And blocking. I was very surprised both him and Keene were still on the board for me earlier. Was a tough choice.
Dalton Keene was another one you sniped from my late round Bears plans, though I wasn't surprised to see him get picked earlier.
Just killing time here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't you declare Chase Claypool as a TE in the NFL? Won't his expected role in the NFL be the same as what Evan Engram does? At least that is how I see him. TOP 5 RB'S 1. J.K. Dobbins 2. Jonathan Taylor 3. Deandre Swift 4. Clyde Edwards-Helaire 5. Cam Akers TOP 5 TE'S 1. Harrison Bryant 2. Cole Kmet 3. Hunter Bryant 4. Adam Trautman 5. Chase Claypool
Definitely could and a lot of people will, but ultimately it doesn’t fit well for how I score. Blocking still holds value with tight ends in my metric so his score will sit higher as a WR than it will as a TE.
On Claypool, I feel that way about a lot of the TEs vs larger WRs vs "change of pace" running backs and fullbacks. Now that so many college TEs don't block, college offensive linemen don't put their hands down, and nobody wants to be labeled as a fullback, you might as well throw them all in one big blender and sort them out based on what they do well. I'm even looking at a UDFA-caliber tackle prospect as a potential candidate to grab as a blocking TE, because that seems to be the best way to get a guy who can actually block. The real life Falcons did that a few times this season too, including throwing to the guy: I also like the "H-back" approach of using a tight end as a fullback. Bruce Arians explained that one best when he was with the Cardinals. If you stick a true fullback on the field, the defense can select plays based on down and distance AND package. If you have the H-back out there, they don't know where he's going to line up, so they can only work off of down and distance. Using the true fullback puts the offense at a disadvantage that way, where the versatility of the hybrid guy doesn't have that downside.
There's absolutely some gray area in the actual position determination between TE's and WR's at times, as well as LB's and Safety's for that matter. The thing is, it actually does mean something to the player, from a financial standpoint, when it comes time for that next contract.
Harrison Bryant was my top TE target for the GMO, by the way. Didn't manage to get him though. Didn't go after a top TE here because the real life team already replaced Austin Hooper. And I still firmly believe that while there are a handful of guys in this year's TE class who COULD be instant starters, none of them will be above average starters as rookies. You're going through growing pains with all of them. Meanwhile, there are anywhere from 12-20 TE prospects (maybe more, depending on what attributes you seek in your particular offensive scheme) who could all be solid contributors if not outright starters in 2021. So, quite frankly, I wasn't about to use a draft pick on any TE in this draft class in rounds 1-4.
This guy falls into my potential sleeper category. He gets off the line quickly and seems to have good instincts while on the move for which angle needs leveraging. Had him on an oxymoronically long shortlist
IMO, a good comp for him is a guy the Browns used to have for a couple years that flashed some ability, Jordan Cameron. Only I think Hunter has a much higher ceiling.
Hey, if anyone is bored, they are showing a replay of the Senior Bowl on NFL Network...Just started. EDIT: you can really see how Javon Kinlaw and Davon Hamilton are going to fit in the NFL.
He strikes me as a good choice for scheme flexibility as well. If you try to flip between 4-3 and single-gap 3-4, he rotates in with either package.