While the freakish athleticism of top tight end prospect Kenyon Sadiq stole the show at the NFL Scouting Combine, a less-heralded prospect put on quite an emphatic display as well in front of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Stanford tight end Sam Roush turned heads and garnered plenty of attention from all in attendance in Indianapolis, making his own case to eventually replace Eagles' free agent Dallas Goedert, whose future in Philadelphia at this point looks less certain by the minute.
With Kenyon Sadiq firmly atop the tight end prospect rankings, a talented group of tight ends heads this incoming draft class, with Eli Stowers and Max Klare rounding out the top three in most scouting and mock draft circles. Roush is suddenly rocketing up the rankings, though, and for good reason.
How Sam Roush could be the next great former Stanford TE with Eagles
NFLdraftbuzz.com provided a nice rundown of the 6-foot-6, 267-pound Roush's combine exploits.
"Combine testing was a revelation for a 267-pound man. A 38.5-inch vertical (96th percentile) and 10-foot-6 broad jump (96th percentile) are freakish explosion numbers, the best vertical of any tight end above 265 pounds by four and a half inches. His 87-athleticism score ranked third among all tight ends at the Combine, and his 91.7 SPORQ percentile clears the critical 90th-percentile threshold that separates future contributors from roster fillers at the position. Ran a weight-adjusted 3-cone (7.08) that compares favorably to Sam LaPorta and was faster straight up then Darren Waller and Kyle Pitts. For a guy tipping 267 pounds, that kind of agility in tight spaces is genuinely unusual."
The blend of size and agility on display made Roush's effort memorable, hinting that, in the right system with a strong NFL QB, there lies undeniable upside.
With some shaky play under center while at Stanford, Roush still performed well, with a senior year that saw him finish as one of just five tight ends in all of FBS with multiple 50-yard receptions in his final collegiate campaign. With 49 receptions for 545 yards and a pair of touchdowns his senior year, he paced all ACC tight ends in receiving yards.
Durability (30 consecutive career starts) and strength are other calling cards, as he relishes mixing it up in the blocking phase. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has alluded to adding more physicality at the position, and Roush fits that call for strength in the ground game to a T.
Back in 2013, the Eagles struck gold by way of their second-round selection of fellow Stanford alum Zach Ertz. Projected more in the mid-rounds, the recent combine showing by Roush likely signals a considerable climb up draft boards league-wide. If Sadiq is off the board in round one, or if the Eagles simply opt to address other needs by the time they make their first-round selection, Roush could eventually be in play for them on draft weekend.
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Soon enough, it might be time for Roseman to look out West once again to select another Cardinal tight end in Roush.