What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

[DYNASTY] What's a Fendi Onobun? (1 Viewer)

EBF

EBF

Footballguy
There's not a lot to get excited about on day three of the NFL draft. Statistically, players picked after the 4th round have a very low probability of success. Still, there are more than a few standout NFL players who were late picks or totally undrafted:

QB Tony Romo - UDFA

QB Tom Brady - 6th round (199th overall)

RB Pierre Thomas - UDFA

RB Willie Parker - UDFA

WR Marques Colston - 7th round (252nd overall)

WR Donald Driver - 7th round (213th overall)

WR Miles Austin - UDFA

TE Antonio Gates - UDFA

Since most of my dynasty leagues have rookie drafts that go 40+ players deep, I'm always on the lookout for bargain bin flyers who might emerge from obscurity to become contributors. One of the players who has gotten my attention this year is Rams TE Fendi Onobun.

Honestly, I didn't even know exactly who Onobun was until the Rams drafted him. His name rang a bell because I loosely follow Pac-10 basketball, but I didn't know his story. He was a high school basketball standout who signed with Arizona as an undersized power forward and saw minimal playing time during a four year career. Rather than pursuing a future in a foreign basketball league, Onobun began concentrating on football in hopes of earning an opportunity in the NFL. He transferred to Houston and played one season of football for the Cougars, catching just 2 passes.

So why is he even worth mentioning?

Because he might be the most athletic TE in the NFL. At 6'5.5" 252 pounds, Onobun put up some staggering workout numbers at his pro day:

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/sports/onobun-s...rkout-1.1290060

40-yard dash: 4.48 seconds

225-pound bench: 16 repetitions

20-yard shuttle: 4.15 seconds

60-yard shuttle: 11.64 seconds

3-cone drill: 6.78 seconds

Broad jump: 11 feet, 1 inch

Vertical jump: 37.5 inches

Purely from a workout numbers standpoint, this guy has the athletic ability of a first round WR trapped in the body of a TE. That's a scary combination.

Of course, we're talking about a guy who has only played one season of organized football since high school. He only caught two passes in college and he's extremely raw. There's a very real chance that he's just a workout warrior who will never learn how to become a productive football player. It's probably the most likely outcome. On the other hand, his athletic skill set is virtually unparalleled and the Rams liked him enough to spend the 170th pick in the draft on him despite his complete and utter lack of experience and production. Considering that he can be had for peanuts in every league, why not scoop him off waivers and see how he develops? The Rams don't have a quality long term starter at TE and the other TE they drafted this year is Michael Hoomanawanui, a pure blocking specialist. Onobun will be given an opportunity to develop and eventually become one of Sam Bradford's most productive targets. As a waiver wire pickup or late round rookie selection, he represents a lot of upside at a dirt cheap cost.

 
I made a mention of him on draft day. Absolutely nothing to go on in terms of performance but great workout numbers so it makes you want to make the Gates comparision.

Latest update:

ST. LOUIS — The player who could be the St. Louis Rams' tight end of the future played only one year of college football after abandoning his pro basketball dreams.

Fendi Onobun (6-6, 249 pounds) participated in the second day of rookie minicamp Saturday at Rams Park. The sixth-round draft choice was an intriguing selection.

He admits he has much to learn.

“I'm a raw athlete. I'm so new to this game, I'm like a piece of clay,” Onobun said. “They can mold me any way they want me.”

So far, so good for Onobun, coach Steve Spagnuolo said.

“For a guy who didn't play a lot of football, he's done some good things out here,” Spagnuolo said. “You can see he's got some natural skills. He sure does look the part.”

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports...nt/6985648.html

 
If we're talking athletic TE's me thinks you need to dial up The Konz.

This was a good find though, you have my attention...

 
Extremely curious about Onobun, and the minicamp reports should be very interesting. Hard to add much to the discussion at this point with the extremely limited football-related footage to go on. All anyone seems to know is that he's, understandably, a very raw project that should take some time to develop, but his athletic potential is unreal, and given the lack of competition at the position (Daniel Fells and Billy Bajema, basically), he could get some snaps sooner than people expect.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
EBF said:
There's not a lot to get excited about on day three of the NFL draft. Statistically, players picked after the 4th round have a very low probability of success. Still, there are more than a few standout NFL players who were late picks or totally undrafted:

QB Tony Romo - UDFA

QB Tom Brady - 6th round (199th overall)

RB Pierre Thomas - UDFA

RB Willie Parker - UDFA

WR Marques Colston - 7th round (252nd overall)

WR Donald Driver - 7th round (213th overall)

WR Miles Austin - UDFA

TE Antonio Gates - UDFA

Since most of my dynasty leagues have rookie drafts that go 40+ players deep, I'm always on the lookout for bargain bin flyers who might emerge from obscurity to become contributors. One of the players who has gotten my attention this year is Rams TE Fendi Onobun.

Honestly, I didn't even know exactly who Onobun was until the Rams drafted him. His name rang a bell because I loosely follow Pac-10 basketball, but I didn't know his story. He was a high school basketball standout who signed with Arizona as an undersized power forward and saw minimal playing time during a four year career. Rather than pursuing a future in a foreign basketball league, Onobun began concentrating on football in hopes of earning an opportunity in the NFL. He transferred to Houston and played one season of football for the Cougars, catching just 2 passes.

So why is he even worth mentioning?

Because he might be the most athletic TE in the NFL. At 6'5.5" 252 pounds, Onobun put up some staggering workout numbers at his pro day:

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/sports/onobun-s...rkout-1.1290060

40-yard dash: 4.48 seconds

225-pound bench: 16 repetitions

20-yard shuttle: 4.15 seconds

60-yard shuttle: 11.64 seconds

3-cone drill: 6.78 seconds

Broad jump: 11 feet, 1 inch

Vertical jump: 37.5 inches

Purely from a workout numbers standpoint, this guy has the athletic ability of a first round WR trapped in the body of a TE. That's a scary combination.

Of course, we're talking about a guy who has only played one season of organized football since high school. He only caught two passes in college and he's extremely raw. There's a very real chance that he's just a workout warrior who will never learn how to become a productive football player. It's probably the most likely outcome. On the other hand, his athletic skill set is virtually unparalleled and the Rams liked him enough to spend the 170th pick in the draft on him despite his complete and utter lack of experience and production. Considering that he can be had for peanuts in every league, why not scoop him off waivers and see how he develops? The Rams don't have a quality long term starter at TE and the other TE they drafted this year is Michael Hoomanawanui, a pure blocking specialist. Onobun will be given an opportunity to develop and eventually become one of Sam Bradford's most productive targets. As a waiver wire pickup or late round rookie selection, he represents a lot of upside at a dirt cheap cost.

Click to expand...
Anytime someone says "most athletic TE in the league", I naturally compare them to Vernon Davis. Out of curiosity, I looked up his numbers for comparison:6'3" 253lbs

4.38 forty

33 reps

42" vertical

Vernon's a tenth faster in the forty, has 17 more reps, and has 4 and a half inches in the vertical, despite both players playing at an identical weight (although Onobun is 2.5" taller). So, impressive numbers by Onobun, but he's only the second most athletic TE in the NFC West.

 
He has some workout videos on youtube...he is a silky smooth athlete running around in shorts. It'll be sometime before we see what he can do in a game situation. Certainly keeping an eye on him.

 
SSOG said:
There's not a lot to get excited about on day three of the NFL draft. Statistically, players picked after the 4th round have a very low probability of success. Still, there are more than a few standout NFL players who were late picks or totally undrafted:

QB Tony Romo - UDFA

QB Tom Brady - 6th round (199th overall)

RB Pierre Thomas - UDFA

RB Willie Parker - UDFA

WR Marques Colston - 7th round (252nd overall)

WR Donald Driver - 7th round (213th overall)

WR Miles Austin - UDFA

TE Antonio Gates - UDFA

Since most of my dynasty leagues have rookie drafts that go 40+ players deep, I'm always on the lookout for bargain bin flyers who might emerge from obscurity to become contributors. One of the players who has gotten my attention this year is Rams TE Fendi Onobun.

Honestly, I didn't even know exactly who Onobun was until the Rams drafted him. His name rang a bell because I loosely follow Pac-10 basketball, but I didn't know his story. He was a high school basketball standout who signed with Arizona as an undersized power forward and saw minimal playing time during a four year career. Rather than pursuing a future in a foreign basketball league, Onobun began concentrating on football in hopes of earning an opportunity in the NFL. He transferred to Houston and played one season of football for the Cougars, catching just 2 passes.

So why is he even worth mentioning?

Because he might be the most athletic TE in the NFL. At 6'5.5" 252 pounds, Onobun put up some staggering workout numbers at his pro day:

http://wildcat.arizona.edu/sports/onobun-s...rkout-1.1290060

40-yard dash: 4.48 seconds

225-pound bench: 16 repetitions

20-yard shuttle: 4.15 seconds

60-yard shuttle: 11.64 seconds

3-cone drill: 6.78 seconds

Broad jump: 11 feet, 1 inch

Vertical jump: 37.5 inches

Purely from a workout numbers standpoint, this guy has the athletic ability of a first round WR trapped in the body of a TE. That's a scary combination.

Of course, we're talking about a guy who has only played one season of organized football since high school. He only caught two passes in college and he's extremely raw. There's a very real chance that he's just a workout warrior who will never learn how to become a productive football player. It's probably the most likely outcome. On the other hand, his athletic skill set is virtually unparalleled and the Rams liked him enough to spend the 170th pick in the draft on him despite his complete and utter lack of experience and production. Considering that he can be had for peanuts in every league, why not scoop him off waivers and see how he develops? The Rams don't have a quality long term starter at TE and the other TE they drafted this year is Michael Hoomanawanui, a pure blocking specialist. Onobun will be given an opportunity to develop and eventually become one of Sam Bradford's most productive targets. As a waiver wire pickup or late round rookie selection, he represents a lot of upside at a dirt cheap cost.

Click to expand...
I don't disagree with your general point, but you left out a couple drills:3 cone drill:

Onobun - 6.78 seconds

Davis - 7.00 seconds

Broad jump:

Onobun - 11'1"

Davis - 10'8"

Fendi is also a bit taller (which might explain the broad jump advantage).

Either way, the guy is a freak athlete from a measurables standpoint. Usually when you see numbers like these from a TE it's someone who's undersized like Dorin Dickerson or Jameson Konz this year. To see a 6'5.5" 250 pound TE running 4.4 and jumping out the gym is extremely rare. That alone won't guarantee any success for Onobun, but when you talk about the low cost involved with acquiring him, the risk/reward equation looks pretty appealing.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
EBF said:
That alone won't guarantee any success for Onobun, but when you talk about the low cost involved with acquiring him, the risk/reward equation looks pretty appealing.
Click to expand...
Well said. When the Rams drafted him, I was initially dubious, but he's turned into one of my favorite late round sleepers. There's very little standing in his way if he shows the ability to develop.
 
http://www.derrich.com/tag/jermichael-finley/

Jermichael Finley, Texas. The perfect example of why you can’t quantify a player’s ability with other drills. Despite a slower 40-yd dash (4.82), he caught every ball thrown to him in the Gauntlet including a David Tyree-like head catch to finish it off. He’s also the youngest tight end in the NFL Combine this year; he left Texas as a Sophomore. If you haven’t watched much Texas football lately, watch any of his YouTube

Click to expand...
Interesting to compare Onobun numbers to Dustin Keller but Fendi is much taller. However, I guess Finley proves once again it is better to be football player first and a workout freak second.
 
lyon812 said:
EBF said:
That alone won't guarantee any success for Onobun, but when you talk about the low cost involved with acquiring him, the risk/reward equation looks pretty appealing.
Click to expand...
Well said. When the Rams drafted him, I was initially dubious, but he's turned into one of my favorite late round sleepers. There's very little standing in his way if he shows the ability to develop.
Click to expand...
Indeed... after hearing him speak in this interview I'm pretty confident he has the right attitude and mentality to succeed. The work ethic, competitiveness, team first mentality and a willingness to get physical all seem to be there. It's difficult to gauge his potential w/ out any actual game film... but there's small pieces of evidence that point to him having what it takes.
 
I found Fendi Onobun entire pro day on you tube.

He looks pretty good catching the ball with his hands near the end of the clip. Good find EBF.

 
He was discussed a bit in the Rams post-draft thread.

Fendi's good hands were what first really jumped out at me. He is clearly a fantastic athlete. The bball conversion is interesting...in the mold of Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. There are some pretty cool bball clips on youtube as well as the football workouts.

I'm pretty stoked to see what he can do.

He gets a bonus point for his cool handle.

 
drafted him in the early 5th a few days ago. Glad you waited to start the hype train :thumbup:

I think I have the 4 most athletic TE's in the game on my roster with Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham, Zach Miller (Jax), and Fendi

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Donnybrook said:
http://www.derrich.com/tag/jermichael-finley/

Jermichael Finley, Texas. The perfect example of why you can’t quantify a player’s ability with other drills. Despite a slower 40-yd dash (4.82), he caught every ball thrown to him in the Gauntlet including a David Tyree-like head catch to finish it off. He’s also the youngest tight end in the NFL Combine this year; he left Texas as a Sophomore. If you haven’t watched much Texas football lately, watch any of his YouTube

Click to expand...
Reminds me of that Parcells quote that was on NFLN about not adjusting the Dolphins draft board based on pro days, combines, etc.
 
Konz will be playing WR for Seattle. Given the logjam on their roster, I find it hard to get excited about him.

As for Fendi, he's by no means a lock for success and I never argued otherwise. The reason I advocated acquiring him is because it's rare to get players with Pro Bowl caliber athletic ability for such a low price. Whether or not he fulfills his potential is another story, but the risk is minimal. Give him a couple seasons to develop and see what happens.

 
Good scouting on Fendi, but using any picks on him might be overpaying at this early stage...especially if dynasty rookie drafters can nab Jimmy Graham with a 4th round pick. Graham has gone as high as a 2nd rd. pick in some drafts (which might be a reach for him). But with Graham you get less of a project (albeit not much less with one year under his belt at UM) with a much better offense and qb. And only for a 3rd or 4 th rd. pick on average. Lastly, his combine results are pretty good too. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dspro...0&genpos=TE

All that said, Fendi easily looks like he's worth a flyer if you can afford to tie up a roster spot for 2 years waiting for him to develop a bit more.

 
EBF said:
Konz will be playing WR for Seattle. Given the logjam on their roster, I find it hard to get excited about him.

As for Fendi, he's by no means a lock for success and I never argued otherwise. The reason I advocated acquiring him is because it's rare to get players with Pro Bowl caliber athletic ability for such a low price. Whether or not he fulfills his potential is another story, but the risk is minimal. Give him a couple seasons to develop and see what happens.
Click to expand...
Yeah, he doesn't fit into all league types. You have a taxi squad, why not? A big part of any rookie TE's prospects on that team is opportunity. Nothing close to a good player to overcome, any TE STL had drafted would have been worth a last round flyer, the fact that this kid has impressive physical traits is gravy.

 
Hoot&HoLLer said:
Good scouting on Fendi, but using any picks on him might be overpaying at this early stage...especially if dynasty rookie drafters can nab Jimmy Graham with a 4th round pick. Graham has gone as high as a 2nd rd. pick in some drafts (which might be a reach for him). But with Graham you get less of a project (albeit not much less with one year under his belt at UM) with a much better offense and qb. And only for a 3rd or 4 th rd. pick on average. Lastly, his combine results are pretty good too. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dspro...0&genpos=TE

All that said, Fendi easily looks like he's worth a flyer if you can afford to tie up a roster spot for 2 years waiting for him to develop a bit more.
Click to expand...
I like Graham a lot as well, but his price tag is considerably higher. He went in the late 2nd-early 3rd in my rookie drafts, whereas Onobun was never drafted.
 
Hoot&HoLLer said:
Good scouting on Fendi, but using any picks on him might be overpaying at this early stage...especially if dynasty rookie drafters can nab Jimmy Graham with a 4th round pick. Graham has gone as high as a 2nd rd. pick in some drafts (which might be a reach for him). But with Graham you get less of a project (albeit not much less with one year under his belt at UM) with a much better offense and qb. And only for a 3rd or 4 th rd. pick on average. Lastly, his combine results are pretty good too. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dspro...0&genpos=TE

All that said, Fendi easily looks like he's worth a flyer if you can afford to tie up a roster spot for 2 years waiting for him to develop a bit more.
Click to expand...
:wub: That's a big "if". This guy can be had next offseason or maybe even the one after before he gets a real shot.

 
Bri said:
jai lewis NY Giants few years back. This isn't so uncommon
Click to expand...
Not parallel situations at all.Lewis went undrafted whereas Onobun was the first pick in the 6th round.Having followed the draft for a few years, I've come to appreciate how hard it is for a player to even get drafted at all. The fact that the Rams were willing to invest a pick in Onobun distinguishes him from the likes of Jai Lewis.
 
EBF said:
Bri said:
jai lewis NY Giants few years back. This isn't so uncommon
Click to expand...
Not parallel situations at all.Lewis went undrafted whereas Onobun was the first pick in the 6th round.Having followed the draft for a few years, I've come to appreciate how hard it is for a player to even get drafted at all. The fact that the Rams were willing to invest a pick in Onobun distinguishes him from the likes of Jai Lewis.
Click to expand...
According to your list, it doesnt distinguish him too much.
QB Tony Romo - UDFAQB Tom Brady - 6th round (199th overall)RB Pierre Thomas - UDFARB Willie Parker - UDFAWR Marques Colston - 7th round (252nd overall)WR Donald Driver - 7th round (213th overall)WR Miles Austin - UDFATE Antonio Gates - UDFA
Click to expand...
 
After picking him up with the 5.04 in a rookie draft this week, I officially own Onobun in all seven of my PPR money dynasty leagues. I have been tracking the news blurbs about him throughout camp and they've been pretty positive. He has made some standout plays and most sources seem to agree that he's ahead of where the Rams thought he would be.

The Rams are in a bit of a pickle at the TE spot because both Onobun and fifth round pick Michael Hoomanawanui are having good camps. This means that either Billy Bajema or Daniel Fells is likely to be cut. Onobun will likely open the season at the bottom of the depth chart, but don't be fooled. He's easily the most athletic TE on the roster and is definitely the guy to target for dynasty FF purposes.

He's still on waivers in a lot of the dynasty leagues I've looked at, so I thought I'd give this thread a bump. He could be a real gem for teams that need a long term TE prospect and should be rostered in most dynasty leagues that require a starting TE. The bust factor is high with Onobun, but you're not going to find a TE with top 10 upside sitting on waivers very often. If this guy was a WR or RB there would be all kinds of buzz about him, but because he's a TE there's nada.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
EBF said:
After picking him up with the 5.04 in a rookie draft this week, I officially own Onobun in all seven of my PPR money dynasty leagues. I have been tracking the news blurbs about him throughout camp and they've been pretty positive. He has made some standout plays and most sources seem to agree that he's ahead of where the Rams thought he would be. The Rams are in a bit of a pickle at the TE spot because both Onobun and fifth round pick Michael Hoomanawanui are having good camps. This means that either Billy Bajema or Daniel Fells is likely to be cut. Onobun will likely open the season at the bottom of the depth chart, but don't be fooled. He's easily the most athletic TE on the roster and is definitely the guy to target for dynasty FF purposes. He's still on waivers in a lot of the dynasty leagues I've looked at, so I thought I'd give this thread a bump. He could be a real gem for teams that need a long term TE prospect and should be rostered in most dynasty leagues that require a starting TE. The bust factor is high with Onobun, but you're not going to find a TE with top 10 upside sitting on waivers very often. If this guy was a WR or RB there would be all kinds of buzz about him, but because he's a TE there's nada.
Click to expand...
Shame that his 33-yard catch in this week's game (which should've been a 35-yard TD, but the play was unreviewable) didn't make it into any highlights. It was damn impressive. Also made a couple of tackles in special teams. He's still raw, naturally, but his pure talent is phenomenal. Agree that either Bajema or Fells likely won't make it. Depends if the team wants to keep a pure blocker (Bajema) or a less consistent jack-of-all-trades (Fells).
 
Sebowski said:
Hoot&HoLLer said:
Good scouting on Fendi, but using any picks on him might be overpaying at this early stage...especially if dynasty rookie drafters can nab Jimmy Graham with a 4th round pick. Graham has gone as high as a 2nd rd. pick in some drafts (which might be a reach for him). But with Graham you get less of a project (albeit not much less with one year under his belt at UM) with a much better offense and qb. And only for a 3rd or 4 th rd. pick on average. Lastly, his combine results are pretty good too. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dspro...0&genpos=TE

All that said, Fendi easily looks like he's worth a flyer if you can afford to tie up a roster spot for 2 years waiting for him to develop a bit more.
Click to expand...
:shrug: That's a big "if". This guy can be had next offseason or maybe even the one after before he gets a real shot.
Click to expand...
I agree with this, I think at this point he's still dynasty waiver wire fodder. He's still got a long way to go, and even though there's not much in front of him, he's still unlikely to get much/any playing time imo. Because of this, chances are he won't get picked up over the next year or two, so you can use a roster spot now on a player who is closer to playing time, and then pick up Fendi sometime down the road. I also think there's a good chance that if he is owned, he'll get dropped sometime over the next year or two as they grow impatient, so you could pick him up then. At this point I'd rather have Michael Hoomanawanui. He played really well last preseason game, Bradford seemed look his way somewhat often, particularly in the redzone.

 
Glaven said:
Sebowski said:
Hoot&HoLLer said:
Good scouting on Fendi, but using any picks on him might be overpaying at this early stage...especially if dynasty rookie drafters can nab Jimmy Graham with a 4th round pick. Graham has gone as high as a 2nd rd. pick in some drafts (which might be a reach for him). But with Graham you get less of a project (albeit not much less with one year under his belt at UM) with a much better offense and qb. And only for a 3rd or 4 th rd. pick on average. Lastly, his combine results are pretty good too. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dspro...0&genpos=TE

All that said, Fendi easily looks like he's worth a flyer if you can afford to tie up a roster spot for 2 years waiting for him to develop a bit more.
Click to expand...
:shrug: That's a big "if". This guy can be had next offseason or maybe even the one after before he gets a real shot.
Click to expand...
I agree with this, I think at this point he's still dynasty waiver wire fodder. He's still got a long way to go, and even though there's not much in front of him, he's still unlikely to get much/any playing time imo. Because of this, chances are he won't get picked up over the next year or two, so you can use a roster spot now on a player who is closer to playing time, and then pick up Fendi sometime down the road. I also think there's a good chance that if he is owned, he'll get dropped sometime over the next year or two as they grow impatient, so you could pick him up then. At this point I'd rather have Michael Hoomanawanui. He played really well last preseason game, Bradford seemed look his way somewhat often, particularly in the redzone.
Click to expand...
Gotta politely disagree here. Of course whether or not you should roster him depends a little bit on your roster size, but this is the kind of player you should stash right now if you have room and you believe that he's a compelling gamble. If you leave him out there hanging around waivers for your leaguemates, he'll be snapped up after his first big game or possibly sooner. Then you'll be stuck with air. The point I'm trying to make with this thread is that we're not dealing with an average 6th round TE prospect. This is a guy who has phenomenal physical ability and it's a minor miracle that he was drafted so high considering his complete lack of a track record. On ability alone he's probably a 1st-3rd rounder, so he should be rostered along with guys like Moeaki/Graham/Hernandez.

I disagree about ranking Hoomanawanui ahead of him. IMO that's a bit short-sighted as Onobun is a vastly superior physical specimen. Hoowa is the kind of guy whose upside is most likely as a FF TE2 in the mold of a Bo Scaife type of scorer whereas Onobun has the potential to be up there with the Finley/Winslow/Davis crowd. It may be unlikely, but that's his upside. Not many guys in the league have this much potential and virtually none of those who do are floating around waivers in most leagues. I say snap him up now.

There's not much in his path to the starting job. They might even throw him to the wolves in the second half of this season if his blocking develops adequately because they'll have nothing to lose.

 
EBF said:
Glaven said:
Sebowski said:
Hoot&HoLLer said:
Good scouting on Fendi, but using any picks on him might be overpaying at this early stage...especially if dynasty rookie drafters can nab Jimmy Graham with a 4th round pick. Graham has gone as high as a 2nd rd. pick in some drafts (which might be a reach for him). But with Graham you get less of a project (albeit not much less with one year under his belt at UM) with a much better offense and qb. And only for a 3rd or 4 th rd. pick on average. Lastly, his combine results are pretty good too. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dspro...0&genpos=TE

All that said, Fendi easily looks like he's worth a flyer if you can afford to tie up a roster spot for 2 years waiting for him to develop a bit more.
Click to expand...
:shrug: That's a big "if". This guy can be had next offseason or maybe even the one after before he gets a real shot.
Click to expand...
I agree with this, I think at this point he's still dynasty waiver wire fodder. He's still got a long way to go, and even though there's not much in front of him, he's still unlikely to get much/any playing time imo. Because of this, chances are he won't get picked up over the next year or two, so you can use a roster spot now on a player who is closer to playing time, and then pick up Fendi sometime down the road. I also think there's a good chance that if he is owned, he'll get dropped sometime over the next year or two as they grow impatient, so you could pick him up then. At this point I'd rather have Michael Hoomanawanui. He played really well last preseason game, Bradford seemed look his way somewhat often, particularly in the redzone.
Click to expand...
Gotta politely disagree here. Of course whether or not you should roster him depends a little bit on your roster size, but this is the kind of player you should stash right now if you have room and you believe that he's a compelling gamble. If you leave him out there hanging around waivers for your leaguemates, he'll be snapped up after his first big game or possibly sooner. Then you'll be stuck with air. The point I'm trying to make with this thread is that we're not dealing with an average 6th round TE prospect. This is a guy who has phenomenal physical ability and it's a minor miracle that he was drafted so high considering his complete lack of a track record. On ability alone he's probably a 1st-3rd rounder, so he should be rostered along with guys like Moeaki/Graham/Hernandez.

I disagree about ranking Hoomanawanui ahead of him. IMO that's a bit short-sighted as Onobun is a vastly superior physical specimen. Hoowa is the kind of guy whose upside is most likely as a FF TE2 in the mold of a Bo Scaife type of scorer whereas Onobun has the potential to be up there with the Finley/Winslow/Davis crowd. It may be unlikely, but that's his upside. Not many guys in the league have this much potential and virtually none of those who do are floating around waivers in most leagues. I say snap him up now.

There's not much in his path to the starting job. They might even throw him to the wolves in the second half of this season if his blocking develops adequately because they'll have nothing to lose.
Click to expand...
The thing is, I think you can leave him on waivers and still pick him up in weeks/years time before his first big game. Granted, as you mentioned it depends a lot on roster size, but I think he's so far under the radar that in all but in leagues with the largest of rosters you'll be able to get him later on when he's closer to legitimate playing time. My personal opinion is that the chance that Onobun fails is greater than the chance that he succeeds. By waiting until you hear that he's been very good in practice and that he's improved to the point that he will get considerable playing time you get the best of both worlds. The only problem is there is a risk that someone else scoops him up first. I think he's so far under the radar that that risk isn't very large at this point.

 
EBF said:
this is the kind of player you should stash right now if you have room and you believe that he's a compelling gamble. If you leave him out there hanging around waivers for your leaguemates, he'll be snapped up after his first big game or possibly sooner. Then you'll be stuck with air.
Click to expand...
:shrug: Onobun has massive upside and that is exactly what I want stashed at the end of my dynasty roster.
 
had to drop, he's at least a year away and Hoomanawui already seems to be running away with the job. Just couldn't hold the room for a project TE who could be a TE2 for the next 3 years

 
loose circuits said:
had to drop, he's at least a year away and Hoomanawui already seems to be running away with the job. Just couldn't hold the room for a project TE who could be a TE2 for the next 3 years
Click to expand...
I'm hoping he gets dropped in a couple of dynasty leagues I'm in son I can scoop him up
 
loose circuits said:
had to drop, he's at least a year away and Hoomanawui already seems to be running away with the job. Just couldn't hold the room for a project TE who could be a TE2 for the next 3 years
Click to expand...
I remember Finley being dropped in several leagues for this very reason. Some owners did not want to be patient and hold.
 
Sebowski said:
Hoot&HoLLer said:
Good scouting on Fendi, but using any picks on him might be overpaying at this early stage...especially if dynasty rookie drafters can nab Jimmy Graham with a 4th round pick. Graham has gone as high as a 2nd rd. pick in some drafts (which might be a reach for him). But with Graham you get less of a project (albeit not much less with one year under his belt at UM) with a much better offense and qb. And only for a 3rd or 4 th rd. pick on average. Lastly, his combine results are pretty good too. http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dspro...0&genpos=TE

All that said, Fendi easily looks like he's worth a flyer if you can afford to tie up a roster spot for 2 years waiting for him to develop a bit more.
Click to expand...
:goodposting: That's a big "if". This guy can be had next offseason or maybe even the one after before he gets a real shot.
Click to expand...
Sure about that? :boxing:
 
Anthony Borbely said:
loose circuits said:
had to drop, he's at least a year away and Hoomanawui already seems to be running away with the job. Just couldn't hold the room for a project TE who could be a TE2 for the next 3 years
Click to expand...
I remember Finley being dropped in several leagues for this very reason. Some owners did not want to be patient and hold.
Click to expand...
This is one of the most difficult parts of dynasty FF - deciding on those end of the roster guys. For every Finley and Miles Austin, you get four Dwayne Jarrets. I swear, Jarret must have been on almost every roster in some of my leagues this spring and summer. Nobody wants to keep him, but as soon as he hits the wire, someone else grabs him and drops some other end of roster guy. Austin and Finley were like that in most of my leagues - bounced around, dropped/picked up, added to the end of trades, etc. In fact, what I don't remember seeing is someone grabbing Austin in early 08 and just continue to hold him until he broke out last year.Like many other owners, I had both Finley and Austin on multiple rosters at one time or another before they broke out - in the end, I managed to hold onto them in one league each (basically just luck that they hit when I had them). It pains me to think that in other leagues, I likely dropped them for fill-in / injury pickups like Kenneth Darby, or flavors of the week like Kevin Walter, Randle El, etc. But that's Fantasy Football. I just dropped Craig Davis in a league to grab Hoomanawui because I need the TE. Do I hate that move in a year, or love it? Or will it be indifferent... so hard to tell.

 
4. Another key drive-extending play for the Rams came on a fourth-and-2 late in the fourth quarter. On the play, the Rams lined up with three players on the right side of the formation, against four Patriots defenders. LB Tyrone McKenzie shadowed the running back coming out of the backfield, while CB Jonathan Wilhite covered a crossing pattern by WR Jordan Kent. That presumably left both OLB Marques Murrell and safety Sergio Brown on the tight end, Onobun, who ran a short route in the flat. However, Murrell released Fendi Onobun outside and made a late attempt to rush the passer, while Brown bit on Kent’s crossing pattern. That left Onobun wide open to make the catch, and left the safety, Brown, out of position as the last line of defense. Onobun gained 33 yards and set up a touchdown run.
Click to expand...
http://www.espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-eng...post?id=4682310
 
loose circuits said:
had to drop, he's at least a year away and Hoomanawui already seems to be running away with the job. Just couldn't hold the room for a project TE who could be a TE2 for the next 3 years
Click to expand...
It always puzzles me when people know that a player is a long term project and still let themselves by swayed by short term results. You shouldn't roster a guy like Onobun if you're going to drop him before you even know what you have.Hoomanawanui is clearly ahead of him on the depth chart right now. Long term, I don't expect that to necessarily be the case. Hoowa played his whole collegiate career at TE and still only managed to become a 5th round pick. Onobun has only played one season of football since high school and still somehow managed to become a 6th round pick. Athletically there is no comparison between them.

Michael Hoomanawanui

6'3.5" 263 lbs

40 - 4.75 seconds

vertical leap - 32.5"

20 yard shuttle - 4.52 seconds

three cone - 7 seconds

Fendi Onobun

6'5.5" 252 pounds

40 - 4.48 seconds

vertical leap - 37.5"

20 yard shuttle - 4.15 seconds

three cone - 6.78 seconds

broad jump - 11'1"

Combine numbers don't prove that one player is better than another, but in a dynasty league when you're talking about two guys who were drafted within a round of one another, I'm going to take the 6'6" freak of nature with WR speed and explosiveness over the modestly gifted blocking TE who only caught 40 passes in a four year college career.

 
EBF said:
loose circuits said:
had to drop, he's at least a year away and Hoomanawui already seems to be running away with the job. Just couldn't hold the room for a project TE who could be a TE2 for the next 3 years
Click to expand...
It always puzzles me when people know that a player is a long term project and still let themselves by swayed by short term results. You shouldn't roster a guy like Onobun if you're going to drop him before you even know what you have.Hoomanawanui is clearly ahead of him on the depth chart right now. Long term, I don't expect that to necessarily be the case. Hoowa played his whole collegiate career at TE and still only managed to become a 5th round pick. Onobun has only played one season of football since high school and still somehow managed to become a 6th round pick. Athletically there is no comparison between them.

Michael Hoomanawanui

6'3.5" 263 lbs

40 - 4.75 seconds

vertical leap - 32.5"

20 yard shuttle - 4.52 seconds

three cone - 7 seconds

Fendi Onobun

6'5.5" 252 pounds

40 - 4.48 seconds

vertical leap - 37.5"

20 yard shuttle - 4.15 seconds

three cone - 6.78 seconds

broad jump - 11'1"

Combine numbers don't prove that one player is better than another, but in a dynasty league when you're talking about two guys who were drafted within a round of one another, I'm going to take the 6'6" freak of nature with WR speed and explosiveness over the modestly gifted blocking TE who only caught 40 passes in a four year college career.
Click to expand...
:tinfoilhat: EBF you have been right this entire thread. I struggled to keep Fendi on my roster, but how do you drop this types of talent if you were willing to pick him up in the first place. Thanks for the reminder that you have to stay commited to talent.....btw..I picked up Graham for the exact same reason (rebuilding team)

 
So the Rams decided to keep 4 TEs and Fendi made the final 53 man roster. Pretty impressive for a guy who hadn't played football since 7th grade prior to last season. If you play in a TE required dynasty league and he's still out there on waivers, consider making a move. I would rank him in the TE20-30 range because his upside is so high. He will cost you a lot less than a Gronkowski/Graham/Hernandez/Cook, but his long term ceiling is comparable, if not better.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

kupcho1
  • Poll Poll
Eight Steelers Nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026
Replies
4
Views
443
timschochet
timschochet
BobbyLayne
** Lions at Packers** (-2.5, 47.5) CBS 4:25
2 3 4
Replies
172
Views
5K
Gjallarhorn
Gjallarhorn
T
Travdogg's positional rankings from week 8 onward
Replies
25
Views
3K
travdogg
T

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top