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COLTS: NFL DRAFT 2006: THE TES

/noticias.info/ By John Oehser - Colts.com

Draft Class Showcases Recent Trend at Tight End Position
INDIANAPOLIS – The decision for Vernon Davis was straightforward.

After talking to his head coach, Ralph Friedgen of the University of Maryland, all Davis needed early this off-season to decide whether or not to enter the NFL Draft a year early was the opinion of a league advisory board.

If the board said first round, he would go. If not, he would stay at Maryland for his senior season.

The result was never really in doubt.

Because Davis was not only a very talented player, he plays a position – tight end – that has undergone something of a resurgence in recent seasons. As the prototype of what some in NFL circles call a new breed of tight end – an athletic player who can block, but who is particularly adept at getting downfield in the passing game – a grade came back that quickly decided Davis’ immediate future:

First-round.

“I put in my petition, got a first-round grade, so that was the decision,” Davis said as he prepared for the 2006 NFL Draft, which will be held April 29-30 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

And according to most draft analysts, that grade couldn’t be more accurate.

Davis, at 6-foot-3, 254 pounds, is widely projected to be one of the first 10 players selected in this year’s draft, with Georgia tight end Leonard Pope a projected first-round selection and three other tight ends – Dominique Bird of Southern Cal, Marcedes Lewis of UCLA and Anthony Fasono of Notre Dame – also highly regarded by many analysts.

“There are a lot of great tight ends coming out this year,” Pope said.

All are considered potential impact players in a team’s passing game.

All are graded highly for athleticism.

And because of that, all are widely expected to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft.

“I feel good about being labeled as the new breed of tight end,” Davis said. “That’s what it is – you’ve got a guy who can do more than catch the ball. He can gain extra yardage after he catches the ball, make guys miss.

“That pretty much speaks for itself.”

As much as receiving ability, the tight ends rated high in the draft are typically defined by athleticism. The new breed of tight end are athletic players such as Tony Gonzalez of the Chiefs, Antonio Gates of the Chargers and Dallas Clark of the Colts who can create match-up problems by being too large for linebackers to cover and to fast for safeties to cover.

“Antonio Gates, he’s a god player,” Davis said. “He’s one I watched a lot through college. I like the way he plays, but there are some things when I observe him that he does that I can’t do and I see some things that I do can better than him as far as speed.

“Coach (Friedgen), he tried to find different ways to get me the ball, options, creative plays to get me open, but they were normally the seven routes, the post corners. When you’re running those, and you’ve got a tight end who can make moves like a wide receiver, it’s like a mismatch, especially when you’ve got a linebacker facing you.”

Because of the demand for athleticism, many of this year’s top tight ends have extensive basketball backgrounds. Davis, who attended high school at basketball power Washington (D.C.) Dunbar, played the sport before high school, and Pope – the tallest player among this year’s top tight ends at 6-feet-7¾ -- calls basketball his “first love.”

“But I fell in love with football,” said Pope, who – like Davis – declared for the draft with a year of eligibility remaining. “I pretty much chose football. All the schools (colleges) that recruited me for football all wanted me for basketball, too, because of my height. I wanted to give (Georgia Head) Coach (Mark) Richt my full ability in football.”

Davis, if projections are correct, will be drafted earlier than any tight end since the Denver Broncos selected Riley Odoms with the fifth overall selection of the 1972 Draft. No tight end ever has been selected among the first four selections. The Chicago Bears selected Hall of Fame tight end Mike Ditka No. 5 overall in 1961.

Davis is projected as a Top 10 overall selection in most mock drafts, with many projecting him sixth overall to San Francisco. Some have projected him at No. 5 to the Green Bay Packers. The lone tight end selected in the Top 10 since 1996 was Kellen Winslow, Jr., selected No. 6 overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2004.

Virginia tight end Heath Miller, selected 30th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the lone player at the position in the first round last off-season.

“Here’s this guy who is from the same conference as you, and you hope you can go in and do the same thing,” Davis saidof Miller. “I know I can do it, because I have a good work ethic and I’m a hard worker.”


Breaking Down the Top Tight Ends

A deep, talented position and the talent starts at the top. Vernon Davis of Maryland forewent his senior season and is expected to be one of the first 10 players selected, with Leonard Pope of Georgia also widely expected to be a first-round selection. Davis has been projected as high as No. 5 overall to Green Bay and many analysts have him going No. 6 overall to San Francisco. Pope has been projected at No. 26 to the Chicago Bears while other analysts project Marcedes Lewis of UCLA passing Pope and being selected in the lower third of the first round. Dominique Byrd of Southern Cal and Anthony Fasano of Notre Dame are also generally projected as second-round selections.

Tight Ends on the Colts’ roster

Dallas Clark (tight end/fullback), fourth NFL season; Bryan Fletcher, second NFL season; Ben Utecht, second NFL season; Ben Hartsock, third NFL season; Joey Hawkins, first NFL season.

Chris Polian on Scouting TEs*

“The tight end’s a guy who has to run, catch. We’d like for them obviously to block and contribute in the running game and in pass protection in certain situations. They don’t have to necessarily be overpowering or big, bulky blockers, but they do have to be effective at it. They have to be able to use technique blocking and be able to use their feet, be able to leverage people and sustain blocks. . . . As a receiver, those guys obviously offer big contributions in the passing game: Dallas (Clark), Marcus (Pollard) when he was here, and we saw Bryan Fletcher and Ben Utecht come on last year when they had opportunities to contribute. So, those guys will be involved in the passing game. In that aspect, you’re looking for a lot of criterion that is similar to receivers. They have to be able to run and they have to be athletic. . . . They’re going to be in different match-up situations, whether it’s linebacker, safety, man or zone They have to have quickness and be able to separate and they have to be tough and willing to catch in traffic and make tough catches on third down. . . . We’re fortunate in both Dallas and Fletch that we have the ability to run after the catch and have some speed. They can make big plays. . . . The prototype is hard to fine. The tight end is becoming more or a role position. You have a blocker and you have a receiver. The guys who do both at a high level are rare. With our team overall, we’ll always go with speed and athleticism and playmaking ability over size. We would like them to be big people, but that athletic ability and playmaking ability are paramount.”

*-Colts Vice President of Football Operations Chris Polian will break down how the Colts scout each position throughout Colts.com’s 2006 pre-draft coverage.

TIGHT ENDS

A look at the tight end position in the 2006 NFL Draft. Rankings and projected rounds are based on several national draft publications and in no way reflect the opinions of Colts personnel.

Position. Player, School, Ht., Wt., Round

1. **Vernon Davis, Maryland, 6-3, 255, 1

2. **Leonard Pope, Georgia, 6-8, 260, 1

3. Marcedes Lewis, UCLA, 6-6½, 260, 2

4. Dominique Byrd, Southern Cal, 6-3½, 255, 2

5. **Anthony Fasano, Notre Dame, 6-4, 260, 2

6. Joe Klopfenstein, Colorado, 6-5¾, 255, 3

7. T.J. Williams, North Carolina St., 6-2 ½, 260, 4

8. David Thomas, Texas, 6-3, 250, 4-5

9. Tim Day, Oregon, 6-3¼, 255, 4-5

10. Tony Scheffler, Western Michigan, 6-5½, 265, 4-5

11. Owen Daniels, Wisconsin, 6-3½, 255, 5-7

12. Charles Davis, Purdue, 6-3¼, 255, 5-7

13. Cooper Wallace, Auburn, 6-3½, 250, 5-7

14. Quinn Sypniewski, Colorado, 6-6½, 268, 5-7

15. Troy Bienemann, Washington St., 6-4½, 255, 5-7

**-Underclassman notas_de_prensa_archivo