First Round Tight Ends Are Risky

The Eagles will draft at least one tight end. I don’t know much, but I’m pretty confident in making that assumption. I used to think Brandon Pettigrew was the answer. I still like him as a prospect; however, the more game tape I watch and the more scouting reports I read, the more I’m convinced he’s not a first round caliber player. He just doesn’t have “star” written all over him. I think he’ll be serviceable in the right system, but I can’t see him solving the Eagles’ need for another playmaking threat.

In fact, I’m not a fan of drafting tight ends in the first round no matter how talented they might be. Recent history has shown the position to have a less than stellar rate of success in the opening round. Since 2000, 14 tight ends have been selected in the first round. Some have been hits, while others have missed big-time. Let’s look at their career stats thus far.

Ugh. What an interesting mix we have here. Where do I begin? Franks has never eclipsed 500 yards receiving, but he did score nine touchdowns in 2001. Becht has never broken the 400 yard barrier and is now on his fourth team.

Heap has shown flashes of greatness, but injuries have stunted his potential; he appears to be on the decline. Shockey, in my opinion, is one of the most overrated players I’ve ever seen. Due to injuries and suspensions, he has yet to complete a full season and his hands are average on a good day.

Daniel Graham has never displayed his first round grade. He’s a solid blocker, but he’s played one full season and has surpassed 400 yards receiving only once. Stevens is an absolute mess: he’s been arrested for sexual assault, assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving, suspended for a positive drug test and been all around ass his whole career.

Dallas Clark is a good player for the Colts. No complaints. Winslow is easily the most talented name on this list but when you get traded at age 25, there is clearly a problem. His is he can’t keep his mouth shut. How he fares with the Tampa Bay quarterback carousel should be interesting. Ben Watson, like Graham, just ain’t gettin’ the job done.

Heath Miller reminds me a lot of Clark and should have a very productive career. Vernon Davis will likely never live up to his #6 overall selection. He’s a classic Workout Warrior who duped many a GM into believing he was the next great thing. Marcedes Lewis finally looked decent last season, so maybe he’s on the right track.

Obviously, it’s way too early to make any predictions on Olsen or Keller. Although, Olsen should thrive now that he has Jay Cutler tossing him the rock. Keller was a surprise last season, but we’ll see how he responds without Favre under center.

In addition to the above gentleman, here’s a list of second round tight ends who flopped: Joe Klopfenstein (who?), Anthony Fasano, Ben Troupe, Kris Wilson, Bennie Joppru (a kind of fruit?), Teyo Johnson, Doug Jolley and L.J. Smith. THUD! What an awful bunch of do-nothings.

Buyer beware if you’re thinking of snagging a tight end early. By the way, Jason Witten was a third round pick and Antonio Gates was a basketball player who walked into a tryout with the Chargers. I hope the Birds wait a little while before pulling the trigger on their tight end. It will save us and them a lot of future heartache.

An observation: Doesn’t this look a lot like this, and this? I guess great minds think alike.