Mayock: 2017 NFL Draft TE class might be best I've seen
NFL clubs in need of help at the tight end position should be able to find plenty of value to address that need in the 2017 NFL Draft.
NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock came away impressed with the tight end talent at the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg this week, and can't recall a stronger group of tight ends than the one forthcoming in the draft.
"(This) may be the best tight end class I've seen since I've been doing this," Mayock said on Friday's edition of NFL Total Access.
NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranks two tight ends among the draft's top 18 prospects (Miami's David Njoku, Alabama's O.J. Howard), and is particularly interested to see South Alabama's Gerald Everett, whom he ranks the draft's No. 35 prospect, at the Reese's Senior Bowl next week. Analyst Bucky Brooks is impressed with Njoku as well, and spoke with an AFC scout who described him as a "more athletic Bubba Franks." Michigan's Jake Butt, Ole Miss' Evan Engram, Clemson's Jordan Leggett and Virginia Tech's Bucky Hodges also figure to be some of the 2017 draft's top prizes at the position. NFL clubs that count a tight end among their draft needs are the Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New England Patriots.
Then, there are a number of sleepers, including Toledo's Michael Roberts, who impressed Mayock this week. Mayock also praised the Shrine Game practice week of Drake TE Eric Saubert.
"This kid can run. He's probably a 4.6 (in the 40-yard dash)," Mayock said. "He catches the ball extremely well, except he's got a bunch of concentration drops, and I'm not sure he can block. But he's a riser, and he caught a lot of people's eyes."
Bears desperately need a TE, and unlike Shea, there is another former Bear on the Pats that is actually making a difference, their TE that terrible trouble maker locker room cancer that has just terrorized and destroyed the Pats....
We need a TE, but with so many needs it will be interesting to see how high a pick Pace devotes to a TE.
Yup. Lets say we go QB @ 3. Do we then go safety in 2th round? As of right now safety is also a pick need, and this class is the best safety class in years. Or do we go with TE? Do we go CB in 3th round?
Nothing of any real consequence is going to happen until mid march when FA starts. We have the FT to deal with prior, but it is going to probably mostly a question of whether or not to FT Alshon. That will be interesting as it will affect the talent we have at WR and whether or not we are going to have yet another need, but the good stuff doesn't start for another month and a half.
1st-4th could easily go QB, S, CB, TE in any order(caveat qb going in rd 1-3, and probably 1st or 2nd) and I wouldn't bat an eye.
This year's draft should yield great value picks in rounds 2 through 4 for us. Especially since we will be picking high in every round - and have two 4th round picks. We should get a serious talent infusion this draft.
1st-4th could easily go QB, S, CB, TE in any order(caveat qb going in rd 1-3, and probably 1st or 2nd) and I wouldn't bat an eye.
This year's draft should yield great value picks in rounds 2 through 4 for us. Especially since we will be picking high in every round - and have two 4th round picks. We should get a serious talent infusion this draft.
We really should. We are sitting pretty at #3. Hopefully it will allow Pace to get who he wants. With QBs (if that's how he goes) you usually don't have three studs. But then again the very best don;t always go at the top anyway. Very difficult to see how that is ultimately going to work for us. Excited to see it happen though. Hope springs eternal.
This year's draft should yield great value picks in rounds 2 through 4 for us. Especially since we will be picking high in every round - and have two 4th round picks. We should get a serious talent infusion this draft.
We really should. We are sitting pretty at #3. Hopefully it will allow Pace to get who he wants. With QBs (if that's how he goes) you usually don't have three studs. But then again the very best don;t always go at the top anyway. Very difficult to see how that is ultimately going to work for us. Excited to see it happen though. Hope springs eternal.
+1 Those picks in rounds 2-4 for us could very well yield talent that would be higher in other years. That 2nd round pick we have is very high (#36th overall pick of the draft). That guy should be a guy who would be a 1st round talent in other years - if the quality is as good & deep, as people are saying at some of the positions like S and CB and TE and others. We have the #3 pick in the third round and 2-picks in the fourth round. I figure the opportunity is there for a sharp guy like Pace to add 5 players in this draft who are starter quality guys (maybe not day 1 starters though). But he should be able to bring in a nice boost of talent to this roster.