Scouting Reports- TE

A-H / I-P / Q-Z

John Reese                                                                                                                                   Oregon St

    Became the starter for the first time when Brady Camp went down with injury.  Has adequate size.  Limited athletically and doesn't see a lot of passes. 

Allen Reisner                                                                                                                                         Iowa

    Has marginal size.  Smart football player who is a good receiver.  Does a good job getting his head around for passes.  Finds the holes in the zone and turns upfield quickly after the catch.  Does a good job getting yards after the catch and shows good vision in the open field.  He does all this with decent speed and marginal quickness.  Can be the go to guy and at times has been the player the team turns to in the clutch.  Has been successful in the clutch.  Battles as a blocker and fights to stick to the block.  Lacks bulk but is a decent positional blocker.  Does a good job blocking on the second level.  Has limited upside because he lacks elite athleticism but he is a solid TE who will find a way to contribute.  Figures to be a late round pick.

Konrad Reuland                                                                                                                              Stanford

    Has good height and marginal bulk.  Lacks quickness and speed.  Catches the ball well.  Is a little stiff.  Doesn't get a lot of yards after catch.  Is inconsistent as a blocker, partially due to his lack of bulk.  Good college TE who might lack the athleticism needed for the next level.

Draylen Ross                                                                                                                            North Texas

    Large man who has long arms.  Runs pretty well for a large man and has some explosiveness.  North Texas didn't use the TE very much and hardly ever threw the ball to the TE.  Contributes on special teams.  Is large but isn't a good blocker.  Often catches the defender and doesn't drive the defender.  Developmental type who might have too far to go.

Kyle Rudolph                                                                                                                            Notre Dame

    Really good size and length.  Has above average speed.  Has good lateral quickness.  Will go up and get the ball in traffic.  Turns up field quickly and gets positive yards after the catch.  Runs hard and fights for extra yards.  Is an inconsistent route runner.  At times will run good routes but other times is a little lazy and at times is slow to get his head around for the pass.  At times will also drop passes despite having good hands.  He either gets lazy has at times lacks concentration.  Has good size for blocking.  Does a decent job blocking but isn't a dominant one at this time.  Has the potential to be a great blocker.  Has had some injury issues the past two seasons missing a number of games due to shoulder and hamstring issues.  Is the most complete TE in the draft and just needs to improve his consistency.  Figures to hear his name called somewhere in the second round.

Weslye Saunders                                                                                                                  South Carolina

    Really impressive combination of height and bulk.  Has good speed for his size.  Has good athletic ability and can adjust to the poorly thrown ball.  Has long arms and can be a good redzone threat.  Has good strength and can break some tackles in the open field.  Does a good job finding holes in the zone and will catch the ball in traffic.  Has really good size for blocking.  Is really inconsistent.  At times will do a decent job blocking, other times he seems uninterested and almost seems to avoid contact.  Maybe gets a little lazy at times, not only with his blocking but at times also with his route running.  Missed this past season due to being suspended by the NCAA for lying.  Has also had some injury issues.  Struggled with an ankle issue in 2009 and was unable to workout at the combine or pro day due to a broken bone in his foot.  Big boom or bust player who has shown special ability but also hasn't played football in a year and isn't able to work out for people before the draft. 

A.J. Simmons                                                                                                                                     Arizona

    Has decent size.  Has average speed but lacks some quickness.  Struggles to get separation.  Strictly a short to intermediate guy.  Struggled with drops late this past season.  Inconsistent blocker.  At times looks like a solid blocker and at times struggles to stick to his block.  Doesn't seem consistent or special enough to make it on the next level.

Stephen Skelton                                                                                                                              Fordham

    Brother of Arizona Cardinal QB John Skelton.  Has good height but lacks some bulk.  Has average speed and runs ok in a straight line.  Is stiff and is slow in and out of his breaks.  Will struggle to get separation on the next level.  Has good hands and does decent job finding the holes in the zone.  Lacks bulk and strength.  Struggled as an inline blocker even at his level of competition.  At times he even gets knocked onto his backside.  Gives good effort blocking, just isn't good at it.  Will be making a jump in competition.  Is not an elite enough receiver to overlook his lack of blocking ability.

Andre Smith                                                                                                                             Virginia Tech

    Has good size and moves fairly well for his size.  Has average speed and is more of a short to intermediate guy.  The Hokies don't often throw to their TEs but at times this past season they consistently looked his way.  Catches the ball well and is fairly light on his feet.  Has good size but isn't a good blocker.  Will fire off the ball but fails to stick to his block.  At times will bounce off the defender and will struggle to keep his feet.  Struggles to block in space.  Has some potential but will need time to develop as a blocker.  Figures to be a mid to late round pick.

Greg Smith                                                                                                                                           Texas

    Has decent height but lacks bulk.  Has average speed and is a little stiff.  Finds holes in the zone but struggles changing direction and struggles to get separation.  Catches the ball well.  Really struggles as a blocker.  Lacks the bulk and strength to be effective.  Really struggles to anchor and doesn't get any movement.  Gives really good effort and tries hard to stick to blocks, just isn't able to do so.  Has some potential special team value because he has experience as a snapper on field goals and extra points.  Likely will get an opportunity but will struggle to stick because he isn't a dynamic enough receiver to overlook his lack of blocking.

Lee Smith                                                                                                                                        Marshall

    Is tall and has good bulk.  Started career at Tennessee but got dismissed for being arrested for a DUI but has reportedly straightened his life out.  Lacks elite speed to stretch the middle of the field, but has decent speed for his size.  Lacks quickness in and out of his breaks.  Struggles to get separation.  At times he struggles to get off the line of scrimmage.  Catches the ball well and does a decent job shielding the defender from the ball.  Physical player who has good size for blocking but isn't real consistent.  Likes to get physical with the defender but doesn't always play with good leverage and has a tendency to overextend.  Has the potential to at the very least be a solid backup but needs to improve his blocking. 

Cody Sparks                                                                                                                                     Tulane

    Is really undersized.  Had a really good senior season, coming away with 43 catches.  Is a good college player with limited athleticism.  Lacks elite speed.  Moves ok and catches the ball well.  Doesn't run a lot of complex routs in their system.  Really lacks bulk for blocking.  Gives decent effort, just doesn't have the strength or bulk.  It also doesn't help that he tends to play too high all the time.  Good college player who lacks the athleticism needed.

Luke Stocker                                                                                                                               Tennessee

    Has good height and bulk.  Runs pretty well for his size and can stretch the middle of the field some.  Has good athleticism but doesn't always play to his full potential.  Loses focus and intensity which leads to dropped passes and terrible blocking.  Generally catches the ball well.  Has good flexibility and will make tough catches over the middle.  Likes to be physical.  Has great potential as a blocker but at times loses focus and will fail to block his man or fail to get correct position.  Has a chance to be a really good all-around TE in the NFL but he will need to improve his consistency.

Brad Taylor                                                                                                                                         Baylor

    Little bit on the short side but has decent bulk.  Is really athletic.  Seems fluid and has good speed.  Has good change of direction and can get some yards after the catch.  Doesn't look real natural in the passing game.  His hands are really inconsistent.  Doesn't show a whole lot as a blocker.  Started college career at QB so is still learning the position.  Developmental prospect who will take some time to develop but might also be able to contribute on special teams.

Ryan Taylor                                                                                                                          North Carolina

    Has decent height but might lack a little bulk.  Took over when Zach Pianalto went down with injury and really help contribute to the pass game.  Has decent speed but it takes him a while to get up to speed.  Lacks quickness but finds the holes in the zone.  Catches the ball well and is a physical runner after the catch.  Due to his lack of bulk he is not a great blocker but he doesn't shy away from contact.  Could also get a look at FB.  Missed 2009 season with a knee injury.  Productive pass catcher who has some versatility which might help him land a roster spot.

Ben Thayer                                                                                                                       Eastern Michigan

    Has decent height and marginal bulk.  Highly productive player who was the team's go to guy.  Has average speed and isn't going to stretch the middle of the field.  Catches the ball well and is a reliable target.  Doesn't get a whole lot after the catch.  Decent effort blocking and at times is effective but will also struggle at times due to his lack of bulk.  Solid college TE who is a little under the radar but will still struggle to make it due to his lack of special ability.

Julius Thomas                                                                                                                              Portland St

    Former basketball player with good height and decent bulk.  Built like a power forward with a fairly thick lower body.  Looks like he can add more bulk to his frame.  Good speed and athleticism.  Pretty good cutting ability and can get some separation.  Has good hands and is a good target with his height and long arms.  Was split out in the slot a lot and doesn't have a lot of experience as an inline blocker.  Showed good physicality and potential as a blocker at the Shrine game.  Is really raw.  Played four years of basketball with this past season being his only as a football player.  His only season was against lower level competition but he has elite talent.  Will take some time to develop but has the potential to become an elite TE on the next level.

Joe Torchia                                                                                                                                       Virginia

    Has impressive size.  Is tall and has good bulk.  Despite his height he does a good job blocking and gets good leverage.  He seems to really enjoy blocking and gets movement in his blocks.  Has good strength and is athletic enough to hook the end or to get to the second level.  Wasn't used a lot as a receiver but it looked like that was going to change this past season.  Was a very active target this season before suffering a shoulder injury that ended his season.  He also missed time in 2008 due to a shoulder injury so there might be an injury concern.  With the shoulder injury he will not be able to fully work out for teams.  He has average speed and isn't going to stretch the middle of the field.  Is not totally stiff but does struggle to be precise and sharp in his routes which isn't totally uncommon for tall TEs.  He caught the ball well and could be a good short to intermediate guy.  Also has the length to be a redzone target.  Has the potential to develop into a solid blocking TE who can give you a little something in the pass game.  The injury situation clouds up his projection and probably pushes him into the priority free agent range but a team could roll the dice late in the draft to secure his services.

Alston Umuolo                                                                                                                          San Diego St

    Missed most of this past season due to a hip injury.  Has applied for a medical redshirt and haven't seen anything official yet but he does appear on the spring roster, so maybe it was granted.

Martell Webb                                                                                                                                 Michigan

    Has good size.  Was never able to get full grasp of the starting spot but played a lot.  Has good athleticism and decent speed for his size.  Wasn't used very much in the pass game.  Is a decent short to intermediate guy who isn't going to stretch the middle of the field.  Is a good blocker and gives good effort in that area.  Could get a look as a blocking TE who has some potential to develop into a decent receiving option, but probably does that as an undrafted free agent.

D.J. Williams                                                                                                                                  Arkansas

    Undersized TE with really good athleticism.  Has good speed and can stretch the middle of the field.  Gets up to full speed really quickly.  Catches the ball fairly well and is really good at getting yards after the catch.  Shows good vision in the open field and is hard to bring down.  Might have small hands, sometimes struggles to catch ball and doesn't always secure the ball real well .  Gives good effort blocking and generally has good positioning but really lacks size and bulk.  He can't get any movement and at times he struggles to hold his ground.  At times he also struggles to get off the line of scrimmage.  Really good player who will really help a team that doesn't rely a lot on their TEs being able to block.

Will Yeatman                                                                                                                                Maryland

    Has good height but lacks bulk.  Transferred from Notre Dame after he was suspended due to two arrests involving alcohol.  Was a two sport athlete at both Notre Dame and Maryland.  He is also a really good lacrosse player.  Struggled early in the season with a broken finger but finished his career strong.  Had more catches in the last two games of the season than he did the rest of his career.  Playing two sports might have stunted his development.  He is really inconsistent in every aspect of the game, whether it be catching or blocking.  Doesn't have elite speed but has good talent and could possibly figure as a good developmental TE.

Dreu Young                                                                                                                                    Nebraska

    Has decent height and is a little on the skinny side.  Missed this past season due to a back injury.  It was the second time he missed significant time with a back issue.  Is a limited athlete who will really battle.  Has pretty good blocking technique.  Between his marginal athleticism and his back issues, he might not get an opportunity.