An broad look at the TE in this class..

Pack93z

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Another take on the TE's comming out in this draft.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...n/stories/041707dnsponfldraftte.2a5b471.html#

Quick take: Lack of speed has produced a lack of depth at the tight end position. This board is stocked with slow receivers and developmental blockers.

Rk., Player School Ht. Wt.
1. x-Greg Olsen Miami 6-5½ 257
NOTEWORTHY: 4.51 speed in the 40
2. x-Zach Miller Ariz. St. 6-4 256
NOTEWORTHY: 56 catches in 2004
3. Ben Patrick Delaware 6-3 252
NOTEWORTHY: Transfer from Duke
4. Matt Spaeth Minnesota 6-7 270
NOTEWORTHY: Mackey Award winner
5. Scott Chandler Iowa 6-7 270
NOTEWORTHY: 1,467 career receiving yards
6. Martrez Milner Georgia 6-3½ 252
NOTEWORTHY: 16.4-yard career average
7. Daniel Coats BYU 6-2½ 257
NOTEWORTHY: Converted wide receiver
8. Michael Allan Whitworth 6-6 255
NOTEWORTHY: 29 career touchdowns
9. Kevin Boss W. Oregon 6-6½ 252
NOTEWORTHY: 1,590 career receiving yards
10. Clark Harris Rutgers 6-5½ 261
NOTEWORTHY: 5 career 100-yard games
11. Dante Rosario Oregon 6-3 244
NOTEWORTHY: Converted linebacker
12.. Derek Schouman Boise St. 6-2 247
NOTEWORTHY: 47 catches in 2006
13. Anthony Pudewell Nevada 6-4 250
NOTEWORTHY: Four-year starter
14. Brent Celek Cincinnati 6-4 255
NOTEWORTHY: Two-time captain
15. Joe Newton Oregon St. 6-7 257
NOTEWORTHY: 7 touchdowns in 2006
x – Potential first-round picks


Spotlight on: Scott Chandler, Iowa
This wasn't exactly how Scott Chandler mapped out his college career.

After a brilliant senior season at Southlake Carroll – 68 receptions for 1,203 yards and 18 touchdowns at wide receiver on an unbeaten state championship team – he signed up to catch passes for Iowa.

At 6-7, 215 pounds, Chandler expected to be the next Harold Carmichael on the flank. But four football seasons later, Chandler finds himself on NFL draft boards as a 270-pound tight end.

Chandler arrived at Iowa at 225 pounds but played sparingly as a freshman in 2003, failing to catch a pass. Ten days before the start of the 2004 season, the Iowa coaches moved him to tight end, and Chandler bulked up to 235. He caught 24 passes as a backup.

"That wasn't the plan coming out of high school," Chandler said, "but I was going to see a lot more playing time at tight end. I decided that would be best for my future."

Chandler returned in 2005 at 250 pounds and took over as the starter, catching 47 passes. He played at 262 pounds in 2006 and had his best season, catching 46 passes for 591 yards and six touchdowns.

"I've never really felt different," Chandler said. "I just don't look quite as good as I used to look in the mirror anymore."

The best
Greg Olsen, Miami

There are a handful of tight ends in this draft the size of Olsen (6-5½, 257). But there are none with his speed. This is one of the slowest tight end classes in recent years, with Olsen the only prospect who runs under a 4.6. But he's a cut below Jeremy Shockey and Kellen Winslow, who also came out of Miami. Olsen is an elite receiver but a subpar blocker.

Sleeper
Rodney Hannah, Houston

Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Marcus Pollard all played college basketball and all have excelled in the NFL at tight end. Hannah (6-8, 245) played two seasons of basketball at Houston before turning to football in 2006. He had a 16-rebound game against Louisville and a two-touchdown game against Grambling.

Best of Texas
1. Scott Chandler, Iowa

The Southlake Carroll product started two seasons and finished as Iowa's second all-time receiver at the tight end position behind Marv Cook, who played seven seasons in the NFL. Thirty-one of Chandler's 46 catches went for first downs last season, and he averaged 12.8 yards per grab.

Draft projection: 1st day.

2. Justin Carter, Texas College

Draft projection: Late rounds.

Notable
• The hardcourt: Rodney Hannah isn't the only tight end with basketball experience on this draft board. Kevin Boss played two seasons of basketball at Western Oregon and led the Wolves in blocked shots in 2006. In high school he was the starting center on a state championship team in Oregon. Oregon's Dante Rosario started four years in basketball in high school and won two state titles, also in Oregon. Nebraska's Matt Herian was a two-time all-state basketball selection in Nebraska.

• Moving around: Ben Patrick is the most unusual three-year starter on this draft board. His first two seasons as a starter were at Duke and his final year was at Delaware. He won seven games in his three years at Duke before graduating with a degree in African-American studies. He had one final season of eligibility, so he opted to transfer to Delaware. "It was a unique experience at Duke," Patrick said. "But after four years, there were other things I was looking for. I wanted to go somewhere that was rich in football tradition. I felt I had done everything I could at Duke. So I decided it was time to move on and try somewhere else." Patrick led Duke in receiving his final two seasons and also was a captain those two years. He produced the best season by a tight end at Delaware, catching 64 passes for 639 yards and six touchdowns. The Blue Hens were 5-6 in 2006.

• Iron men: Three tight ends in this draft were four-year starters: Kevin Boss of Western Oregon, Anthony Pudewell of Nevada and Matt Spaeth of Minnesota. Spaeth was a two-time All-Big Ten and a three-time academic All-Big Ten player.

• Dependable hands: There may not be an abundance of speed on this draft board, but there are plenty of reliable hands. Zach Miller set the Arizona State receiving record for tight ends with 144 career catches, 1,512 yards and 14 touchdowns. Matt Spaeth of Minnesota and Brent Celek of Cincinnati also enter the NFL as their school's all-time leading pass catchers at the tight end position. Here's a list of the top tight end receivers in this draft:


Tight end, school Rec.
Zach Miller, Arizona St. 144
Clark Harris, Rutgers 143
Ben Patrick, Delaware 143
Kevin Boss, Western Ore. 134
Jonny Harline, BYU 121
Michael Allan, Whitworth 118
Scott Chandler, Iowa 117
Matt Spaeth, Minnesota 109
Joe Newton, Oregon St. 105

• The lonesome end: You might say Clark Harris was making up for lost time with his collegiate pass-catching feats. He played on a predominantly running team in high school in Manahawkin, N.J., catching only 13 passes in three seasons before enrolling at Rutgers. "It was nice to move on and catch some passes," Harris said. "Hopefully I can move on and catch some more."

• Sure thing: Martrez Milner would appear to be one of the safest bets on this draft board. He played tight end at Georgia, which has produced four NFL tight ends since 1999: Jermaine Wiggins (1999), Randy McMichael (2002), Benjamin Watson (2004) and Leonard Pope (2006). All started in the NFL last season.

• Family ties: Buffalo tight end Chad Upshaw is the son of former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Willie Upshaw and the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw. "I take a lot of pride in my name and what people who came before me have accomplished," Chad Upshaw said. Matt Spaeth is the son of Ken Spaeth, who played tight end at Nebraska and was a fifth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1978.

• On a roll: Clark Harris caught passes in 38 consecutive games at Rutgers, the third-longest streak in Big East history. Scott Chandler caught passes in his final 29 games at Iowa and Jake Nordin his final 21 games at Northern Illinois.

• Deep threat: The NFL covets tight ends who can stretch the deep middle in the passing game, and few stretched it in college the way Nebraska's Matt Herian did. He averaged 19.1 yards per catch in his career with receptions of 80 yards vs. Colorado, 77 vs. Troy, 68 vs. Texas, 58 vs. Colorado and 41 vs. Ole Miss.

• Multisport star: Joe Newton set an Oregon State record for tight ends with 15 career touchdown receptions. In high school in Oregon, he won the state discus championship as a senior with a throw of 178 feet, 10 inches. He also was all-state in basketball and football and had his football jersey No. 87 retired by his school (Roseburg).
 

retiredgrampa

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Great post, Pack93z. From the looks of it, there are quite a few in that group that are upgrades over what we have. Frankly, I'd sign two of them and let them sort it out in camp. Some will be UFA's, no doubt. But I'll bet that there's gold there somewhere. I look at our TEs and shudder.
 
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Pack93z

Pack93z

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That what I thought in this class, there aren't any elite TE's but there is a bunch of solid players comming out. A couple of them have some size and decent hands to help in the red zone. Bubba on one side and some one like Miller, Patrick or Chandler on the other.
 

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