Tight Ends

[Ace_Aladdin]

Please huddlers stop this non-sense talk about turning oversized WRs into TEs  when they can barely beat 200lbs DBs at line of scrimmage. This offense has been missing the 2nd blocking TE since Barndige/ Brockel left.  My favorite canidate for the draft is Jordan Leggett who reminds  of Travis Kelce that could be picked up in 2-3 round while using 1st round on a RB.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/2017/TE

Jake Butt- 6'-6" 250lbs  (1-2 round)

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000744529/article/dare-to-compare-nfl-comp-for-michigan-te-jake-butt

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Butt (6-foot-6, 250 pounds, per school measurements) has NFL size and it appears as though his frame could handle 5-10 more pounds of muscle if he wanted to bulk up a little more. He is a big, reliable target who is easy for Michigan quarterbacks to find. Butt's greatest strength is probably his strong, magnet-like hands, which can clamp down on throws and secure the catch even in the most contested scenarios. In fact, he's fearless in the middle of the field and seems to thrive when working in traffic over the middle and near the red zone.

As a receiver, he's slick with his hands, using a slap move to free himself off the line of scrimmage and sly push-offs to create separation for himself at the top of his routes. Butt sinks into space and chews up zone coverage. He could be a quality safety blanket for a young quarterback at the next level. While Butt is effective on contested, short throws, he's also shown he can be effective adjusting his routes and running to the free areas in his intermediate work. He's competitive after the catch and has the ability to add to his yardage through force.

 

 

 

OJ Howard 6'-6" 250lbs (1-2 round) 

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Howard has a potent blend of size and speed. NFL scouts measured him at just under 6-foot-6 (6-5 3/4) and he ran a mid 4.6 40 time in the spring. He has outstanding play speed and that was on display in the national championship game. He was able to get on top of coverage a few times, and he also showed the ability to take a quick underneath throw and turn it into a huge gain. He is a very fluid route runner and he tracks the ball naturally over his shoulder. He has a large catching radius, and strong, reliable hands. I was pleasantly surprised with his competitiveness and effectiveness in the run game. He doesn't display a lot of power to create movement at the point of attack, but he knows how to shield and wall off defenders on both the front side and back side of the play. He also shows the agility to adjust in space, and latch onto linebackers and secondary defenders

 

Howard has all of the tools to be an elite player at his position. He's big, explosive and versatile. He can play with his hand on the ground, as an H-back or even split out wide. He is a matchup nightmare for linebackers because of his speed, and he has a major size advantage over secondary defenders. I see some similarities to Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers when he was coming out of Miami (Fla.). Olsen has continued to improve throughout his career and is currently one of the top tight ends in the NFL. Howard has a long way to go to get to that level, but he has the tools to get there

 

 

 

Jordan Leggett 6'-5" 258lbs  (2nd round)

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/top-nfl-draft-prospects-tight-end-leggett-is-clemsons-overlooked-offensive-star/

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Dabo Swinney's program produced nine draft picks this past April, and the Clemson-to-NFL pipeline is far from empty with standout prospects like quarterback Deshaun Watson still on the roster. It is a good bet that Jordan Leggett won't be the first player drafted next spring from the Tigers' offense. In fact, he might not even crack the top three, considering Watson, running back Wayne Gallman and wide receiver Mike Williams could all be in the 2017 class. But Leggett, who set career-bests with 40 catches for 525 yards and eight scores last season, is a blossoming player with his best football ahead of him.

Leggett has a moldable frame that allows him to be effective as both a pass-catcher and blocker. He shows smooth body control and soft hands as a receiver with the length to expand his catch radius and make the diving grab look routine. Leggett finishes as a ballcarrier due to his balance and power to keep his feet, also showing off a steel stiff-arm. He holds his own in pass protection, using his long arms and wide base to shield the pocket and laterally shuffle with defenders.

While he shows the baseline traits to be a dependable blocker, Leggett must show consistent effort and aggression from snap-to-snap and better use his body angles. He needs to improve his route running, rounding patterns and allowing defenders to dictate his path. Leggett has the ballskills to make impressive grabs, but he also has a bad habit of allowing the ball into his body, which leads to drops.

Throughout last season, the chemistry between Watson and his trusty tight end was apparent, especially on third downs, which accounted for 38-percent of Leggett's receptions (34-percent on second down, 28-percent on first down).

The tight end class for the 2017 draft has incredible potential led by Alabama's O.J. Howard, Michigan's Jake Butt, Ole Miss' Evan Engram and Virginia Tech's Bucky Hodges. But Leggett is in that next tier of talented tight end prospects with a chance to make a dent at the next level.

 

 

 

[csx]

Correct me if I am wrong but Barnidge didn't play much here because he was not a good blocker.

[Ace_Aladdin]

Just now, csx said:

Correct me if I am wrong but Barnidue didn't play much here because he was not a good blocker.

They got rid of him due to Tolbert, but his blocking was far better than what we currently have on roster. 

[KSpan]

Just now, sanjay_rajput said:

They got rid of him due to Tolbert, but his blocking was far better than what we currently have on roster. 

That's saying very little about Barnidge since the blocking on the current roster is so poor but your point absolutely stands - Hartsock was our last true blocker (2013) and he has yet to be replaced by anyone at either the FB or TE positions. The team really, really needs someone who can block.

[Cary Kollins]

I will be the first to order a Butt jersey.

[top dawg]

I wonder if Cam will feel the need to give Butt a nickname...

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, will Butt even be available, and will Getty even be willing to acquire Butt?

A man can dream:

Panthers get Butt! 

Panthers land Butt!

Goodell slaps Butt with a fine!

Now there's a happy Butt on the sidelines. 

That's one smooth Butt!

[Mojo]

Informative.  Thank you.  A good TE2/future TE1 is definitely up high on the list.

[gmonjimbo]

Yes a 2nd TE is probably one of the biggest needs on offense. I like all three TEs but Howard and Butt are my preference because they both play on offenses that emphasize physicality and running the ball, also they have upside in being legit targets in the passing game. Ed Dickson has been one of our worst players that play significant minutes on offense.

[Mojo]

6 minutes ago, top dawg said:

I wonder if Cam will feel the need to give Butt a nickname...

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, will Butt even be available, and will Getty even be willing to acquire Butt?

A man can dream:

Panthers get Butt! 

Panthers land Butt!

Goodell slaps Butt with a fine!

Now there's a happy Butt on the sidelines. 

That's one smooth Butt!

Butt can he play LT?

[Ivan The Awesome]

42 minutes ago, top dawg said:

I wonder if Cam will feel the need to give Butt a nickname...

But, I'm getting ahead of myself, will Butt even be available, and will Getty even be willing to acquire Butt?

A man can dream:

Panthers get Butt! 

Panthers land Butt!

Goodell slaps Butt with a fine!

Now there's a happy Butt on the sidelines. 

That's one smooth Butt!

 

Or on the field when he stuffs a defender.. Butt Plugs the hole completely!

[Ivan The Awesome]

Also, your argument about Barnidge is really silly. If you wanted to sell the two TE sets you should have said Shockey/Olsen In Cam's rookie Campaign. That was all Chudzinski though. I wouldn't give Shula enough credit to say he would make a two TE set offense work. 

[Riverboat Ron]

Wouldn't mind us getting Hooker in the 1st and Howard in the 2nd.

[ncfan]

Honestly Howard and Butt would just be wasted picks.

Theres a reason why we are at need of a TE.  Dickson is a Solid receiver, he's proven it in Baltimore and proven it when he's had to slide over to the #1TE role.  

Drafting one of those 2 would just be picking up someone to replace Olsen down the road. Neither block any better than Dickson and would struggle in the TE2 role Dickson is playing now, and we are still sitting here in the same boat next year. We are looking for someone for now.  The #2 TE is more of a H-Back/blocker role.  Tolbert is bad enough at FB but Dickson is motion into the backfield or over as OT help to block.  Remember Swole bones we had there, he was a primary blocker.  Thats how Shula uses the #2 TE.

 

This is why Leggett is my favorite TE .  Leggett runs solid routes, has just as soft as hands as Butt.  Bigger, more Physical, and a hands down way better blocker.  Drafting him would fill a NEED and could still be a possible Olsen recplacement down the road.  And honestly over Butt has unimpressed this season.  He had a solid season last year and looked like the next Hunter Henry.  This year his blocking has been bad and as a receiver hasnt been on the same level as last year.  

Give me Leggett in the 3rd

[Ace_Aladdin]

3 minutes ago, ncfan said:

Honestly Howard and Butt would just be wasted picks.

Theres a reason why we are at need of a TE.  Dickson is a Solid receiver, he's proven it in Baltimore and proven it when he's had to slide over to the #1TE role.  

Drafting one of those 2 would just be picking up someone to replace Olsen down the road. Neither block any better than Dickson and would struggle in the TE2 role Dickson is playing now, and we are still sitting here in the same boat next year. We are looking for someone for now.  The #2 TE is more of a H-Back/blocker role.  Tolbert is bad enough at FB but Dickson is motion into the backfield or over as OT help to block.  Remember Swole bones we had there, he was a primary blocker.  Thats how Shula uses the #2 TE.

 

This is why Leggett is my favorite TE .  Leggett runs solid routes, has just as soft as hands as Butt.  Bigger, more Physical, and a hands down way better blocker.  Drafting him would fill a NEED and could still be a possible Olsen recplacement down the road.  And honestly over Butt has unimpressed this season.  He had a solid season last year and looked like the next Hunter Henry.  This year his blocking has been bad and as a receiver hasnt been on the same level as last year.

Dickson had maybe 1 good season as receiving threat other than that he has been pretty medicore. Butt & Howard have far better talent to be recieving threat and are more physcial than Dickson to be adequate blockers, "butt" I agree Leggett would be the best fit for the Panthers scheme