NFL Draft — Tight Ends

Athlon Sports’ 2008 NFL Mock Draft and Top 100 prospect database will be unveiled on Friday, Feb. 15. Until then, we will be taking a look back at the past five NFL Drafts — with a position-by-position breakdown of the players taken in the Top 100 and first round, along with a sneak preview of the 2008 NFL Draft class.

Tight End Trend

The tight end position has evolved from receiver-eligible sixth offensive lineman to featured downfield playmaker. Although blocking is still part of the job description, pass-catching and touchdown-making have taken over the position.

Tight ends are now giant receivers rather than smaller linemen. All-Pro tight ends like the Chiefs’ Tony Gonzalez (6’5”, 250) and the Chargers’ Antonio Gates (6’4”, 260) — both athletic former basketball players, at Cal and Kent State, respectively — have changed the way the position is perceived by defenses and utilized by offenses.

This trend has led to the increased value of the position on Draft Day. On some teams, like Gonzo’s Chiefs and Gates’ Bolts, the tight end is the top target in the offense. But in most situations, a high-octane offense uses its tight end — like the Colts’ Dallas Clark or the Cowboys’ Jason Witten — to keep a defense honest over the middle and in the red zone.

A good tight end allows the wide receivers on the outside more freedom while giving the quarterback a safety valve along with more first-down or scoring options. And with the increased athleticism of tight ends, one-on-one match-up problems force a defense to focus more schematic attention or pay the price on the scoreboard.

The 2008 NFL Draft tight end class has several prospects on the first-round bubble. Texas A&M two-sport star Martellus Bennett (6’7”, 255) has the most upside, while USC’s Fred Davis (6’4”, 250) has the most college production and Notre Dame’s John Carlson (6’6”, 255) has experience in Charlie Weis’ so-called pro-style offense.

	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003
1st Round	1	2	1	2	1
Top 100	3	9	3	6	7

Over the past five years, an average of six tight ends have been selected in the Top 100 picks — which is roughly the first three rounds — of the NFL Draft. Of those, an average of one tight end per year has been a first-round choice.

The first tight end taken is usually a late first round pick. Only rare exceptions find their way to the top of the first round. The highest-drafted tight ends of all-time are Michigan's Ron Kramer (No. 4 by Packers in 1957) and Pitt's Mike Ditka (No. 5 by Bears in 1961).

2007	Player, School	Team (Pick)
1st Round	Greg Olsen, Miami	Bears (31)
Top 100	Zach Miller, Arizona State Matt Spaeth, Minnesota	Raiders (38) Steelers (77)

Olsen was a perfect fit for the Bears and a relatively easy pick for the Super Bowl XLI losers. Originally a transfer from Notre Dame, Olsen followed in a long line of first-round tight ends out of Miami. As a rookie, the 6'5", 255-pound Olsen had 39 catches for 391 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games.

Following in the footsteps of former Sun Devil great Todd Heap, Miller had a slightly more productive rookie year than Olsen. Starting all 16 games for the Raiders, Miller had 44 catches for 444 yards and three trips to the end zone.

2006	Player, School	Team (Pick)
1st Round	Vernon Davis, Maryland Marcedes Lewis, UCLA	49ers (6) Jaguars (28)
Top 100	Joe Klopfenstein, Colorado Anthony Fasano, Notre Dame Tony Scheffler, Western Michigan Leonard Pope, Georgia David Thomas, Texas Dominique Byrd, USC Owen Daniels, Wisconsin	Rams (46) Cowboys (53) Broncos (61) Cardinals (72) Patriots (86) Rams (93) Texans (98)

Davis put on a show at the NFL Scouting Combine, with off-the-charts numbers for his 40-yard dash (4.38), 225-pound bench press (33 reps), vertical leap (42") and broad jump (10'8"). That helped the Terp climb to the top of the first round. After playing only 10 games as a rookie, Davis bounced back to post 52 catches for 509 yards and four scores in 14 games this season.

Lewis has been above-average but not spectacular in two years with the Jags; Klopfenstein has struggled to find his place in the NFL; Fasano is biding his time behind Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten in Dallas; and Pope has become a red zone weapon.

Scheffler has been the most productive member of this group. One of Jay Cutler's favorite targets, Scheffler had 49 catches for 549 yards and five touchdowns this season, with 67 catches for 835 yards and nine scores in two seasons with the Broncos.

2005	Player, School	Team (Pick)
1st Round	Heath Miller, Virginia	Steelers (30)
Top 100	Alex Smith, Stanford Kevin Everett, Miami	Bucs (71) Bills (86)

An all-around tight end, Miller can run, catch and block. Instantly a favorite target of Big Ben Roethlisberger, Miller enjoyed Super Bowl XL success as a rookie.

Since then, he has become a Pro Bowl caliber player, but due to the conference he plays in (AFC) he has not been to Hawaii yet. Those tight end spots are seemingly automatic bids for the Chargers' Antonio Gates and the Chiefs' Tony Gonzalez.

Miller does not produce the same fantasy stats as Gates and Gonzalez, but does hold his own — with 120 catches for 1,418 yards and 18 touchdowns over three seasons.

Everett was sandwiched in between first-round picks at Miami. With Jeremy Shockey (No. 14 by Giants in 2002) and Kellen Winslow II (No. 6 by Browns in 2004) coming directly before him and Greg Olsen (No. 31 by Bears in 2007) coming directly after him, much was expected from Everett. Although he did not have the same offensive production as his Hurricane peers, Everett was a better blocker and more throwback-style tight end.

After suffering a serious spinal cord injury in Week 1 against the Broncos, many thought Everett would never walk again. Amazingly, the 25-year-old Port Arthur, Texas, native is back on his feet and was conducting interviews in Arizona during Super Bowl week. He has released a book detailing his experiences and has become an inspiration to many.

2004	Player, School	Team (Pick)
1st Round	Kellen Winslow II, Miami Ben Watson, Georgia	Browns (6) Patriots (32)
Top 100	Ben Troupe, Florida Kris Wilson, Pittsburgh Ben Hartsock, Ohio State Chris Cooley, Utah State	Titans (40) Chiefs (61) Colts (68) Redskins (81)

The son of Hall of Fame Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow Sr., K2 got off to a rough start — tearing his knee two games into his rookie season and then missing his entire second year after a motorcycle wreck that happened in a parking lot.

Since his return, however, Winslow has not missed a game. In his first full season in 2006, the man who once proclaimed that he was "a soldier" hauled in 89 catches for 875 yards and three touchdowns. This season, he rocked Cleveland with 82 receptions for 1,106 yards and five trips to the end zone.

Watson famously went the length of the field to chase down Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey after an interception in the AFC Divisional Round following the 2005 season. That type of heart is a characteristic that cannot be measured at the Combine, but is in locker rooms with championship rings.

After playing only one game following a knee injury as a rookie, Watson has 114 catches for 1,473 yards and 13 scores in the three full seasons since.

Cooley is an old-school H-back for the Skins. Used as a tight end, fullback and slot receiver, Cooley can do it all. A consistent overachiever, the Pro Bowler has 231 catches for 2,608 yards and 27 touchdowns while never missing a game in four seasons.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Troupe has been a disappointment after hurdling defenders at Florida and showing signs of life in his first two seasons. With every opportunity to become a playmaker for a receiver-starved team, Troupe has faded into obscurity — catching five passes for 47 yards in 2007.

2003	Player, School	Team (Pick)
1st Round	Dallas Clark, Iowa	Colts (24)
Top 100	Bennie Joppru, Michigan L.J. Smith, Rutgers Teyo Johnson, Stanford Jason Witten, Tennessee Mike Seidman, UCLA Visanthe Shiancoe, Morgan State	Texans (41) Eagles (61) Raiders (63) Cowboys (69) Panthers (76) Giants (91)

Clark and Witten seem to be the best friends of quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Tony Romo. And it shows on the field, with Clark and Witten always in the right place at the right time to bail their quarterbacks out of a tough situation.

A first-round pick, Clark was expected to produce the numbers (58 catches for 616 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2007) that he has for the Super Bowl XLI champion Colts.

But Witten, the fifth tight end selected in 2003, has been a tremendous value for the Cowboys. The NFC Pro Bowl starter had 96 receptions for 1,145 yards and seven scores this year, and has accumulated 348 catches for 3,983 yards and 21 touchdowns over five seasons in Dallas.

Keep checking AthlonSports.com for ongoing NFL Draft coverage:

Safeties Cornerbacks Linebackers Defensive Ends Defensive Tackles Offensive Linemen Tight Ends Wide Receivers Running Backs Quarterbacks 2008 NFL Mock Draft

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