1. Eric Ebron – 6’4” 250 Ilbs. 4.6 40 North Carolina – 6.55 – Fantastic route runner makes it seem like nobody is covering him at times. Great hands and leaping ability, he goes after the ball at the highest point and if there is not a defender to swat the pass or put a hit on him Eric is going to catch it. Very good blocker able to take a defender out of the play. Only three touchdowns this past season and four the in 2012 but his teams quarterback play is not great. Could be a special player at the next level.
2. Jace Amaro – 6’5” 265 Ilbs. 4.75 40 Texas Tech – 5.7 – More of a receiving threat than traditional Tight End but he is a tremendous receiver. Great production last season over 100 catches and 1000 receiving yards along with seven touchdowns. There is some concern on his ability to block NFL defensive ends. Although Jace is not the fastest he does appear to get open easily his routes are smooth but needs work on footwork, could break out of routes much better. There is some concern here due to the gimmick offense Texas Tech runs but I think he will be a good Tight End for a while.
3. Austin Seferian-Jenkins -6’6” 266 Ilbs. N/A 40 Washington – 5.5 – Prototypical sized tight end that did not run the combine. Austin is a capable blocker but needs to grow on his footwork and hand technique to be effective in the NFL. He has 21 career touchdown receptions and has never missed a game even with nagging injuries. His best year was his sophomore year with over 60 receptions and 852 receiving yards along with 8 touchdowns. In the right system he can very well be a top five tight end one day.
4. Troy Niklas – 6’6” 270 Ilbs. N/A 40 Notre Dame – 5.4 – With 32 receptions 498 receptions and five touchdowns Troy showed good production. He had good numbers for a tight end and is good in the red zone. Did not get much experience before his junior year and lack of experience could be a concern. Has prototypical size as a blocker at the position and is good at it already. There is some concern that he did not run a 40 time but he is one of the better Tight Ends in the draft and could wind up having the best career.
5. C.J. Fiedorowicz – 6’6” 262 Ilbs. 4.76 40 Iowa – 5.1 – Coming from a pro-style offense his blocking skills will be more developed than most tight ends. C.J. had 30 receptions for only 299 yards but did have six touchdowns. He has more receiving ability in the redzone than anywhere else on the field, other than inside the 20 he is a dump off target. Does not run great routes.
6. Jacob Pedersen – 6’3” 238 Ilbs. 4.89 40 Wisconsin– 4.9 – A 3 year starter in a pro-style offense. He had consistent production with his best year coming in 2011 with 30 receptions 356 yards and 8 touchdowns. Jacob is a reliable redzone target especially if he is a 2nd tight end and third or fourth option. He is an accomplished receiver with experience blocking in a pro-style offense from a big school. He is undersized as a blocker and for the position full back is an option that he can play. Late round draft pick but he could turn out to be a true steal!
7. Colt Lyerla – 6’4” 242 Ilbs. 4.61 40 Oregon – 4.8 – Has a checkered past or well more of a hazy past. Arrest for cocaine then missed a game then became ill probably due to withdrawals. I would never draft this guy unless he passed a drug test four months in a row before the draft. Having said that he has talent that makes him worthy of a draft pick. His only year of production came in 2012 with 25 receptions 392 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. He is more of a receiving threat than blocker but is willing to get dirty. There are too many red flags for my taste however he does have potential and if he had a clean slate and produced this season we would be talking about if he deserved to be the number two tight end in this draft and that will be the task for any NFL team interested in taking a risk with him.
8. Ted Bosler – 6’5” 255 Ilbs. N/A 40 Indiana – 4.7 – I must start with saying he caught 5 touchdowns as a rookie and had 5 touchdown as a senior. Most definitely a redzone threat and has low to mid-range effective routes. A better blocker than most tight ends coming out this year. He could be a big sleeper since most of his production came in his senior year and when he had a good quarterback throwing to him his freshman year. He should be drafted if not definitely a priority signing.
9. Jake Murphy – 6’4” 249 Ilbs. 4.79 40 Utah – 4.65 – Jake has okay size for the position definitely a red zone target hauling in nine touchdown receptions over the past two seasons. He is a below average blocker but shows potential in the area especially in the running game. One of the faster tight ends in this slow 40 time group. He has some injury concern only played in 8 games this year suffering a broken ankle.
10. Crockett Gilmore – 6’6” 260 Ilbs. 4.89 40 Colorado State – 4.54 – He has good size for the position. Average production only 47 receptions for 577 yards and 2 touchdowns last season. I always like players from Colorado due to the altitude and weather condition. These players have experience in near high altitude conditioning and have at the least some exposure to cold or snow games. Crockett has room to improve in every aspect of the position and could be taken more for his potential over where his game is today.
11. Arthur Lynch – 6’5” 258 Ilbs. 4.82 Georgia – 4.4 – A two year starter with good size for the position. Lynch had good production with 30 receptions for 459 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns last season ( 3 touchdowns in 2012). Has experience blocking in a pro-style offense. Probably would have had a little better stats if Murray had been healthy all season. More of a red zone target other than that a dump off target.
12. A.C. Leonard – 6’2” 252 Ilbs 4.5 40 Tennessee State – 4.30 – A tweener for the position however he is much faster than most tight ends coming out this year. A.C. does not have much room to grow and may be better off slimming down and switching to a big wide out. Only started half of his games last season. With 34 receptions last season, 441 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns he did produce but at a lower level which shows me that he would need to improve tremendously to switch positions so he may be stuck at tight end.
13. Gator Hoskins – 6’1” 244 Ilbs. N/A 40 Marshall – 4.29 – A true tweener for the position. Way too short for tight end but probably too slow for wide out. However amazing production as a tight end over his career. Last season he had 50 receptions and 821 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns! He is a below average blocker. If he is fast enough he could switch to wide out or possibly become a versatile full back. He plays with that determination to win every game, every play and every inch, with all his limitations he finds a way to beat the opponent. Guys like this who have an impossible hill to climb when we see the determination Gator has we are always on their side. He is a true project pick with great receiving ability, if a team is willing to groom him into a fullback for two seasons he could pay Marcel Reese dividends for five to ten seasons.
14. Richard Rogers – 6’4” 257 Ilbs. 4.87 40 California – 4.5- He is a little undersized for the position with below average speed. With 39 receptions 608 receiving yards and one touchdown last year his production is below average in the redzone. He has some blocking skills, average compared to the rest of the class. Late round draft pick most likely.
15. Marcel Jensen – 6’6” 259 Ilbs. 4.85 40 Fresno State – 4.4 – In a smaller division with a more talented quarterback throwing his way I thought his stats would be significant in number. The fact that they are not says one of two things, however both are negative. One is that he is not a part of the style of the system. If a player is not good enough to change the system to get more plays then he probably will not have much success as a receiver in the NFL. 26 receptions for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns on a team that passes the ball often is not a good sign and could be a lack of hands and seperation ability (the other possible outcome). Blocking is okay he is a better pass blocker than run blocker.
