Slimm's 2015 Tight Ends | Page 2 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Slimm's 2015 Tight Ends

Jimmy Graham spends 2/3 of his snaps in the slot or flexed out. Devin Funchess will do the same. It's the new breed of TE.

I would think Jesse James would wait till next year and play another year with Hackenburg but idk.
 
Jesse James reminds me of a lesser Troy Niklas. James has much more athleticism/fluidness but is less of a blocker and has worse hands. I've watched probably 80% of every game Christian Hackenberg has played in because I think he is the next star "elite" quarterback, and it seems James is dropping 2 passes every game.
 
At 6-5 and 250 I think a guy to watch is Pharoah Brown. The Ducks don't throw to the TE as often as the did with Lyerla, though he was dinged up all the time and the position was inconsistent, but Brown as nice hands, runs a good route, and is a nice option around the goal line. I'm not sure about overall speed, but he seems to get chunks of yardage. He also fights for extra yardage, one dude has a tough time bringing him down.
 
Not a fan of Koyack? Haven't studied him but from what I've seen live looks like a 4th-5th round guy thus far.
 
Slimm, how many legitimate starters do you see in this class, if Williams, Funchess, Brown, and James declare?
 
Does anyone really buy Devin Funchess as a wide receiver at the next level?

I sure don't.

But I see some other people mention him being a WR at the next level. He is currently a wide receiver, there's no denying that, but I also don't know how anyone can watch him play and expect that he'll stay there at the next level.
 
ckparrothead said:
Does anyone really buy Devin Funchess as a wide receiver at the next level?

I sure don't.

But I see some other people mention him being a WR at the next level. He is currently a wide receiver, there's no denying that, but I also don't know how anyone can watch him play and expect that he'll stay there at the next level.
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Not one iota. I mentioned earlier in this thread I evaluate him as a flex TE. Like a Ladarius Green type. I don't think he's anything to write home about either. Not a first round pick. In the top 50 range. Hard to tell exactly because I still have over 3/4 of the class to evaluate. But I already have 32 prospects better than him at this point.
 
I guess I'm in the minority here but I like him. The way he moves for a tight end in short spaces and the body control, it just looks unfair at times and this is why you bring tight ends on the field.
 
ckparrothead said:
I guess I'm in the minority here but I like him. The way he moves for a tight end in short spaces and the body control, it just looks unfair at times and this is why you bring tight ends on the field.
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I mean I think he's a solid TE. But is he on the level of Ertz, Eifert, or Ebron coming out? I would say no. I didn't love Ebron coming out either but I'd say there's a legitimate gap between him and Funchess. Is he going to be a pro bowl TE? I'd say no. Can he be pretty solid? Yes. In terms of NFL effectiveness, I think he'll be at about the same level as Colby Fleener.
 
After finish up the eval on Jake Fisher.. Pharaoh Brown just keeps flashing... Looks like a top 75-100 guy. Potentially higher. The only tape I was closely watching him was UCLA. Again, unless there is a report of him or any other underclassmen declaring, I'll hold off on there evaluation until they do so.
 
I'm not quite sure I understand the dislike for Devin Funchess. He's a play-maker, a gifted athlete, has a huge frame, catches the ball well, has great short-area quickness, has some long speed as well.

Is this about blocking concerns? I'm not sure how concerning that really ought to be. For two reasons, really.

First off, players can learn to block. It happens all the time, if they have the physical ability. Even Michael Egnew was a decent blocker by the end, and his exit from the league had nothing to do with his blocking ability and everything to do with him being too dumb to execute a playbook and be a functional part of a sophisticated passing game.

Secondly, I don't think guys like Jimmy Graham and Jordan Cameron are great tight ends in this league because they block, nor were teams especially concerned with their blocking weaknesses as glorified wide receivers when they came out of school.

So just keep in mind, the most important thing to evaluate are his matchup skills in the passing game.

I mean, get an NFL caliber safety like Kurtis Drummond matched on him and he kind of makes this look easy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgXj2-aEKhE&feature=player_detailpage#t=70

Putting corners like V'Angelo Bentley, Doran Grant, Trae Waynes, Bradley Roby, Cody Riggs or Jordan Ford on him might fit the legal definition of abuse:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-HZEjSf6LQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=42
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgXj2-aEKhE&feature=player_detailpage#t=147
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-HZEjSf6LQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryBOWI0eNbk&feature=player_detailpage#t=208
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryBOWI0eNbk&feature=player_detailpage#t=225
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-HZEjSf6LQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=128
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Wrgrfewgcys#t=165

Not gonna be easy for linebackers like Glenn Carson, Kolin Hill or John Law to keep up with the guy, man or zone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-HZEjSf6LQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=117
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryBOWI0eNbk&feature=player_detailpage#t=193
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Wrgrfewgcys#t=127

And best of luck to you if you try and get cute and have a smallish end like Romeo Okwara pull out to try and deal with Funchess:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryBOWI0eNbk&feature=player_detailpage#t=35

This is what it's all about. It's where the rubber meets the road. You have a tight end on the field because he's a matchup nightmare. You get a safety on him and he's too big. You get a corner on him and he's way too big. You get a linebacker on him and he's too fast. You get a defensive lineman pulling out in zone and he's way too fast. Matchup problem.

I'm not saying he's perfect or anything but he's a pretty good prospect for the position.
 
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I think he's solid. No one will sell me on a top 20 pick at any position though.
 
I think the TE is similar to the QB and DE(or 3-4 OLB) positions. If anyone shows any flashes of physical talent, everyone just thinks they can mold them into an All-Pro.

A few examples: TE Eric Ebron in 2014. DE Dion Jordan, Barkevious Mingo in 2013 ( Ironically, I was higher on Ziggy Ansah because of his upside) QB Ryan Tannehill 2012.

I'm a big believer in physical talent. You can't coach it. But that doesn't mean you reach for it with a top 10 pick. There are plenty of other players that have physical talent, and a good position specific skill-set. You have to weigh both aspects of a prospect. Coaches think that they can turn any player into an All-Pro. When that's not really the case. When you get towards the later rounds I'm all about physical talent. But early (especially in the top 10) you would like to draft a prospect with physical talent AND a good position skill-set.

I think that's part of the reason that Funchess is being hyped up. But to his credit, TE is the position where you see the most improvement from college to pro. I just wouldn't spend a first round pick on him. I think Funchess' physical talent is a bit overrated. Ebron blows him out of the water in that aspect and has shown willingness to lock horns and block somebody, even if he isn't Jason Witten in that regard.
 
E.J. Bibbs is a good prospect. He has really great hands for the position. I've not been tempted to compare anyone to Dwayne Allen but he comes close. Not a huge target at only 6'3", but he's very thick, blocks well, gets open, quarterback friendly, and man can he catch the football.
 
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