March 12, 2008

1. John Carlson - Notre Dame 6-6/255

John is the classic tough and gritty tight end who has glue for hands. He is not as athletic as Davis but if a team wants some attitude with it's tight end, Carlson is their man.

2. Fred Davis - Southern Cal 6-4/245

Fred is one of the quickest tight ends in and out of his breaks that you are going to see. When you combine that with his great footwork and athleticism you may be shocked at just how high he may go in the draft.

3. Kellen Davis - Michigan State 6-6/248

Kellen was a very good tight end at Michigan State but after his performance at the combine, he is now one of the lead dogs going into the draft.

4. Martin Rucker - Missouri 6-6/255

Rucker, who split targets with teammate Chase Coffman still lead the Tigers in catches, what that means is, he is rarely disappearing from games.

5. Jermichael Finley - Texas 6-5/220

Jermichael is a very quick tight end who really has a lot of burst, he needs to come under control better but his quicks will make him a tough match-up in the NFL.

6. Derek Fine - Kansas 6/3-245

Derek also helped himself out considerably at the combine and looks very natural at the tight end position.

7. Jacob Tamme - Kentucky 6-5/240

Jacob is very consistent and has very sure hands and is always where he needs to be in zones and in man coverage, so he will be a quarterbacks best friend on third downs very soon.

8. Brad Cottam - Tennessee  6-8/271

At 6’8” and he is already a tough cover but with his athleticism he could be a stud near the goal-line.

9. Dustin Keller - Purdue 6-4/240

Dustin is a fiery player who is great at getting through the junk at the line but is perhaps too one dimensional as a receiver only. He is a great athlete but perhaps not a full time tight end in the NFL.

10. Joe Jon Finley - Oklahoma 6-6/260

Joe Jon is very quick off the line and has some great hands, his route work needs some help but his body control and hands will be his selling points.

11. Cornelius Ingram - Florida 6-6/233

Cornelius just produced when he was on the field, he moved from quarterback in ’05 so there is a toughness issue but as a receiver he got the job done in a big time program.

12. Martellus Bennett - Texas A&M 6-7/255

Martellus is another quick tight end who has great burst but needs to work on his footwork if wants to be a “go to guy” in the NFL.

13. Craig Stevens - California 6-5/258

Craig looked very good during the season but had a poor showing in Indy so the scouts may have to determine which they put more stock in and which Craig Stevens will they be getting.

14. Gary Barnidge - Louisville 6-6/230

Gary has some good speed and would be a threat to get down the seam but is still a bit shaky in his route running.

15. Darrell Strong - Pittsburgh 6-5/265

Darrell has some very big and soft hands and catches the ball very cleanly.