JohnnyU 3,935 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 I guess Saban convinced him that his breakout recently will continue through next year and better position him in the draft. Watch that backfire and he is seldom used again in 2016. Alabama junior TE O.J. Howard will return to school.We assume that HC Nick Saban and OC Lane Kiffin have promised Howard a far greater role in the offense after illogically ignoring him in the passing game over the past few seasons. The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder went off for five catches, 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the National Championship Game against Clemson, perhaps an appetizer of what we'll see in the fall. Rotoworld's Josh Norris had ranked Howard as the No. 23 overall draft prospect, writing: "The tight end can get open in the intermediate level with athleticism and body positioning, but what stood out was his yards after catch capability. He has plenty of straight line speed which will be maximized by accurate passes." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mikel2014 134 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 That's disappointing. He's a guy I would have loved to have on my teams. With him staying in school I think there's a good chance he's an NFL 1st rounder in 2017. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
menobrown 3,725 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 And I thought Ingram, Howard and Henry were going to make this a really sweet TE class. I hate when players make dumb decisions like this. It's like when you watch one of those movies where a person finds a few millions dollars and gives it up or walks away from it. I'm frustrated for them and just think it's selfish coaches taking advantage of these young men. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
menobrown 3,725 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 That's disappointing. He's a guy I would have loved to have on my teams. With him staying in school I think there's a good chance he's an NFL 1st rounder in 2017.He had a chance in 2016. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bicycle_seat_sniffer 5,109 Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Stupid Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gandalf 520 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Stupid+2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ConnSKINS26 5,718 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Saban is a freaking genius. Targets the hell out of him in the championship game and then says he should have featured Howard like that all season, it was bad coaching, etc. Pulled him right back in with the implied promise of a huge season next year to raise his draft stock...which isn't super realistic because he was already going to be the #1 TE and probably a late 1st round pick. TE's don't get drafted much higher than that most years and next year will have a ton more competition at the position. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
menobrown 3,725 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 ..which isn't super realistic because he was already going to be the #1 TE and probably a late 1st round pick. TE's don't get drafted much higher than that most years and next year will have a ton more competition at the position. We'll never know but I don't agree with most of that sentence. Hunter Henry would have provided him competition for the #1 TE this year and Henry could grade higher than any TE Howard will be up against next season.But both of them, Howard and Henry, could have both had shots at going in the first round so that's not a knock on Howard, just saying Henry is also very highly regarded.Like I said earlier in this thread, for awhile now I assumed this draft class was going to have 3 really nice TE prospects, all from the SEC. Two returned and I think it's a major mistake for both, but more so for Howard. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
flapgreen 5,934 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Saban and Kiffin only care about winning Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imjackdupp 119 Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Saban and Kiffin only care about winningIsn't that what they get paid for? I do think its a bad decision on his part but if I were a coach I would do everything I could to talk these guys into staying in school. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 O.J. Howard late in showing he's a big-time prospect Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 O.J. Howard stands out in star-studded national title game Quote Link to post Share on other sites
flapgreen 5,934 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Saban and Kiffin only care about winningIsn't that what they get paid for? I do think its a bad decision on his part but if I were a coach I would do everything I could to talk these guys into staying in school. True, but you would hope they would be looking our for the best interests of their players. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gump 2,043 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Who knows his draft grade? Draft projections by people like Rotoworld don't mean anything.Saban gets that, and talks directly to NFL Head Coaches and shares their feedback with the player and his family.Jonathan Allen has been mocked in the mid-1st, but apparently his official draft grade was 2nd round and NFL coaches shared if he showed more on field he could be top 10. So he returned.Reggie Ragland just made himself $15-$20M by returning for his senior year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
massraider 10,856 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 He was ranked by draftniks as a 3rd rounder three weeks ago.No one knew where he was 'probably' going to be drafted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
menobrown 3,725 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 He was ranked by draftniks as a 3rd rounder three weeks ago.No one knew where he was 'probably' going to be drafted. I consider a draftnik to be someone who never worked in an NFL front office, has never been an NFL scout. A Mel Kiper type. Fun to read but I put zero stock in them.Only one I read was Rotoworld and that was before the bowl season and they had Howard rated as the #1 TE, which again I put little stock in but even before he blew up there people high on him.What I do listen to and put stock in is ex-scouts and GM's, not all of them but they are one's I tend to put more trust in their opinions. One I trust felt that after the bowl games he was a first round pick and that is Daniel Jeremiah. He is enamored with him, said he's already a big time run blocker in addition to what he showed everyone he offers in the passing game. He felt he'd be a first round pick and he even addressed the lack of production as not a big deal to NFL teams as they realize college TE production does not usually translate. He specifically mentioned guys like Graham and Gates who had little to zero college production.So no we don't know for sure where he would have been drafted but I'll continue to insist he'd be competing with Henry for first TE off the board and both would have gone in round one. I just hate I don't get a chance to be proven right or wrong but more than anything I truly think he is being taken advantage off by Saban/Kiffin and is making a poor choice. Even if staying in school gets him picked higher he's not getting that lost year of no income back and that's a whole another year he has to wait until what is usually a more lucrative second contract if he's any good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) Hopefully he picked up a good insurance policy to offset the injury risk that he is taking in playing one more college football season. I would be curious to hear what grade he received from the NFL Draft Advisory Board as that could have factored into the decision making process. Edited January 20, 2016 by Faust Quote Link to post Share on other sites
massraider 10,856 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Saban and Kiffin only care about winningIsn't that what they get paid for? I do think its a bad decision on his part but if I were a coach I would do everything I could to talk these guys into staying in school. True, but you would hope they would be looking our for the best interests of their players. The coaches should be telling players to leave school? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ditkaless Wonders 16,250 Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 All I know is that I found it inexplicable that he could perform as well as he did in the National Championship game and have so little production during the season. I was wondering whether he was a one day wonder, or a guy who could fill a huge void in Green Bay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 O.J. Howard giving Alabama one last shot to make the most of him Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gump 2,043 Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 All I know is that I found it inexplicable that he could perform as well as he did in the National Championship game and have so little production during the season. I was wondering whether he was a one day wonder, or a guy who could fill a huge void in Green Bay.Alabama fans have wondered the same thing...loudly. But as much success as Kiffin has had, he's got tunnel vision. You can look thru his history and find a stud or two every year that he feeds heavily. Henry and Ridley were those studs this year.Two things of note:1) The OL struggled the first 3/4 of the year...so Howard was important as a blocker in run and pass protection. The OL should be better in '16.2) The #1 WR was hurt in Week 3 in '15...Robert Foster. He'll return in '16. As will Ridley and Stewart. With a new (most likely Freshman) QB. The slot WR graduates. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 Quote Alabama senior TE O.J. Howard ran a 4.65 forty during Alabama's spring testing. He added a 365-pound clean, 425-pound bench, 500-pound squat and 9-foot-11 broad jump. All marks were exceptional, with the clean tied for best on the Tide and the bench tied for best in the non-linemen category. Source: AL.com May 16 - 9:54 PM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 O.J. Howard hopes for more chances to star at Alabama Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted July 12, 2016 Share Posted July 12, 2016 First Look: Scouting Alabama TE O.J. Howard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gump 2,043 Posted July 14, 2016 Share Posted July 14, 2016 OJ's getting some attention from the press, and Saban is pretty direct about wanted to see more out of him game-planning: http://alabama.247sports.com/Article/Alabama-Crimson-Tide-coach-Nick-Saban-TE-OJ-Howard-should-be-dev-46237375 “I think he’s definitely someone who is a threat and should be developed as a threat in our offense and should be used as such and would certainly like to do that,” Saban said of Howard when he spoke at SEC Media Days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Top NFL Draft Prospects: O.J. Howard too big and fast to fail for Crimson Tide Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted October 1, 2016 Share Posted October 1, 2016 Quote In NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah's straw poll, five-of-five queried executives chose Alabama senior TE O.J. Howard over Michigan's Jake Butt. "Howard is the better prospect," the first said. "He's faster and a bigger playmaker. However, Butt is a better blocker and he catches the ball more consistently." Another comped Butt to Jason Witten but sided with Howard anyway. A third chose Howard because he "gives your offense more mismatch opportunities because of his athleticism." The fourth said Howard is "a better blocker and he plays much faster" and the fifth said he "would take a chance on the skill set of Howard over the steadiness of Butt." Source: NFL.com Sep 30 - 8:32 PM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Scout compares Alabama's O.J. Howard to Jimmy Graham Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Quote Alabama senior TE O.J. Howard caught four passes for 106 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 35-31 loss to Clemson in the National Championship Game. Howard went off against Clemson last year, too, scoring a pair of touchdowns on blown coverages. The 6-foot-6, 251-pounder's touchdown on Monday came on (what else?) a blown coverage, as he sprinted down the left sideline and caught the ball in stride for a wide open 68-yard score near the end of the third quarter. During his Alabama career, Howard was woefully underutilized at times. That is no fault of his, though, and he has all the athletic talent to land as a first-round pick in this spring's draft. An AFC area scout recently comped him to Jimmy Graham. Jan 10 - 12:55 AM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hankmoody 3,755 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 On 1/5/2017 at 3:31 PM, Faust said: Scout compares Alabama's O.J. Howard to Jimmy Graham My only concern is that he's "too good" a blocker. Interesting they compare him to Graham here, because that's the model I want - a guy that catches the ball and can't block a lick. Nothing sucks worse than being down 3 Monday night and your TE's team is in the red zone - and Romo drops back, looks over the field, and Jason Witten is ... pass blocking. Gimmie Graham, Gates, Gronkowski - guys whose blocking is functional at best in the run game but that teams wouldn't dream of keeping in to help pick up a blitz, and would rather beat that blitz with a hot read to said TE. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ConnSKINS26 5,718 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Gronk is one of the best blocking TE's in recent memory, so that's probably not your best example. I get and generally agree with what you're saying though. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigTex 859 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 STUD!!!! Tex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
petekrum 369 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 The next great NFL tight end. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rhythmdoctor 1,463 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 8 hours ago, Hankmoody said: My only concern is that he's "too good" a blocker. Interesting they compare him to Graham here, because that's the model I want - a guy that catches the ball and can't block a lick. Nothing sucks worse than being down 3 Monday night and your TE's team is in the red zone - and Romo drops back, looks over the field, and Jason Witten is ... pass blocking. Gimmie Graham, Gates, Gronkowski - guys whose blocking is functional at best in the run game but that teams wouldn't dream of keeping in to help pick up a blitz, and would rather beat that blitz with a hot read to said TE. Um, Gronk is an exceptional blocker AND an exceptional receiver. That combination is what makes him a HOF TE. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FUBAR 3,203 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 1 hour ago, Rhythmdoctor said: Um, Gronk is an exceptional blocker AND an exceptional receiver. That combination is what makes him a HOF TE. True, though Gronk might be HOF worthy without blocking. Reminds me of Gonzo - before Gronk probably the best all around TE. But damn it was frustrating when he was kept in to protect green. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 Alabama TE O.J. Howard accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. In so doing, he becomes arguably the best prospect to participate in this year's event. Howard joins teammates Ryan Anderson, Dalvin Tomlinson and Cole Mazza in Mobile. A potential first-rounder, Howard had 45 receptions for 595 yards and three touchdowns this past season. An AFC area scout comped him to Jimmy Graham earlier this month. Source: Senior Bowl Jan 16 - 1:43 PM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Ask 5: What's best NFL comp for Alabama TE O.J. Howard? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Yenrub 774 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I was hoping this guy would fall to the Giants but I don't think he will be on the board at #23 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 6 minutes ago, Yenrub said: I was hoping this guy would fall to the Giants but I don't think he will be on the board at #23 I agree with this statement - his draft stock appears to be rising this week and I expect that he will test well at the NFL combine. Move The Sticks Senior Bowl notebook: TE Howard star of Day 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bicycle_seat_sniffer 5,109 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I know it early...but do we think he is a top 10 rookie dyno pick?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grahamburn 1,988 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 He certainly looks the part. If I'm drafting for Tampa he's on the radar at #19 assuming Mike Williams and Corey Davis are gone. I doubt he makes it out of the top 20. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
menobrown 3,725 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 7 minutes ago, bicycle_seat_sniffer said: I know it early...but do we think he is a top 10 rookie dyno pick?? I think so and and can see him hovering closer to 5-7 range in TE premium leagues. RB depth could push him back especially combined with TE depth which might have a lot of owners thinking they can address TE later. You also have a lot of fantasy owners who don't like investing high picks in rookie TE's but even that going against him I still think he's top 10. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 NFL evaluators feel O.J. Howard was 'underutilized' at Alabama Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gump 2,043 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 On 1/18/2016 at 4:00 PM, JohnnyU said: I guess Saban convinced him that his breakout recently will continue through next year and better position him in the draft. Watch that backfire and he is seldom used again in 2016. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigTex 859 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 11 hours ago, menobrown said: I think so and and can see him hovering closer to 5-7 range in TE premium leagues. RB depth could push him back especially combined with TE depth which might have a lot of owners thinking they can address TE later. You also have a lot of fantasy owners who don't like investing high picks in rookie TE's but even that going against him I still think he's top 10. From someone who has multiple picks in the draft this is what I'm praying for. I'm hoping that everyone will be grabbing RBs, WRs, and maybe one QB with Howard and Njoku falling to me! I can dream! Tex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Faust 5,036 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Quote Alabama TE O.J. Howard displayed the skills of a "potential top-10 pick" in Tuesday's Senior Bowl practices, writes Draft Analyst's Tony Pauline. "The Crimson Tide tight end started the day with a one-handed grab on an errant pass and continued his momentum throughout the day, avoiding drops and consistently catching the ball away from his frame," Pauline wrote. "He did a nice job tracking and adjusting to underthrown deep balls, used his speed to get open up the seam for an easy touchdown catch and added another one-handed grab for good measure." The 6-foot-6, 251-pound Howard is one of the three-best prospects at the Senior Bowl. He's been comped to Jimmy Graham. Source: Draft Analyst Jan 25 - 1:15 PM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grahamburn 1,988 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Wow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gandalf 520 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Howard is definitely a 1st and maybe top 5 rookie pick at this point depending on landing spot for everyone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FUBAR 3,203 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 Dammit. I'm sitting at pick 14 and thought I'd have a shot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigTex 859 Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 If you believe you're drafting a young Olsen or Gronk where do you draft him? Tex Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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