Truth be told, this is one of the most underwhelming positional groups in the entire draft class due to lack of depth and lack of explosive talent. The 2016 tight end prospects offer very little in eye-popping measurables, evidence of statistical production, and either potential or polish on film. To go along with these pre-Combine issues, when given the opportunity to make a name for themselves this week in Indianapolis, the tight ends provided lackluster workouts for team scouts and executives that were present. In comparison to the all-time great 2010 tight end class featuring Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham, Jermaine Gresham, Aaron Hernandez, Dennis Pitta, and Ed Dickson, this year’s crop shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence. While there are a few draftable players, overall this doesn’t seem to be the year to take a tight end if you are a team in need at the position.
Outlined are my top-three TE’s for 2016, lacking much of the pomp and circumstance of the other positional groups invited to Indy this week.
Hunter Henry (Jr) – Arkansas
Height: 6-foot-5 Weight: 250 lbs.
Here’s your best tight end in the draft and it’s not really even close. While he did not have what most football fans would consider standalone statistical production in 2015, his numbers were good enough to earn him the John Mackey Award (nation’s top tight end). This likely speaks to how underwhelming the tight end position is in college football right now, but in terms of the award criteria, the voters seemed to have gotten it right.
What the tape says…
Out of all of the tight ends I’ve watched in this draft class, Henry is the most complete. He looks the part with his solid 6-foot-5, 250 lb. frame, is a good hands catcher, runs well with the ball in his hands after the catch, and shows a high motor in the run game.
Here we see Henry’s excellent jump at the line of scrimmage, properly followed pattern, sneaky speed to beat the faster safety, and physicality with the ball in the air to come down with the huge reception…
While a noted high effort blocker, Henry needs to work on his technique. Especially in pass protection, it shows on tape where Henry tends to get a bit grabby. He tries to overcompensate when his feet get out of position, oftentimes leading to penalties or even worse -- sacked quarterbacks. Henry also needs to work on his route running, which could benefit from some more crispness, suddenness, and overall polish. He tends to round out his routes, failing to head fake or stutter step man up defenders.
Some are drawing comparisons to Jason Witten for Henry, but I see that as too rich, considering to me, he doesn’t have the look of a future hall of famer. Henry more properly compares to Heath Miller in his all-around skill-set. Like Miller, Henry has the potential to be a 10-plus year starter in the NFL, while maybe not contributing elite statistical production. He seems to have on the field and locker room leadership, and will likely develop into a nice safety blanket for a very lucky NFL quarterback going forward.
Nick Vannett (Sr) – Ohio State
Height: 6-foot-6 Weight: 257 lbs.
Vannett is a player shrouded in mystery to some extent, as he was a lost weapon in an Ohio State offense loaded with playmakers. He recorded very little production as a pass catcher during his four years as a Buckeye, but that doesn’t mean that teams aren’t interested in what he can do at the next level.
What the tape says…
From the game film that was available on Vannett, his positional versatility was evident. He was seen lining up as a standard tight end, H-Back, slot receiver, flanker, and split end for the Buckeyes over his four-year collegiate career. As stated above, there is limited tape on what Vannett can do in the passing game, as Ohio State seemingly neglected him in their run first offensive scheme. However, when doing some work on the Senior Bowl practices, I found that Vannett has some serious potential in this area. The coaches and scouts in Mobile, AL that were present for Senior Bowl week, noted that Vannett was one of the standouts of the event. He commanded respect from the line of scrimmage all the way down the field, and was reportedly a terror in the red zone. At one point during 7-on-7 drills, Vannett scored red zone touchdowns on four consecutive plays, forcing the defense to double-team him in practice. To go along with his potential as a walking red zone mismatch, Vannett’s blocking skills are second to none in this class. He is a bully in the run game and was often considered Ohio State’s “third tackle” on max protection passing plays. He will enter the NFL as already one of the game’s best blockers at the tight end position. Below is an example of the type of impact blocking that Vannett provides and maintains, even when split out from his normal tight end position. On this play, Vannett ear-holes Michigan linebacker Jake Ryan, who this past year went on to shine as a rookie with the Green Bay Packers…
The downside to Vannett’s game is really the unknown. He wasn’t asked to do much at Ohio State in terms of pass catching responsibility, and blocking is usually something that TE prospects develop as they get more acclimated to the pro game. His positives aren’t particularly jaw dropping, and his lack of production may scare talent evaluators. If his red zone dominance that he showed during the Senior Bowl is something that he can build off of, Vannett may actually end up with a special career, however with such a small and isolated sample size of success, teams may see this as fool’s gold. Expect him to be drafted early on in the third round, with some teams even considering him at the end of day-two.
Austin Hooper (RS So) – Stanford
Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 254 lbs.
Hooper is an interesting case, as he seems very raw still, yet decided to make the jump to the pros anyway after only two seasons under his belt at Stanford. He ran an adequate 4.72 40-time this week at the Combine, setting himself up for an early day-three selection.
What the tape says…
Hooper clearly has some plus athleticism, as he has shown evidence of making some tough catches with defenders draped all over him. He has been shown working both inline as a tight end and out of the slot creating mismatches on smaller defenders. He is very willing in the run game, as all former Stanford tight ends have proven in the past; he seems insistent on blocking through the whistle and up into the second level. Here, Hooper displays his polish as a hands catcher rather than a body catcher, as he out-jumps and out-physicals two USC defenders on his way to hauling in one of the tougher grabs of the season…
With all of the nice things that he can do, Hooper has a lot of holes in his game as well. First of all, he is incredibly raw with only two seasons of in game action under his belt at Stanford. His routes are very inconsistent and he can tend to round off patterns despite having some plus athletic ability. He could stand to gain some more functional weight on his less than finished NFL frame, while initially as a pro he might struggle getting off the line of scrimmage. He has good strength when competing for the ball in the air, but he will struggle at the next level as a blocker if he doesn’t improve his handwork and lower-body strength. Leverage is key for any blocker, and while right now Hooper appears to be a nice receiving tight end option, without further developed leverage and functional strength, he will struggle to stay on the field during early downs at the professional level.