“If he is wearing No. 47, we are identical.”
That was Chris Cooley’s first reaction when watching film of the Commanders’ second-round choice (No. 53 overall), Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott.
Cooley was a guest Friday on the “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast and gave his film review of the tight end the Commanders drafted last week.
“He is what Joe Gibbs used to call an H-back; he’s versatile,” added Cooley.
Cooley said what he really liked initially about Sinnott was that he is flexible. The Commanders will be able to split Sinnott out wide. He can play in a tight split, a wing split, full back, tight, and next to the quarterback in the shotgun. Cooley concluded that K-State using Sinnott in so many positions reveals the young man is an intelligent player.
Pointing to his 4.68 at the Scouting Combine, Cooley praised his running of routes, “He is clearly a big-time target,” saying it was fun to watch him.
Cooley also praised Sinnott for being a hands-catcher of the ball rather than a chest-catcher. The former Washington tight end loved Sinnott’s ability to catch the ball at the high point and praised his vertical jumping ability.
A former wrestler, Cooley is fully aware of playing another sport at a high level and how this develops you athletically. He and Sheehan both pointed to the newest Commander also playing a lot of tennis and hockey as well as football.
Cooley was also excited about his ability to make some awesome runs after the catch as an H-back. He elaborated, saying Sinnott is tough to bring down and has that toughness to run through everything.
Seeing the Commanders will be able to line up Sinnott in multiple positions, Cooley pointed out that it also presents another challenge for the defense because your personnel becomes more unpredictable.
As for a weakness? Cooley feels Sinnott in his blocking needs some work in his hands and footwork early on in a block, saying he was not technically sound in some of the film.
However, Cooley was also quick to say that Sinnott made many good blocks. Thus, he was encouraged, saying Sinnott is certainly willing to block and will therefore improve his technique as his NFL career progresses.
“I will tell you right now, Joe Gibbs would love Ben Sinnott. This would be his guy. He would draft this guy. This is his H-back who can play receiver and tight end. He is a versatile tight end.”