2017 NFL Draft Tight End Evaluation
#3 Evan Engram
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
School: Mississippi
Year: Senior
Height: 6’3
Weight: 234 lbs
Evan Engram has great natural receiving ability. He is also deceptively quick, possesses above average explosion from the line of scrimmage and is a clean route runner. The problem with Engram is he seems to be more of a wide receiver than a tight end. Engram will also be nonexistent as a run blocker because he is too small to bother any NFL defensive lineman. I could see Engram having somewhat of a successful NFL career, but in my honest opinion he will most likely become (at best) a number-three wide receiver for a rebuilding NFL team.
#2 O.J. Howard
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
School: Alabama
Year: Senior
Height: 6’6
Weight: 251 lbs
Just looking at O.J. Howard, you may mistake him for a NBA small forward. At 6’6 he will tower over any defender who attempts to cover him and his impressive line of scrimmage explosion will leave most defenders struggling just to keep up with him. Unfortunately, one of the main reasons I don’t have Howard as my number-one tight end prospect has to do with the multiple sources who have said they find Howard lacks motivation. In a hyper competitive league like the NFL, where every man on the roster is a gifted athlete, a player is doomed to fail if he is unwilling to work on his craft, no matter how talented he may be. That being said, Howard could change once he gets to the league as some other reports coming out of Alabama have been that the Crimson Tide never utilized Howard to the best of his ability, which may have led him to become discouraged. If you like to gamble, then O.J. Howard is the prospect for you. He will either become a top five tight end in the NFL or he will be out of the league in five years. His fate will depend on how badly he wants to play football.
#1 David Njoku
(AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
School: Miami (FL)
Year: Junior
Height: 6’4
Weight: 246 lbs
Somehow, the University of Miami seems to consistently produce high level tight ends. Miami’s coaching staff should be recognized for their work because David Njoku is “the real deal.” First off, Njoku is unbelievably athletic. He seems to run and cut as if he wasn’t wearing pads. Njoku also possesses great explosion, awesome hands, amazing strength and has shown above average field vision as a ball carrier. The only problem I have with Njoku is the small amount of time that he has been a tight end; he has only played in nine games over the past two years. This absence of experience is apparent in his sloppy route running and poor run blocking technique. However, these are small obstacles to overcome when you compare them to the potential that Njoku possesses. The bottom line is that David Njoku is primed to become the next great tight end in the NFL and to follow in the footsteps of fellow Canes such as Kellen Winslow, Jeremy Shockey, Greg Olsen and Jimmy Graham.
