Mid-Season Stock Watch: 2010 NFL Draft Tight Ends

sffanmike25

Bench Warmer
Early look at 2010 Tight Ends
A group that was supposed to be absolutely stacked for this upcoming draft is now just an above average group with question marks.

Stock has gone up:

Dennis Pitta, BYU: Has put up good numbers against the good OOC schedule that BYU put together. His numbers will be a bit inflated in conference play, but overall has moved his stock up as an every game pass catching TE. Pitta will probably top 1000 yards again receiving this year.

Ed Dickson, Oregon: Has shown consistency and good hands for the first month of the year. Originally ranked in the lower half of the top 5 TE’s in the nation, he’s pushing his way up the list. With Massoli being such a hot and cold QB in terms of efficiency, Dickson’s numbers go all over the place. However, he’s a well-balanced player that should get the job done.

Stock has gone down:

Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma: After a somewhat puzzling move to come back to school instead of the NFL Draft, he proceeds to tear up his knee within the first week of the season. A highly athletic TE close to the style of Antonio Gates and Kellen Winslow Jr, he’ll have to rehab the knee diligently to get his burst back for the pro game. He has stated he is going to the draft this year, so he learned his lesson a week late. Will still likely be the first TE taken, but unlikely as high as he would have gone last April, so the stock remains down.

Rob Gronkowski, Arizona (JR*): A physical TE in the form of Jeremy Shockey. Originally, “Gronk” was going to fight it out with Gresham for the top TE spot. However, during the summer he injured his back lifting weights. That required surgery, ending his season before it started. It is unclear whether he goes into the draft at this point. However, he hasn’t shown scouts he can play a full 12 games, so he’ll be red-flagged on that until he proves otherwise. Stock currently way down.

Keep an eye on:

Anthony McCoy, USC: Huge target with receiving skills. Could be very effective in the red zone at the pro level. Wasn’t really seeing the football much until the game at Notre Dame, where he went off for 150+ yards. Has very good hands, but might be a bit slow off the line. Unsure of where to go with comparisons on him, as I haven’t really agreed on the ones I’ve read. Similar to Dickson, his numbers will reflect how the QB play is that day. Has the potential to rise quickly.

Good play so far, but not sure what to do with:

Aaron Hernandez, Florida (JR*): A very productive TE for Florida, but will just be 20 when the season ends. Teams looking for a versatile receiving TE will certainly inquire about him. From what I have read, he’s an average blocker. Probably a non-issue for now, as he'll probably aim for 2011 (unless he can't fathom life without the savior Tim Tebow :lollol: )
 
What do you think about Michael Palmer of Clemson? He has perfect size at 6-5 260 and Dabo is starting to get him the ball. He made some nice catches the past couple weeks and move real well for his size. Rob Spence used to never throw him the ball, but he is a legit red zone threat and moving down the seam on a LB.
 
The lack of catches has made him not surface on most TE lists so far that I've seen.

However, in comparison to size, he might be like former Maryland TE Dan Gronkowski, who was drafted late last year by Detroit. There's still time for him to move his stock up and catch on somewhere professionally.
 
Colin Peek of Alabama is a sure handed receiver....not so great on the blocking side of things though. I expect him to be drafted in the mid-late rounds of the draft.
 
The lack of catches has made him not surface on most TE lists so far that I've seen.

However, in comparison to size, he might be like former Maryland TE Dan Gronkowski, who was drafted late last year by Detroit. There's still time for him to move his stock up and catch on somewhere professionally.

He has 16 right now (career high already) for 172 and a TD. In the last 4 games he has reception totals of 3, 3, 5, and 4. If he keeps that production up, that should bode well for him getting attention. He probably has the best hands on the team, for what it is worth.
 
Colin Peek of Alabama is a sure handed receiver....not so great on the blocking side of things though. I expect him to be drafted in the mid-late rounds of the draft.

Projected 4th right now IMO. The bigger games will only help his stock as time goes.

Shocked the TE thread has more discussion than the RB one I made.
 
It's weird that the top two prospects are both out for the season. They're still solid prospects, though.

I'm liking McCoy. He was huge at Notre Dame and is just an all-around big target. He isn't gonna be a high pick, so a team could steal him in the late-second/early-third, if he has a good workout at the combine.
 
Thought the same about McCoy. Couldn't put his stock as "up" yet, since he hadn't seen the ball much yet before South Bend, but was certainly someone that could boost his stock up in the next month.

Still haven't gotten any indication on what Gronkowski's plans are. He says a bunch of nice fluff comments to the media, but really hasn't said anything to think he's leaving Tucson or staying another year.
 
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