By John Sarianides

This is the best tight end class in the last ten years. The tight end position has been devoid of talent in recent years but this loaded class will put the position back on the map. As many as four tight ends could go in the first 60 picks.

Here are my top twenty tight ends.

1. O.J Howard, Alabama, 6-6 251, NFL Comparison: Julius Thomas
Strengths
-Howard is long and lean. He has the length and the hands to compete and win jump ball situations.  

-Terrific route runner. Gets in and out of cuts with ease and can seperate on vertical routes. Runs the seam, fade and corner routes with ease and can get away from defenders at the top of those routes.

-Versatile. Can play in-line or split out and be just as effective.

– Catches the ball with ease. Has soft hands and doesn’t fight the ball. Howard is athletic enough to adjust to the ball in air and has a wide catch radius.

-Good blocker. Plays with an good base and is fundamentally sound. Has the functional strength to win one on one on a drive block.

Weaknesses
-Has a tendency to lose a lot of blocks. Doesn’t latch on and sustain movement.

-Needs to get bigger. Could easily play at 260-265. Struggles on down blocks and blocking bigger nine technique ends because of his lack of size.

-A straight line athlete. Howard isn’t elusive enough to make a defender miss in space.

-Needs to do a better job of escaping first and second level jams. Gets re-routed way too easily.

-Disappears at times. Needs to be more consistent. He will have a lot of pressure to produce right away in the NFL.

Final Thoughts: Howard is a terrific talent and a top fifteen pick but I wouldn’t take him in the top ten. There are some holes in his game and he needs to develop more. Howard will make an impact as a rookie but he could be more impactful in his second year in the league.

 

2. David Njoku, Miami (Fla), 6-4 246, NFL Comparison: Eric Ebron
Strengths
-Tremendous athlete who can separate after the catch. Njoku will be a match-up nightmare for defensive coordinators.

-Has long arms and strong hands. Njoku has a wide catch radius. He can go up and win jump ball situations and is athletic enough to position his body to catch odd ball passes.

-Quick twitch route runner who gets in and out of cuts. Fluid in his movements. Gets in and out of cuts with ease.

-Has strong hands and can separate from a first level jam and shake open from a second level defender tying to re-route him.

-Competitive blocker who is better at gaining position in space than he is in-line.

Weaknesses
-Lacks the functional strength to be an effective in-line blocker. Needs a lot of work technically.

-RAW as the day is long. Needs to learn to play the position. Njoku will get away with playing the position on sheer talent his first season in the league.

-Dropped a lot of passes in college. He has inconsistent hands, especially in high traffic areas.

-Needs to be more aggressive against defenders who trying to re-route him. Doesn’t extend enough to separate on contact.

-Incomplete route runner. Doesn’t really know how to get open. Njoku needs a lot of work in terms of setting up routes and getting open.

Final Thoughts: Njoku is a first round talent but he is a work in progress.  He can step in and play right away but he will experience some growing pains as a rookie until he figures things out.

 

3.Evan Engram, Ole Miss, 6-3 244, NFL Comparison: Trey Burton
Strengths
-Engram is a terrific route route runner who gets in and out of cuts with ease and can separate after the catch.

-Uncovers quickly and can stack defenders after ten yards and get open. Understands route running and uses his entire body to set up his routes.

-Can attack Cover 2 safeties by splitting them or getting open off the hash on a corner route. Has the quickness to score on a long catch.

-Competitive blocker in space. Gets good position, gets his hands inside and plays with a good base.

-Has a wide catch radius. Engram will win one on one’s in the red zone. Strong hands. Snatches the ball out of the air with ease.

Weaknesses
-Up and down production to start his career at Ole Miss. Really blossomed this past season but the productivity wasn’t always there.

-Lack of size hinders his ability to be a contributor as an in-line blocker. Gets overpowered at the point of attack because of his lack of size. Struggles to drop his hips and anchor.

-Despite his ability to out jump defenders, he struggles to get body position on them. Allows defensive backs to break his hands too much.

-Needs to sink at the hips more when breaking a route off. Gets into his break too tall.

-Limited scheme versatility. Primarily a “Move” tight end.

Final Thoughts: Engram is a match up generator who will catch a lot of balls in an offense and be a productive player. He is incomplete however because of his limited blocking skills and his lack of versatility.

 

4. Jake Butt, Michigan, 6-5 246, NFL Comparison: Greg Olsen
Strengths
-Versatile all-around tight end who is an effective receiver and blocker.

-Does a good job of creating separation on the snap of the ball against a first level defender. Uses his entire body to get open and get to the second and third level.

-Butt has strong hands and a wide catch radius. Makes the over the shoulder catch on the seam route look easy.

-Strong positional blocker. Takes good angles, has proper head placement and gets movement off the ball.

-A red zone threat that can split the safeties in Cover 2 and get open down the middle of the field.

Weaknesses
-Coming off of a major ACL injury suffered in the Orange Bowl.

-Stiff. Comes out of his stance high and is easily re-routed. Not a natural bender when throttling into a break.

-Too much of a straight line route runner. Can run other routes but his best routes are seams and option routes.

-Struggles to bend as a blocker. Loses leverage as a result.

-Holds too much in the run game. Doesn’t sustain blocks. Has slow hands as a blocker.

Final Thoughts: Butt will drop out of the first round but he could still be a good day two value. His game needs to be refined but if Butt gets stronger and improves as a run blocker, he could be a good player who ends up starting.

 

5. Gerald Everett, South Alabama, 6-3 239, NFL Comparison: Jordan Reed
Strengths
-Good route runner who can knows how to create separation and get open.

-Can create match-up problems for safeties, linebacker and sub corners. Has terrific vertical speed on seam, fade and corner routes.

-Has long arms and he uses them to his advantage in jump ball situations. Everett has a wide catch radius. He will catch anything within his area.

-Blocks bigger than his size. Gets inside hand position and drives defenders off the ball. Plays with a good base and can get a hat on a hat in space and sustain a block.

-Effective as a slot receiver on perimeter screens. Eats up defenders after the catch.

Weaknesses
-Runs good routes but he rounds off a lot of them. Doesn’t throttle down enough when getting into breaks.

-Runs into coverage some times. Needs to do a better job of identifying the dead spots in zone and settling.

-Struggles to get off of first level jams. He doesn’t use his hands well enough to slap and separate.

-Needs to be more of a hands catcher. Catches too many balls with his body.

-A tweener. He blocks well enough to be an in-line tight end but he won’t play in-line a lot in the NFL because of his size.

Final Thoughts: Everett has the physical tools to start in the NFL but he may be better off playing for a team that utilizes 12 personnel a lot and can use him as a second tight end.

Next Five
6. Adam Shaheen, Ashland, 6-6 278, NFL Comparison: Martellus Bennett

Shaheen has burst onto the scene with strong workouts in the pre-draft process. He is a big body tight end who runs good straight line routes and has enough speed to separate after the catch. A willing blocker who gets into good position and blocks with a good base. He can be a physical match up in space and block a safety or line backer. Shaheen would be a great value for some team early in day three.

7. Jordan Leggett, Clemson, 6-5 258, NFL Comparison: Kellen Davis

Leggett can play in line or split out and play in space. He is a terrific route runner and he knows how to get open and find space versus zone coverage. Leggett has good hands and a wide catch radius. He can win one on one in jump ball situations. He is a bit stiff and not a natural bender as a blocker but he certainly has enough talent to be a starting tight end in the NFL. Leggett should go in the 3rd or 4th round. 

8. Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech, 6-6 257, NFL Comparison: Gary Barnidge

The converted quarterback has good size and is athletic. Hodges can make defenders miss after the catch and is explosive enough to finish plays in the red zone. He has improved his route running and knows how to get himself open, especially versus man coverage. Hodges is an average blocker who needs to learn to play with better leverage and bend. He has a long way to go as a run blocker. Great 5th or 6th round value. 

9. Jonnu Smith, Florida International, 6-3 248, NFL Comparison: Clive Warford

Highly productive “Move” tight end who can create match ups and make big plays. Smith is a good route runner who can separate in the first and second level and create separation. Has strong hands and a wide catch radius despite having average arm length. Smith is a good enough blocker in space but he doesn’t stick to blocks. Loses leverage. Offers nothing as an in line blocker. Great late day three value. 

10. Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas, 6-5 242, NFL Comparison: Tyler Eifert

Sprinkle was inconsistent at Arkansas but when he is focused and involved in the game plan, he can be highly productive. Runs good vertical routes and has enough shimmy to shake and get open. Sprinkle has strong hands and attacks the ball in jump ball situations. Good seam and corner route runner who can score in the red zone. If Sprinkle can be more consistent, he has a chance to be a productive second tight end. 

Next Ten
11. George Kittle, Iowa, 6-4 247
12. Cole Hikutini, Louisville, 6-4 247
13. Michael Roberts, Toledo, 6-4 270
14. Eric Saubert, Drake, 6-5 243
15. Cethan Carter, Nebraska, 6-3 241
16. Billy Brown, Shepherd, 6-3 254
17. Blake Jarwin, Oklahoma State, 6-5 246
18. Scott Orndoff, Pitt, 6-5 253
19. Ricky Seals Jones, Texas A&M 6-5 243
20. Pharaoh Brown, Oregon, 6-6 255