Both Tony Fasano and David Martin had career years last season, DMart in particular gave us a nice deep threat but IMO, we could look to upgrade that position this draft, here is the top 10 Te prospects this year: At one time we were said to be looking at Nelson, but I like Coffman a bit more for the Receiving Tight End.
I don't think we need to, IMO. There are more important needs we have, like CB, LB, NT, and maybe one more WR.
no i think we are set at TE for a while we have 3 good TEs one that people seem to forget about Joey Haynos
He was able to grab a TD in the regular season. That doesn't make a good player but it shows he can catch the ball when it's thrown at him. I hope we don't go TE early. Now I'm hoping CB/LB.
Cofffman is a larger player then Clark is, he's 6'6. We need sort of a Jason Witten/Dallas Clark type of Te, Fasano is fine for what he is, but if they wish to upgrade the offense, there is a spot at Te open. Unless Fasano can develop and I don't think he is a everydown threat at Te like the top guys are.
Tight end is almost a definate area in which we will not draft in. Fasano is still young and Haynos was just a rookie and he will be in development for when its time for Martin to exit. We are set at tight end and too me, if we use a pick on a TE, then we wasted a pick.
With an early pick.... absolutely. Taking flyers on later round picks I'd have no problem with it. What does that have to do with the talk of taking a TE though? I agree with the people that stated TE would be a mistake to take early this year. Were fine with what we have right now and have serious talent shortfalls at a number of other positions. Top teams that have strong rosters can consider making "upgrade" picks at positions that already have talent. Were not that fortunate. Still a rebuild project with many shortcomings that need immediate attention. NT, CB,WR,ILB, OLB are all glaring needs. Hell TE's aren't even a true impact position on most teams.
Because Martin is leaving after this year, and a good, dual purpose Te who can run, block and catch is something that every offense needs? For all the talk of Wr, Parcell's wherever he went is far more likely to take Te then a Wr early, and a true deep threat Te is such a luxury for an offense, literally it opens the middle of the field like Ginn does at Wr.
i do not see it with the major holes at cb. but i will not say never , as if someone falls that they like the trio will do what they do
James casey is the man, i would love for him to be in a dolphin uni. Kid is gonna be a difference maker on the next level, he can do it all, have ya'll seen him run the wildcat.
I would be pretty upset. Both Fasano and Martin showed the kind of upside to make you think they could be uncontested, productive #1s in the right situations. I think you also have to consider that Cobbs was basically filling an H-back role too
Martin is a poor blocker, he can run a great seam route, but the other things a Te should do, he doesn't. A quibble about a productive player? No doubt it is, however the 11-5 season skews things, in a "perfect" NFL World both would be sufficient, however if we are to build the Offense, a second, productive Te matters. We acquired Fasano as a cast away, they had already used a second #2 pick on a Te, with Witten starting, Fasano would not see the field. That is the problem with a 11-5 "surprise" record Disgustipate, it made our roster look better then it is.
I get you point Padre but in my belief TE simply isn't THAT important a spot. A good one can add another dimension to an offense but it's hardly part of the core spots needed to build a champion. It may be one of the lowest rungs of importance IMO. Too many other glaring needs to use a first day pick. Taking a flyer on a later round prospect is fine by me.
He was a poor blocker in 2007, but not in 2008. The difference in his game in all aspects was like night and day comparing '07 to '08.
I think we could use another TE. Haynos looks kind of soft to me as a blocker, even as big as he is. With both of our top 2 being UFAs next year, we will probably not be able to keep both. Also, Henning likes a lot of two TE formations. Casey makes as much sense to me as any. He could be used as an H-back too. Not sure he has the size to be a good inline blocker, but he is the kind of guy you never want to sell short in any aspect.
I love the dudes game Mr. C, and i have to think that were gonna spend at least 1 first day draft pick on some " firepower", for me personally that fire power comes in an all around package in the form of Casey or Pat white.
Padre I could see a mid round pick, to bring in someone to push our TE group. I do like the TE class this year. CB is a need for us as well losing Goody, and Will Allen is not a spring chicken anymore, but still plays good.
Not that I'd be completely against finding a TE, but I'd rather them not spend a ton of resources and find an H-Back in the mold of a Jim Kleinsasser or Brandon Manumaleuna, a big blocker. Someone like David Johnson. I don't think "poor" is a particularly fair characterization. He's not a great blocker by any means, but he isn't Randy McMichael either. He's not a fantastic in-line blocker, but he has no problems finding and sealing a guy. He saw a fair amount of time at H-Back, and considering the fact that it was he, not Fasano playing on the side 75% of the runs go towards in the Wildcat I think it suggests the FO doesn't think he's hapless in that regard. The guy got 450 yards as a #2 TE. That's not attributing anything to him he didn't do as a result of a successful season, those are actual measures of production. Martin also happened to be one of the best TEs in the league in yards per catch, at 15 a pop. He was running, and succeeding on deeper routes that most tight ends. In fact, the only comparably productive TE with more was Tony Scheffler, and I'd suspect given the offense he played in a bunch was off of YAC on those PA bootleg releases that Peyton Hillis gained a bunch of yardage vs. the Dolphins with. I'm fairly certain those decisions were made by Jerry Jones.
In my amateur opinion... I would draft Jared Cook with our first pick in the 2nd. I would use him more as a big bodied WR who knows how to block rather than a traditional TE. He is a physical phenom at 6'5" and almost 250lbs. Cook ran a 4.5 forty on a slow Combine track. That would put him in the top half of all pure WR's in Indianapolis. Now, his 41" vertical would have ranked #2 among WR's. 6'5", 250lbs., 4.50 forty, 41"-vert...I'm not finished. His arms are almost 36" long and he was still able to throw up 23 reps on the bench (that's a lot for arms that long)! Oh yeah, his hands measure in at over 10" as well. What CB can match his size and what LB can match his speed? Jared Cook seems like an ideal red-zone threat with speed that will allow him get down field in a hurry. There are a lot of people enamored by the size of Ramses Barden, but Jared Cook is bigger, faster, stronger (almost...one inch shorter). Go for a CB like Darius Butler in the 1st, Jared Cook at 2a, Kraig Urbik at 2b and Lawrence Sidbuby at 3...I'm a very happy camper. Jets Suck, NSR!
If the primary reason we may take White would be to play a receiver role, and the Wildcat was secondary, then there is the argument to take Casey for that purpose. We already know he has fine receiver skills, plus QB and arm strength in his background, one could see him taking direct snaps in the Wildcat, although as a multipurpose threat taking the snap in that formation, White could be better. Casey has good RAC in the open field, but running out of the backfield, I'm not so sure he would be the threat White would be.
Te's are bit different nsopr, a great Te has to have a great feel for the passing game more then outright speed, if they have both then you have Antonio Gates 3 years ago, but we have a better Wr corps then the Chargers had back in 06.
its just that they both have that diversity and character thats so attractive to me,their both exciting multidimensional type players, if we go defense with our first three picks, and one of them is there in the third, then i cant see a better offensive threat then casey or white....Theres no receiver or back that will be more valuable then them at that point.
If I'm going TE I go Jared Cook all the way and tell him to lose five lbs and work on blocking safeties. He's fast enough, quick enough, and strong enough to be in the slot each and every play. I don't even think about making him a true tight end. By having him out there, you've got very likely a LB coming out of the game, a mismatch, or at worst you've got a strong safety trying to cover a guy that plays like a WR.
Keller was a better route-runner in my opinion but is not quite as physically talented (remember 40 times this year were slower). Keller is older by a couple years and further along in the talent curve. I absolutely loved Keller coming out and would have wanted him at 32. Ever since Marques Colston came in and proved that a WR with solid speed and great size, quickness can be dominant it's changed the equation. Keller with decent QBing will really take off and I mean really take off.
In highschool Jared Cook was a WR and Safety...rated in the top 40 WR's in the nation by Rivals. In his Freshman year at SC he was a WR, but the following season he basically grew out of his position. The passing game is his strong suit.
Would you take either one at 56th overall? IMO, both will be gone, especially Casey, by our 3rd round pick. In my latest mock draft I decided to put him at the 2b pick after you reminded me both our TEs are UFAs next year. I'm not so worried about Ronnie and Ricky next off season being UFAs. RB is about the easiest position in which to incorporate a good rookie into the offense. Better we have a rookie TE amalgamated into our system this season in case we lose either Fasano or Martin, or both, next off season. We can draft a replacement RB if we need to, next draft.
If you are looking at spending a high draft pick on a TE, why not just try to sign a RFA like Owen Daniels from Houston? At least with that route you have a proven player who can come in right away and make your club better.