    Clemson
3. Gerald Everett    South Alabama
4. David Njoku    Miami FL
5. Cole Hikutini    Louisville
6. O.J. Howard    Alabama
7. Bucky Hodges    Virginia Tech
8. Jeremy Sprinkle    Arkansas
9. Blake Jarwin    Oklahoma State
10. Josiah Price    Michigan State
11. Darrell Daniels    Washington
12. Jake Butt    Michigan

Looking at size/athleticism (going by nfldraftscout estimates, and using weighins from events like the Senior Bowl where possible), I have those 12 guys ranked:

1. Darrell Daniels    Washington
2. David Njoku    Miami FL
3. O.J. Howard    Alabama
4. Evan Engram    Mississippi
5. Jordan Leggett    Clemson
6. Jeremy Sprinkle    Arkansas
7. Jake Butt    Michigan
8. Gerald Everett    South Alabama
9. Blake Jarwin    Oklahoma State
10. Bucky Hodges    Virginia Tech
11. Josiah Price    Michigan State
12. Cole Hikutini    Louisville

Which leads to this overall ranking for those 12 guys:

1. Evan Engram    Mississippi
2. David Njoku    Miami FL
3. Jordan Leggett    Clemson
4. O.J. Howard    Alabama
5. Darrell Daniels    Washington
6. Gerald Everett    South Alabama
7. Cole Hikutini    Louisville
8. Jeremy Sprinkle    Arkansas
9. Bucky Hodges    Virginia Tech
10. Blake Jarwin    Oklahoma State
11. Jake Butt    Michigan
12. Josiah Price    Michigan State

with the top 6 rating as relatively strong prospects.

nfldraftscout currently has slow 40 time predictions for Adam Shaheen (4.87) and Michael Roberts (4.93); they'll need to do better to crack the top part of the list.
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This is a very good break down on your part. 
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That was pre-combine. I gave a post-combine breakdown in another thread but not here.

Post-combine athleticism ranking (with an expanded list of players):

Evan Engram
Bucky Hodges
George Kittle
Jonnu Smith
David Njoku
O.J. Howard
Gerald Everett
Darrell Daniels
Adam Shaheen
Eric Saubert
Blake Jarwin
Pharaoh Brown
Jordan Leggett
Jake Butt
Jeremy Sprinkle
Cole Hikutini
Michael Roberts
Hayden Plinke

(Using pro day numbers for Blake Jarwin, and nfldraftscout predicted 40 times for Jake Butt and Cole Hikutini.)

And the overall ranking:

Evan Engram
George Kittle
Bucky Hodges
David Njoku
Jonnu Smith
Gerald Everett
Pharaoh Brown
O.J. Howard
Jordan Leggett
Michael Roberts
Darrell Daniels
Cole Hikutini
Adam Shaheen
Eric Saubert
Blake Jarwin
Jeremy Sprinkle
Jake Butt
Hayden Plinke

Where everyone through Howard or Leggett has the numbers of a strong prospect, and Engram stands out ahead of the pack. (Though I am skeptical of Pharaoh Brown, who I think is getting too much credit for his 2014 production when he had high YPT on low volume.)

 
Pro day results: Ashland, UConn

Excerpt:

Ashland College held its pro day at the local high school and 16 NFL teams were represented, including the Bears, Saints, Steelers, Raiders and Lions, who all sent their tight ends coaches to work out Adam Shaheen, one of the fastest risers in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Shaheen (6-6, 278) stood on all of his numbers at the combine, but was put through a brisk workout that had everyone talking. So much so, he left his pro day with private workouts set up with six teams: Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Philadelphia, Dallas and Tennessee.>/p> 

The tight end class is one of the deepest we've seen in years, but I think Friday morning of draft week -- the day after Round 1 ends -- there will be teams vying to get near the top of Round 2 to take this tight end.

So how did Shaheen end up at Ashland and not down the road at Ohio State or some other big-time football program? he told me at the combine that he weighed 210 pounds out of high school and went to college to play basketball. When his father reminded him that there were exactly zero 6-foot-6, back-to-the basket forwards in the NBA, he switched sports and went to the closest school to his home.

And somewhere, Urban Meyer is kicking himself.
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NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah writes that Ole Miss TE Evan Engram "has entered into the discussion [as a Day 1 pick]."


One NFL executive who spoke with Jeremiah believes that Engram has had the strongest draft process of any player this winter/spring. Said that executive of the 6-foot-3, 243-pounder, "He answered every concern people had about him. People questioned his blocking in the fall. Well, he goes to the Senior Bowl and shows tremendous improvement. Any questions about route running and speed were answered [in Indianapolis]." We wouldn't say that Engram has completely eliminated all questions about his blocking, but on the speed front, yessir. The Ole Miss standout destroyed the 40-yard dash in 4.42 seconds during Combine testing. We still see a second- or third-round selection as most realistic for Engram.

 
 
Source: NFL.com 
Mar 29 - 3:55 PM
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Ole Miss pro day: Chad Kelly misses chance to impress

Excerpt:

2. Engram looks strong. Both NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock and analyst Daniel Jeremiah see Ole Miss TE Evan Engram as a first-round possibility, though the second round is the more likely scenario. Mayock attended the Rebels' workout, and came away with a strong impression.


"He's a matchup nightmare, caught everything today, highly impressive," Mayock said.

Engram could be a strong second-round fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who traded TE Julius Thomas to the Miami Dolphins in February, per Jeremiah.
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MTS notebook: Jamal Adams is top prospect in 2017 NFL Draft

Excerpt:

Ole Miss TE Evan Engram: I believe Engram is one of the most explosive players in the draft class. He primarily lines up flexed out in the Ole Miss offense, basically functioning as a slot receiver. While he shows some competitiveness as a blocker, I don't think he'll ever be a dominant in-line player in the run game. Why not just convert him to receiver? He ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash while weighing 234 pounds! If he dropped to 225 pounds, you're probably looking at a player with mid-4.3 speed on a 6-foot-3 frame. He already runs pristine routes from the slot. He could start out there before eventually kicking outside. This is something teams should consider.
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BigTex said:
Didn't he get caught stealing at his Bowl game?

Tex
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That was Jeremy Sprinkle and he got drafted. :lmao:

Checked my notes on Hodges: doesn't like to block, can't block, suspect hands. So maybe he tried to steal but dropped the package.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I know he's not a rookie but if you have a spare roster spot in dynasty you might want to grab Rico Gathers while you can for nothing. 

The Cowboys not drafting Jake Butt or any TE for that matter speaks volumes. Also, there have been the reports about him coming along which normally I would just brush off as off-season filler, listening to the podcasts in Dallas they seem to know something. 

Then today I heard a sit down with Will Mcclay, who is basically one of the three heads who make personnel decisions, (the other two being Jeruh and Stephen Jones). McClay literally said he's unstoppable in practice. 

Take it for what it's worth, and it might still be too early but if you have the space for a flier, before the preseason he will be free. No guarantees after that. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Great update.  I kept pretty close tabs on Gathers last year, and heard similar flashes of athletic dominance.  Sounds like he struggled once the pads were on though, which shouldn't be a surprise.  Hopefully he develops, but I'd be surprised if he plays much if at all this year.  Always pull for these basketball players though.

 
From the Dallas Morning News beat writer today...

Question: Does Dallas not drafting a TE mean they're going all in on Rico Gathers? And is that smart/not smart?

Brandon George: No, it doesn't mean they're going all-in on Rico Gathers. The Cowboys just signed Jason Witten to a contract extension that could keep him around through 2021. Now, do I think Witten will see the end of that contract? Probably not, although he has shown no signs of slowing down. Still, as long as Witten is starting and playing at a high level, he's not going to come off the field much. That doesn't give your new tight end much time to develop in game-time situations. The Cowboys can still get their future tight end next year if Gathers doesn't develop as quickly as they'd like.
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It makes you think Bucky Hodges must have a difficult personality or a serious red flag over his head because it's rare to see a combination of size and athleticism from a major football school go that late. 

 
Bears GM Ryan Pace does not believe second-round TE Adam Shaheen is a project.
 
"Adam’s projected to play early," Pace added. Shaheen certainly has the size (6'7/278) and athleticism to play in the league, but he is making a big jump from Division II Ashland to the NFL. While he may not be a "project," almost all tight ends suffer growing pains their first year in the league, and those issues could be magnified by the large jump in competition. 
 
Apr 29 - 10:07 AM

Source: Brad Biggs on Twitter
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