Category: Tight End

  • Senior Bowl: Day Two Skill Player Notables

    Senior Bowl: Day Two Skill Player Notables

    Day Two of the Senior Bowl was packed with observations from both practices. This morning’s report covers wide receivers, quarterbacks, running backs, and tight ends. There are also some thoughts about drills and the Senior Bowl selection process. Plenty of highlights today, most notably a football roundtable with Rotoworld’s Josh Norris, CBS’s Rob Rang, Football…

  • The Boiler Room: Stanford TE Zach Ertz

    The Boiler Room: Stanford TE Zach Ertz

    Stanford tight end Zach Ertz declared for the draft this week. If someone could only see one play that would matter in deciding his draft day fate, which play would I use to highlight that prospect’s skills ? Will this highlight boil down this prospect to his essentials? That’s the thinking behind The Boiler Room – analysis of what…

  • Futures: Florida TE Jordan Reed

    Futures: Florida TE Jordan Reed

    Last week, I wrote about Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert and how his skills fit into the growing pantheon of versatile tight end play that is in vogue in the NFL. But versatility can have a number of different meanings depending on the talents of the player and his fit within an offense. The word doesn’t necessarily mean…

  • Who is Virgil Green?

    Virgil Green’s 3-catch, 44-yard debut (with 5:34 left in the game) with Peyton Manning might be a surprise to some. However, the tight end from Nevada is a well-known stash for those who get the Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication each April. I don’t know if Green will be an option once Joel Dreessen returns from…

  • Emerging Talents: Hybrid James Casey

    “He’s going to play everywhere. He’s our starting fullback. He’s a starting (tight end) if we go to two tights. It’s still about versatility with James.” – Gary Kubiak, head coach of the Houston Texans talking to Houston Chronicle reporter John McClain about James Casey in May 2012. Based on what I’ve observed about James…

  • N.C. State TE George Bryan: Great Hands

    [Author’s Note: Click the photos and they will enlarge in a separate window.] N.C. State tight end George Bryan was second in career touchdowns (17) among active FBS tight ends in 2011. If you’ve watched Bryan play you know that he’s an in-line tight end personified. Somewhere in the range of 6’4″, 265 pounds, Bryan…

  • Blocking Clinic: Clemson TE Dwayne Allen

    Blocking Clinic: Clemson TE Dwayne Allen

    Note: The analysis you’ll find in this blog post and other posts on RB David Wilson, WR Kendall Wright, and Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill are merely snapshots of plays I have compiled from game study. These spotlights focus on a subset of the individual’s talents or deficiencies and are not an overall report on…

  • The Pats Two-TE Sets: A Long Time Coming?

      Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski combined for 13 receptions, 189 yards, and 2 touchdowns against the Dolphins on Monday night. Yesterday they combined for 11 receptions, 143 yards, and 3 touchdowns against the Chargers. If you’ve been reading this blog throughout the summer then you know the hybrid position has been a common theme.…

  • Top UDFA TEs

    Due to the lockout, 2011 could be more difficult than usual for undrafted free agents trying to make it in the NFL. Yet, there will be players with the talent, the skill, and the work ethic to enter a camp and make the most of their limited opportunities. This week, I’m profiling offensive skill players…

  • Execution

    While researching YouTube highlights for my last blog post, I came across a series of short videos on fundamentals for wide receiver and tight end. One set of these videos features former Packers, Chiefs, and Vikings tight end Paul Coffman, who does a fantastic job of demonstrating fundamental techniques for blocking, releases, routes, and pass catching.…