Tag: Tight Ends

Why Seahawks are ‘loading up’ on tight ends this season

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll appreciates the versatility of all six tight ends on the roster and welcomes the competition this offseason.

The Seahawks seem to keep adding to their tight end room this offseason and now have six on the roster. Seattle signed veteran Greg Olsen ahead of free agency, re-inked a couple of players to the squad on one-year deals and drafted not one, but two tight ends in this year’s NFL Draft.

“We’re loading up, we’re loading up,” coach Pete Carroll said after the draft. “We’re really excited. You’re going to hear me every time go right back to competition. It can’t be better than this one. The guys are different too. We have unique players.”

Carroll mentioned each player’s strongpoints, like Olsen’s leadership and ability to mentor younger players like Will Dissly, whose first two years have been cut short by season-ending injuries. Carroll also drew attention to Jacob Hollister, who had a breakout couple of games for Seattle in 2019.

And now, Carroll is welcoming two rookies to the tight end competition, even though Stephen Sullivan is technically listed as a wide receiver on the roster.

“The whole group, between Colby [Parkinson] and Stephen with what we just did, you have two totally different kinds of guys,” Carroll explained. “They’re just different style players. And, again, we always like that . . . It’s been an offseason of creativity for us just to try and make sure that we open up the opportunities to showcase the guys’ strengths. These new guys come in and they just add more dimensions to us.”

The tight ends will get their first glimpse into the competition when the virtual offseason kicks off Monday morning.

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NFL Draft: Bears Kmet Tweets Excitement to “Stay Home”

Cole Kmet is the newest member of the Chicago Bears. The hometown kid gets his chance to live out a dream playing for his hometown team.

I wonder how long it’ll be before former Chicago Bears and Notre Dame players Tom Thayer or Chris Zorich reach out to Cole Kmet.  Kmet became the latest player to go from playing high school football in Chicagoland, attend and play at Notre Dame then ultimately get drafted by the Bears.

Kmet tweeted his excitement moments after getting the call that forever changed his life.

I guess you could say Kmet took Lori Lightfoot’s order to stay home literally.

2020 NFL Draft: 4 TEs Bills could consider in second round

Here are four tight ends who could be available for the Bills in the second round. 

The Buffalo Bills first scheduled draft selection won’t occur until Day 2 of the 2020 NFL Draft, as the team picks at No. 54 overall.

Luckily, the Bills do not have a glaring need on their roster, making this year’s draft quite intriguing. Buffalo’s front office, led by general manager Brandon Beane, can go in a multitude of directions with the pick, leaving quite a bit of interest and uncertainty with whom the Bills could select.

This installment of our position-by-position series looks at the tight end prospects and which players could still be on the board when the Bills make their first selection at the upcoming draft:

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Current roster

The Bills have several viable options at the tight end position on their roster. Dawson Knox, one of the Bills’ third-round picks from last year, has the inside track as the top option on the depth chart. Buffalo also has Tyler Kroft, Lee Smith, and Tommy Sweeney, all who contributed in different ways last year. The team offered a contract to exclusive rights free agent Jason Croom as well. 

The room seems full, but the Bills may still look for a player to further supplement the group. Knox is still developing at the position, Kroft is injury-prone, Smith is a sixth-lineman, and Sweeney is a depth option. Thus, a stronger option in the passing game could be intriguing for the Bills with their pick at No. 54. In addition, the Bills did express a desire to add Greg Olsen earlier this offseason, so to some extent, there’s an interest to add here.

There are several tight ends who may be available in the second round for Buffalo. While the position isn’t necessarily a great need, if an athlete is available to give quarterback Josh Allen another weapon in the passing game, then the Bills may take a swing at a player. 

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Watch: Notre Dame’s Top 10 Catches by Tight Ends

In the midst of the sports abyss we currently sit in the Notre Dame Athletics YouTube Page has been posting top-ten lists of various events over the years and counting down some of the best plays we’ve seen from Notre Dame athletes.

Their latest honors the great tight ends that have come through Notre Dame and the best plays they’ve made over time.  Without spoiling the list go ahead and watch it and then we’ll react.

Nobody does the tight end position better than Notre Dame.  Year in and year out you look at the NFL Draft and another Notre Dame tight end is getting their name called.  In a few short weeks Cole Kmet will become the latest on that list.

In the midst of the sports abyss we currently sit in the Notre Dame Athletics YouTube Page has been posting top-ten lists of various events over the years and counting down some of the best plays we’ve seen from Notre Dame athletes.

Their latest honors the great tight ends that have come through Notre Dame and the best plays they’ve made over time.  Without spoiling the list go ahead and watch it and then we’ll react.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA-H3rV47Y8&w=560&h=315]

My immediate thought is without the impact of the play, the most impressive is Irv Smith’s at three.  What Smith did to those pour Hoosier souls sent football back three decades in Bloomington.

The two ahead of it obviously led directly to a national championship being won so even if they weren’t the most impressive plays like Smith’s was, I can’t argue for a second against either being ranked ahead of it.

The Rudolph play against Michigan in 2010 was one of the most-exciting I’ve been in attendance for, it’s just too bad nobody could tackle Denard Robinson that afternoon.

You could really put five through nine in any order and I don’t think anyone would be too upset.  The Rudolph game-winner at Purdue saved things from going south that season.  Well, for a few weeks, anyway.

If there was one that didn’t make the list that I always remember it’s the Jabari Holloway fumble recovery to take the lead against USC in 1999.  It didn’t save a memorable season by any means but it did help complete an epic comeback against Notre Dame’s biggest rival.

Then again, it wasn’t a catch.

Notre Dame Makes Cut For Yet Another Top Tight End

Bowers is graded as the third best tight end in the 2021 class per 247Sports and measures out at 6-3, 225 pounds.

Notre Dame’s history as Tight End U doesn’t slow down, it just tends to reload and produce at very high levels year after year.  New head coach, new coordinators, quarterbacks and systems?  Doesn’t matter, even in some dark years tight ends still produce at Notre Dame and go on to the NFL with regularity.

Now Notre Dame is in the running for one of the best tight ends in the 2021 recruiting class as Brock Bowers, a four-star tight end announced his “top eight” on Sunday with Notre Dame making the cut.

The Napa, California has an interesting top eight with a five schools; Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington, being on the west coast and Georgia, Notre Dame and Penn State pulling off the national pitch.

Bowers is graded as the third best tight end in the 2021 class per 247Sports and measures out at 6-3, 225 pounds.  Bowers is coming off a remarkable junior season as he pulled down 39 receptions for 1098 yards and 14 touchdowns while also rushing the ball 22 times for 316 yards and three scores.

Notre Dame has been loading up at the position in recent years, having both Michael Mayer (five-star) and Kevin Bauman (four-star) join their 2020 class.  The Fighting Irish do already have one tight end commit for the ’21 class in Cane Berrong of Hart County in Georgia, a 6-4, 230 pound prospect per 247.

2020 NFL Draft: Which tight end will be drafted first?

A look at the tight ends who could be drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and who is most likely to be picked first.

One of the weakest positions in the 2020 NFL Draft is tight end. Barring a surprise, there won’t be a tight end drafted in the first round. In fact, there is a realistic chance that there isn’t a tight end drafted inside of the top-50 selections.

However, that won’t prevent us from wagering on who will be the first tight end draft come April 23-25. Take a look at the odds for the first tight end to be drafted:

2020 NFL Draft odds, first TE selected:

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday, March 21 at 5:20 p.m. ET.

Player
School
Odds
Cole Kmet Notre Dame -110
Adam Trautman Dayton +400
Thaddeus Moss LSU +600
Albert Okwuegbunam Missouri +600
Brycen Hopkins Purdue +800
Hunter Bryant Washington +800
Harrison Bryant Florida Atlantic +1200
Jared Pinkney Vanderbilt +1200

Who will be the first TE drafted? Best bets

Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet is the odds-on favorite to be the first tight end off the board as he possesses ideal size and speed for the position. While he needs to improve as a blocker, he is just 20 years old and is still improving. Given the big-school pedigree and elite size, Kmet should come off the board sometime in the second round. Even despite the lower odds, Kmet is still a GOOD BET to be the first tight end selected.

Looking to place a bet on the 2020 NFL Draft? Place your legal sports wagers online at BetMGM. Bet now!

After Kmet comes Dayton’s Adam Trautman. Despite playing at a small school, Trautman made a name for himself at the 2020 Senior Bowl. But after he ran a 4.80 40-yard dash at the combine, it’s tough to see Trautman being drafted inside the top 60 picks. Despite the attractive odds, PASS on betting on Trautman to be the first tight end selected.

The sucker bet here is LSU’s Thaddeus Moss, whose odds have been pushed up due to name recognition. After measuring in at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Moss doesn’t have ideal size for the position — to go with his below-average speed. That doesn’t even take into account that he broke his foot before the combine, meaning that he won’t be able to work out for teams at all before late April. PASS on Moss to be the first tight end drafted at +600 and look for him to be a late Day 3 selection.

An intriguing longshot name to monitor is Missouri’s Albert Okwuegbunam. At the combine, Okwuegbunam stole the show with a 4.49 40 dash while weighing 258 pounds. He is one of the most athletic tight ends in the class, and with three years of college production on his resume, it wouldn’t be a shock to see someone gamble on his upside late in the second round. CONSIDER BETTING on Okwuegbunam at +600 to be the first tight end drafted.

Want action on the 2020 NFL Draft? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Report: Bills re-sign TE Jason Croom

The Buffalo Bills have reportedly re-signed tight end Jason Croom.

The Buffalo Bills have reportedly re-signed tight end Jason Croom, per ESPN’s Field Yates. Croom was an exclusive-rights free agent for the Bills:

Croom suffered a hamstring injury last summer, and it plagued him throughout training camp, ultimately landing him in injured reserved for the 2019 season.

Croom had 22 receptions for 259 receiving yards and one touchdown reception in 2018, leading all Bills tight ends.

He will compete within a crowded tight end room. Incumbents Tyler Kroft, Dawson Knox, Lee Smith, Tommy Sweeney, and Nate Becker are all under contract for next season. The Bills were in the market for a new tight end via Greg Olsen, but the former Panther signed with the Seahawks instead of the Bills earlier this offseason. In wake of his decision, the Bills appear to be rolling things back with the same crew from last season, as Kroft restructured his contract on Friday as well.

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2020 NFL Combine: Winners from the TE group

Overall, the tight ends group underwhelmed on the day but a few players stood out and likely separated themselves from the pack.

The 2020 NFL Combine opened their on-field drills with the tight ends group. The group began, as always, with the 40-yard-dash, but when they shifted into position drills, we were introduced to a few new drills.

Overall the group underwhelmed, and with the Lions investing heavily at the position last offseason, it would be surprising if they selected a tight end from this year’s class before the later part of Day 3.

Let’s take a look at those who did earn positive marks today.

Adam Trautman, Dayton, 6-5, 255

In the mix to potentially be the first tight end selected, Trautman ran a middle-of-the-road 4.75 40-yard-dash but looked sharp in drills — including a new blocking sled drill, where he may have been the only player to use proper technique. As one of the more balanced tight ends in the class, he will likely be selected before the Lions start looking at the position.

Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri, 6-5.5, 258

Entering the season Okwuegbunam was discussed as the potential top tight end in this class, but an underwhelming redshirt junior season that saw him put up a career-low statistical season quieted the hype around him.

The hype started back up today after he ran an official 4.49 40-yard-dash (no other tight end ran under 4.60). But, when they shifted on-field, his speed slowed in favor of improving his catch accuracy, which will leave scouts wondering if he actually plays as fast as he can run in a straight line.

Stephen Sullivan, LSU, 6-5, 248

Sullivan’s 4.66 40–yard-dash was a solid score, but when he got on the field, it was no surprise that the former wide receiver stood out in the pass-catching drills. At LSU, he took a backseat in production to Thaddeus Moss, but with the NFL’s desire to add more mismatch move tight ends, his stock could be on the rise. If the Lions don’t bring back Logan Thomas — or find his replacement in free agency — Sullivan could be a late-round target.

Notes:

  • Moss (6-2, 250, LSU) was flagged with a broken foot during medicals and was not cleared to participate.
  • Cole Kmet (6-6, 262, Notre Dame), who may challenge Trautman for top honors, didn’t do enough to stand out.
  • Hunter Bryant (6-2, 248, Washington) was expected to fly based on his game tape, but his 4.73 40-yard-dash, while respectable, was slower than expected.

NFL combine Thursday slate: Quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends

Everything you need to know to catch the quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends work out at this year’s NFL scouting combine in Indy.

This week marks one of the busiest around the league as hundreds of top prospects from around the country are expected to participate in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.

The interviews and physicals are in the books for the first set of players set to take the national stage Thursday night for their on-field drills at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends will display their skills for the first time in prime time.

A few drills have changed this season, some added and some removed from the lineup. For the quarterbacks, the end zone fade and timed smoke/now route drill will be introduced. For the wide receivers and tight ends, the end zone fade route has been added and the toe tap drill eliminated.

Here’s everything you need to know to catch the action Thursday night.

WHAT: 2020 NFL Scouting Combine

WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 27, 1 p.m. PT to 8:00 p.m. PT

WHERE: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

TV: NFL Network, ESPN (one hour)

STREAMING: NFL App, NFL.com/watch and Watch ESPN

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Ranking 8 of the best 2020 free agent tight ends

There are 48 potential free-agent tight ends according to Spotrac. The bad news is that the pickings are slim. There is one big-name tight end who has put up numbers but the rest are either injury prone or more role player than a star pass catcher. …

There are 48 potential free-agent tight ends according to Spotrac. The bad news is that the pickings are slim. There is one big-name tight end who has put up numbers but the rest are either injury prone or more role player than a star pass catcher.

Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Hooper

Hooper has been selected to the Pro Bowl the past two seasons and it is time for him to cash in. The Falcons don’t have much cap room so expect to see Hooper on the move. The last two seasons have seen Hooper combine for 146 catches and 10 touchdowns. He’s a strong red-zone presence. He is an adequate blocker at the position. He had a great statistical year last season but didn’t even play the whole year. Expect there to be more than a few offers for Hooper. He’ll be able to pick his next team.

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