Tag: Tight Ends

PFF: Bills’ Dawson Knox a ‘Tier 3’ tight end

PFF: #Bills’ Dawson Knox a ‘Tier 3’ tight end:

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Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox was ranked as the 12th-best player at his position by Pro Football Focus. The rankings, which examined the top 15 tight ends in the league, were broken into different tiers.

Knox was placed in 3three, falling into the “best of the rest” category as described by the football analytics outlet.

Here’s how PFF viewed Knox:

No quarterback found more success targeting a tight end than Josh Allen with Dawson Knox in 2021. That connection garnered a 130.5 passer rating last season, the highest of any QB-TE duo for the year. The 6-foot-4, 254-pound Knox thrived downfield with six touchdowns over 10 yards downfield in regular-season action (second-most among tight ends). And Knox did that despite suffering a broken hand midway through the season, an injury that kept him out a handful of games. While his ceiling is in question and there’s reason to believe some of his 2021 production numbers could regress in 2022, Knox brings a well-rounded athletic profile and a known floor to the table.

Knox set career bests with 49 receptions, 587 receiving yards, and nine touchdown reception in 2021. The combination of Knox’s growth and the Bills’ explosive offensive puts him on the radar for breakout candidates in 2022.

Knox was the second-best tight end in this AFC from this list, falling behind the New England Patriots’ Hunter Henry, who was slotted in 10th place.

The rankings were calculated using a variety of factors, including wins above replacement and PFF’s play-by-play grading system.

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Ravens TE Mark Andrews ranked as one of the best at his position by Pro Football Focus

Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was ranked as one the best players at his position by Pro Football Focus

The Baltimore Ravens have been gifted with numerous talented players at the tight end position over their 26-year-history. From Todd Heap and Dennis Pitta to Nick Boyle and Mark Andrews, the team has been able to identify great talent at the position and it shows.

When ranking the best NFL tight ends, Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus had high praise for Andrews. He used a three-tier system that had the best players as “elite”, followed by players with “tier 1 capabilities, but either lack consistency or have slipped”, and finally “the best of the rest”.

Andrews was placed in the elite category by Treash, and was behind just three other players at the position in Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller. When explaining why Andrews was in the elite category, Treash acknowledged the tight end is the go-to option for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“Andrews took his game to another level in 2021 and became even more of the go-to option for quarterback Lamar Jackson. He posted a career-high 91.5 PFF grade in 2021, the highest among tight ends. The 6-foot-5, 256-pound tight end boasts top-tier ball skills, provides a physical element as a receiver and makes difficult grabs over the middle in traffic look routine. Andrews ranked top five at the position in drop rate (2.6%) and contested catch rate (60%, 18-of-30) while producing more 15-plus yard receptions than any other tight end in the NFL (33). He’s essentially a big slot in the Ravens’ offense, as he played over 50% of his snaps on the inside. And Andrews isn’t a slouch when blocking inline, either, ranking third among tight ends in run-blocking grade for 2021.”

It’s no surprise Andrews received some love from PFF, as the tight end is one of the best at his position. Andrews has been selected to two Pro Bowls and also was awarded 2021 First-Team All-Pro honors. Through his first four seasons, the tight end has caught 263 passes for 3,466 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.

Noah Fant sees endless options for tight ends in Seahawks offense

Noah Fant sees endless options for tight ends in the Seattle Seahawks offense, which he believes is favorable to the position.

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Noah Fant came to Seattle this offseason with Drew Lock in the trade that sent quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks immediately picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract which sent a message to the young tight end.

Now, having been with the team for over a month, Fant has gotten a better idea of how Seattle utilizes the tight ends on the roster and he likes what he sees.

“I like the way we get passing concepts down the field,” Fant told reporters during his press conference last week. “The run game, obviously it’s going to be all built off the run game, which is a huge part of the game. Obviously, the play-action is going to be huge. So it’s a very balanced offense, which I like, and it’s very favorable to the tight end. So it’s nice.”

Fant was originally selected by the Broncos out of Iowa in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. Now with a new team for the first time in his career, he hopes to capitalize on the opportunity which is so advantageous to his playing syle.

“Like I was saying before, it’s definitely an offense that’s favorable to the tight end, making life a little bit easier, making sure you know where you fit conceptually,” Fant expalined. “Like I said, being able to move around within the offense. That’s where it kind of gets a little bit touchy is like you have to know what you’re doing. You have to know conceptually of what’s going on.

“But once you get that down, the options are endless of what you can do, which is exactly what I want to be in.”

Fant and the rest of the Seahawks are set to kick off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

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Pro Football Focus reinforces why Notre Dame TE Mayer is one of the best in the country

Not surprising here

We all know that Irish tight end Michael Mayer is awesome, but sometimes we don’t really realized how great he actually has been in his first two seasons with Notre Dame. “Baby Gronk” has caught 113 balls for 1,290-yards and 9 touchdowns in his Notre Dame career.

What you might not have known though is that Mayer’s exploits have been among the best in the country, shocking we know. Pro Football Focus put his greatness into national context with this tweet, showing everyone that Mayer is tied for the nation’s lead with those 113 catches among active tight ends at the FBS level.

There is some bad news that comes with this, it’s the realization that most likely Mayer if off to the NFL after this year. The rising-junior is already viewed as one of the top draft prospects at his position and that is most likely not going to change after this fall.

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Bears 2022 NFL Draft preview: Where does Chicago stand at tight end?

We’re breaking down each position ahead of the 2022 NFL draft. Next up is TE, which may not be as big of a priority during the draft.

The Chicago Bears are coming off a disappointing 2021 season that ushered in the start of a new era with general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. The hope is this Ryan-Matt duo will be able to guide the Bears  back to relevance.

With the NFL draft fast approaching, Poles still has plenty of work to do with the current roster, which features some glaring holes at positions of need. Positions like wide receiver, offensive line and defensive back remain huge concerns.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the 2022 NFL draft. It’s time to look at tight ends, a position that was bolstered last week and may not be as big of a priority during the draft.

Chiefs TEs coach Tom Melvin, WRs coach Joe Bleymaier ran drills at combine

Two members of the #Chiefs coaching staff got a close look at prospects at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday.

The Kansas City Chiefs had two members of the coaching staff getting a close look at two different position groups during the on-field workouts at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday.

First up, Chiefs TE coach Tom Melvin was one of several NFL staff members down on the field helping run the various drills that tight ends went through. He was spotted on the field for various route-running and receiving drills, but had a key role in running the “gauntlet” drill.

The “gauntlet” is a catching drill that requires players to catch seven passes, each coming from different points of the field. It takes a combination of focus and athleticism to go through the drill successfully, but it’s also one of the more enjoyable drills to watch at the combine too.

You can see Melvin helping the players get set before the drill begins above.

It’s not uncommon that the Chiefs and other NFL teams have coaches on the field to help with these drills. It doesn’t always happen every year, though. In the past, we’ve seen coaches like former WRs coach Greg Lewis and OL coach Andy Heck on the field for drills.

Later, Chiefs WRs coach Joe Bleymaier was spotted on the field coaching up the multiple groups of receivers before they ran routes vs. air. It appeared that he was coaching them up specifically on in-breaking routes.

It’s notable that Melvin was getting a closer look at the tight ends in this class because many consider the position to be one of the deeper groups in the 2022 class. It’s also notable that Bleymaier was out there getting a close look at receivers, specifically coaching guys up on those in-breaking routes. Perhaps the team is looking for a receiver in the draft who specializes in the intermediate, middle-of-the-field stuff. It’s certainly food for thought.

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Jaguars positional needs and 2021 review: Tight Ends

The Jags got some surprising production from Dan Arnold, but the tight end spot still needs some work.

The tight end position was one many expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to address in the offseason last year. Whether that meant targeting a free agent or taking a player in the first two days of the draft, it was clear the team needed to revamp the position.

Neither of those possibilities ultimately played out, though. The team didn’t do much to address the tight end spot until Week 4 of the regular season, when it dealt cornerback C.J. Henderson to the Carolina Panthers and got tight end Dan Arnold in return.

But that was the only major addition all of last season, and heading into 2022, it seems unlikely that the Jags make the same mistake at what is quickly evolving into one of the most important positions in the modern game.

Here’s how the tight ends looked in 2021 and the outlook at the spot moving forward.

Every TE Alabama has offered in the 2023 recruiting class

Here are all the tight ends Alabama has offered from the 2023 recruiting class!

Alabama finished the 2021 college football season as the No. 2 team after losing to Georgia in the national championship and fell just short of No. 1 as well in the 2022 recruiting rankings – Texas A&M took the top spot in that.

Looking ahead to 2023, the Crimson Tide looks to reclaim the recruiting title by continuing to offer some of the top-rated positional players from across the nation.

Here at Roll Tide Wire, we have covered offers to 2023 quarterbacks, running backs and cornerbacks. Today, we look at the seven tight ends from the 2023 class that Alabama has already offered.

Nick Saban has recruited and developed numerous tight ends that have gone on to play at the NFL level, with O.J. Howard and Irv Smith jr. being two prime examples.

Despite some of the offered players having already committed elsewhere, here is who has been on the Crimson Tide’s radar so far.

Dan Arnold near the top of the league’s TEs in routes run from the slot or out wide

Arnold ranked fifth in the league among tight ends in routes run from the slot with 78%.

It was an overall disappointing season for Jacksonville, but one of the few bright spots was the play of tight end Dan Arnold. The position was arguably the team’s biggest need heading into last offseason, and it didn’t do much to address it aside from drafting Luke Farrell, who is primarily a blocker, in the fifth round.

That changed three weeks into the regular season when the team acquired Arnold in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. He finished with 324 yards on 28 catches, and though he didn’t find the end zone, he had five games in which he surpassed 50 receiving yards.

His season was ultimately cut short with an injury, but he proved to be one of the more versatile tight ends in the league, ranking among the top five in routes run from the slot or out wide.

This could prove to be significant in terms of how the Jaguars see his role moving forward. That’s especially the case when considering the lack of receiving ability the team has at the position behind Arnold right now.

With James O’Shaughnessy set to hit free agency from the current tight ends group, this team will likely look to add someone else, potentially in the first two days of the draft. However, that may not hurt Arnold’s role too much when considering how much new coach Doug Pederson likes to utilize multiple tight ends as pass catchers.

Tight end has become one of the most important positions in the NFL, and the Jags need to find one that can be a reliable target for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Though there will likely be at least one new addition at the position, there’s reason to believe Arnold could be that player.

Spring Football Preview: Auburn’s best tight end room in years

This could be one of the deepest units on the team.

One of the bright spots of the offense last season was the emergence of Auburn’s tight ends.

It was something that Auburn fans have wanted for years and the group more than delivered. John Samuel Shenker broke the program records for catches and yards and was one of the offences most reliable players.

Meanwhile, Tyler Fromm and Luke Deal were used in variety of ways to help the offense and Landen King looked like a potential star to end the season.

With the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback and wide receiver positions, Auburn will need to lean on the tight ends even more than they did last season, but this group is up for the challenge. Here is a look at the group.