Breaking Down the Jets Tight Ends

[JetNation]

With the Jets having selected Miami Tight End, Chris Herndon in the fourth-round of the draft in addition to their other offseason moves, they’ve managed to turn a weakness into a solid group of tight ends. The free-agent acquisitions of Clive Walford and Bucky Hodges, paired with incumbents Jordan Leggett, Neal Sterling, and Eric Tomlinson are certainly not flashy but they can be serviceable at the very least, and very good if things break the right way.

Of course, at least two of the current tight ends won’t make the final 53-man roster as Gang Green will probably opt to keep three or four of the six.

After letting Austin Seferian-Jenkins leave via free agency the Jets had a hole to fill at the position, but not as big of a hole as some might expect. The loss of Jenkins hurts but he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in 2017 hauling in 50 receptions for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although, as most Jets fans know, Seferian-Jenkins’ TD total should have been a little higher. Even still, he was still the Jets’ most talented tight end even though he saw a significant drop in production later in the year after getting off to a hot start.

Can the Jets current crop of tight ends replace Jenkins’ 2017 production? Let’s take a look at what they bring to the table.

Chris Herndon:

Drafted in the fourth-round of last week’s draft, Herndon offers the most potential of the Jets current group of tight ends. His stats don’t exactly jump off the page as he totaled 40 receptions, 477 yards, and 4 touchdowns in 11 games with Miami last season, but he is a good pass-catching tight end and can also contribute as a blocker. His 2017 was cut short due to a knee injury which is why he did not participate in the NFL combine.

Some feel that had Herndon been able to take part in the combine his draft stock would’ve been higher and he could have been a third-round pick. In that respect, the Jets may have gotten good value in round four.

Herndon has soft hands, is a very good route-runner, and excels at running after the catch. Although he must continue to work on his blocking, he’s still only 22-years-old and has some learning to do before he can be a legitimate two-way threat for the Jets. However, if he and Sam Darnold can build a rapport they could be an excellent tandem for Gang Green in the years to come.

Bucky Hodges:

Hodges was a sixth-round pick by Minnesota in the 2017 draft but was cut by the Vikings before the season started. He was on Carolina’s practice squad for a few weeks before they released him in October. Hodges jas yet to play in a regular season game in the NFL. He posted great numbers in his 3 years at Virginia Tech totaling 133 receptions, 1747 yards, and 20 touchdowns.

He stands tall at 6’6″ 257 pounds so he certainly has the size to play the position, but needs to work on his route-running and blocking skills to fully maximize his potential. His frame would certainly offer a big target in the red zone where he can be a threat for New York, but he is probably a long-shot to make the team with all of the other depth added this offseason.

Jordan Leggett: 

A knee injury kept Jordan Leggett on the shelf during his rookie season in 2017,

Leggett was the Jets fifth-round selection in last year’s draft. The team had hoped that he would step in and be a pass-catcher alongside Seferian-Jenkins before he injured his knee. After showing some promise in the 2017 preseason (5 receptions, 64 yards) that knee injury ended his rookie season. He was a dangerous receiving threat during his days at Clemson catching 86 passes for 1261 and 15 touchdowns in 2015 and 2016 combined.

Leggett can still be a productive player in 2018, but he must prove that he can stay healthy. He can provide a big bodied target at 6’5″ catching passes in the middle of the field for the Jets this season. Drafted in back to back seasons, Leggett and Herndon will get every opportunity to win the starting tight end job. Both can line up and run routes out of the slot but must improve their blocking if they want to be more classic, in-line tight ends.

Neal Sterling:

Fourth-year tight end Neal Sterling was brought back this offseason as an exclusive rights free agent. He was a former wide receiver in College at Monmouth and he does have some value in the passing game. Sterling was the Jaguars seventh-round pick in the 2015 draft but was released before the 2017 season began. In terms of production, he did not do much for the Jets last season in the 11 games that he appeared in.

However, he did turn some heads in the final game of the season against New England, hauling in 5 catches for 74 yards on 8 targets. Although he is not known to be a great blocker, he also isn’t a liability. Sterling is probably the most likely tight end candidate to be released when the team makes their final roster cuts to get down to 53.

Eric Tomlinson:

Tomlinson has a massive frame at 6’6″ 263 pounds. Unfortunately being that big of a target doesn’t mean that he offers much in the passing game. His game is more centered around being a blocking tight end which is exactly what the Jets need out of him. With receiving tight ends in Herndon and Leggett they don’t need Tomlinson to be a big factor as a receiver.

Last season he played in 14 games, catching 8 passes for 121 yards and 1 touchdown, never having more than 2 receptions in a game. He played 411 snaps which were second on the team at tight end behind Seferian-Jenkins. Tomlinson is the best blocking TE on the team and can also move around the formation to occasionally line up at fullback. He should be a lock to make the team for that alone.

Clive Walford:

Walford is a former 3rd round pick of the Raiders in the 2015 draft. He showed some promise in his rookie year finishing with 28 catches, 329 yards, and 3 touchdowns. In 2016, those numbers were almost identical as he totaled 33 catches, 359 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

Last season he was a complete disappointment as he only played 130 snaps for Oakland which was just under 13% of offensive snaps. He lost playing time to fellow tight ends Jared Cook and Lee Smith.  Walford tallied just 9 catches for 80 yards in 2017.

Walford is still young as he’s only 26, and he does offer some upside as he can be both a receiving and blocking tight end. If he can match what he did in 2015/2016 there wouldn’t be much of a drop off from the numbers that Jenkins posted last season (50/357/3).

Herndon and Leggett are virtual locks to make the team as they are GM Mike Maccagnan’s “guys”, especially Herndon since he was just drafted. Tomlinson offers the most value as an in-line blocker/swing tight end so he should be on the final 53 man roster as well.

If the Jets opt to carry a fourth tight end, Walford should make the final cut. He showed flashes that he belongs in the league during his early years with Oakland and has proven that he can stretch the field.

Hodges and Sterling are both still young but time will tell if they can develop and take their game to the next level. With a strong showing in training camp and preseason action they can make this a tough decision for Jets brass, but at the end of the day, the two are likley to end up on the outside looking in.

Gang Green will be expecting their young draft picks to take a step forward and blossom into solid contributors for the team going forward. Maccagnan has given the position new life by drafting players with a ton of upside, and low risk/high reward signings. Now they just need to hope that it pans out and the potential rewards come to fruition..

The post Breaking Down the Jets Tight Ends appeared first on NY Jets News.

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[Dcat]

I was listening to Late Hits with Gil Brandt and Alex Marvez in the car last night.  From 10pm to 11pm they did an hour of TE discussion and calls.  I called in re: Jets' TE situation: Walford, Leggett, Herdon, Hodges, Sterling, Tomlinson. 

They don't get a lot of calls from Jets fans and Brandt took the opportunity to shower positive comments about the Jets entire draft, obviously Darnold, but particularly Shepherd and Nickerson.  

When it came to TEs, he basically said the jets are trying to find their way and that they had decided that Sefarian-Jenkins was a bad fit on the team and wasn't worth the money he was seeking.  Neither one uttered a peep about the Raiders castoff, Walford, the former Raiders 2015 3rd round pick, which surprised me.  Walford is set to earn $1.9 million in 2018 (0 guaranteed) and has 3 years experience.  Is he a lock to make the roster based on his experience?  They didn't address it.   

Brandt said that Hodges got hurt in Minnesota last year and later on (October) couldn't even make the practice squad in Carolina.  Brandt's words exactly "Hodges left his best game at Virginia Tech", implying that when he showed up to both Minnesota and Carolina, he wasn't very good at all.  That's disappointing.  At best, he is practice squad fodder and probably a camp cut.

Marvez raved about Leggett and thinks he will be good and said Jets fans need to give him a chance.  Liked his college situstion at Clemson.  Neither knew (or said) much about this year's 4th round pick or about Sterling.  

[detectivekimble]

19 minutes ago, Dcat said:

I was listening to Late Hits with Gil Brandt and Alex Marvez in the car last night.  From 10pm to 11pm they did an hour of TE discussion and calls.  I called in re: Jets' TE situation: Walford, Leggett, Herdon, Hodges, Sterling, Tomlinson. 

They don't get a lot of calls from Jets fans and Brandt took the opportunity to shower positive comments about the Jets entire draft, obviously Darnold, but particularly Shepherd and Nickerson.  

When it came to TEs, he basically said the jets are trying to find their way and that they had decided that Sefarian-Jenkins was a bad fit on the team and wasn't worth the money he was seeking.  Neither one uttered a peep about the Raiders castoff, Walford, the former Raiders 2015 3rd round pick, which surprised me.  Walford is set to earn $1.9 million in 2018 (0 guaranteed) and has 3 years experience.  Is he a lock to make the roster based on his experience?  They didn't address it.   

Brandt said that Hodges got hurt in Minnesota last year and later on (October) couldn't even make the practice squad in Carolina.  Brandt's words exactly "Hodges left his best game at Virginia Tech", implying that when he showed up to both Minnesota and Carolina, he wasn't very good at all.  That's disappointing.  At best, he is practice squad fodder and probably a camp cut.

Marvez raved about Leggett and thinks he will be good and said Jets fans need to give him a chance.  Liked his college situstion at Clemson.  Neither knew (or said) much about this year's 4th round pick or about Sterling.  

Leggett can be good.  He's got big, strong mitts and goes up and gets the ball.  Plays like a man.  I still think he'll be the best pick of last year's draft.

The rookie didn't run at the combine because of his knee injury, but it looks like he's got some wheels. 

[derp]

If Hodges puts it together he can be a real find. Was productive at VT, albeit as essentially a wide receiver, and is a tremendous athlete. Something like 95th percentile SPARQ at a position where athleticism tends to translate.

Hope he at least shows enough to stick on the PS.

[joewilly12]

2 hours ago, JetNation said:

Neal Sterling:

Fourth-year tight end Neal Sterling was brought back this offseason as an exclusive rights free agent. He was a former wide receiver in College at Monmouth and he does have some value in the passing game. Sterling was the Jaguars seventh-round pick in the 2015 draft but was released before the 2017 season began. In terms of production, he did not do much for the Jets last season in the 11 games that he appeared in.

However, he did turn some heads in the final game of the season against New England, hauling in 5 catches for 74 yards on 8 targets. Although he is not known to be a great blocker, he also isn’t a liability. Sterling is probably the most likely tight end candidate to be released when the team makes their final roster cuts to get down to 53.

Disagree 100% he could be the best TE on the roster. 

[jetstream23]

There’s a lot of spaghetti being thrown at walls to find a TE these past two years.

[#27TheDominator]

Watching clips of Herndon he kind of reminded me of Keller with the Jets.  Problem is, when I watched clips of Keller at Purdue he kind of reminded me of Walter Payton. 

[Joejet]

7 hours ago, joewilly12 said:

Disagree 100% he could be the best TE on the roster. 

JAG.  Entering 4th year and hasn’t shown anything except in one game.

[Greenseed4]

8 minutes ago, Joejet said:

JAG.  Entering 4th year and hasn’t shown anything except in one game.

Also should be noted that in that one game he was listed as a FB and blew it up against scrubs in week-17. 

[joewilly12]

11 minutes ago, Joejet said:

JAG.  Entering 4th year and hasn’t shown anything except in one game.

BULLsh*t give the kid a chance then again we all know Todd Bowles and how he treats the offense. 

1 minute ago, Greenseed4 said:

Also should be noted that in that one game he was listed as a FB and blew it up against scrubs in week-17. 

NE is not scrubs. 

[Jetsplayer21]

Sterling played great in the little time he was given. End of Last yr should have been tryouts for this yr, but he only got to play because Jenkins got hurt. Otherwise he is likely cut

[Greenseed4]

16 minutes ago, joewilly12 said:

BULLsh*t give the kid a chance then again we all know Todd Bowles and how he treats the offense. 

NE is not scrubs. 

I know you’re high on the kid, and I’m not going to take away from his stat-line, 5 for 75 is respectable no matter who you play on ANY Sunday. 

It'd be cool to get him back at WR tho, and do the big-bodied tandem thing outwide (like our season with Decker/Marshall). But if the starting line-up reads: Pryor & Enunwa, I’m not going to regret moving on from Neal Sterling.

Is he PS eligible? Cause one of our “name” guys could get hurt, and that’s probably going to be his path to (significant) playing time. 

[joewilly12]

2 minutes ago, Greenseed4 said:

I know you’re high on the kid, and I’m not going to take away from his stat-line, 5 for 75 is respectable no matter who you play on ANY Sunday. 

It'd be cool to get him back at WR tho, and do the big-bodied tandem thing outwide (like our season with Decker/Marshall). But if the starting line-up reads: Pryor & Enunwa, I’m not going to regret moving on from Neal Sterling.

Is he PS eligible? Cause one of our “name” guys could get hurt, and that’s probably going to be his path to (significant) playing time. 

The kid is versatile at WR/TE put the ball in his hands and he makes things happen I watched him play his entire career at Monmouth University. 

No PS for Neal Sterling who has more upside than most of the JAG's at TE on this roster. 

[joewilly12]

18 minutes ago, Jetsplayer21 said:

Sterling played great in the little time he was given. End of Last yr should have been tryouts for this yr, but he only got to play because Jenkins got hurt. Otherwise he is likely cut

No way in hell. 

[Drums]

I need to familiarize myself more with Herndon but it looks like he has a little bit of Q in him.

[Jetmech]

Coby Kleener was released. Probably a few teams will low ball him for his services. Just too many TE's on Jets roster right now to go after him right now?

 

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

[#27TheDominator]

3 hours ago, Joejet said:

JAG.  Entering 4th year and hasn’t shown anything except in one game.

Averaged by the season, Walford's numbers are pretty similar to ASJ and people wanted to pay that guy actual money.

EDIT: From context, now I guess you were talking about Sterling. 

[sourceworx]

Leggett is the guy to watch. He looked really good in camp last year before getting injured.

[Dcat]

40 minutes ago, Jetmech said:

Coby Kleener was released. Probably a few teams will low ball him for his services. Just too many TE's on Jets roster right now to go after him right now?

 

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

we probably have 3 or 4 TEs that are better than Fleener. 

[Jetsplayer21]

2 hours ago, Joejet said:

JAG.  Entering 4th year and hasn’t shown anything except in one game.

Because he only was allowed to play 1 game lol. Bowles is an idiot for not testing this guy out more. 

[Il Mostro]

Hopefully, we make the right choices off the scrap heap of potential.

[Tony MaC]

We seem to have a lot of lower round talent and young castoffs at Tight End. This as opposed to the solutions at WR and RB which are more a collection of solid proven veterans and a mild amount of sophomore hopefuls.

McCown/Darnold/Teddy aren't going to war with the best, but it could be just enough to build upon.

Ideally Leggett, Tomlinson and Herndon wind up being enough to fill our needs (or Herndon and one of the other two if they're only carrying two) and we have the position wrapped up for the next couple of years. As is I've got doubts, especially about Leggett, who knows how much his heart will be into it. That was the knock on him coming out of Clemson if I recall right.

[roscoeword]

Hope legget isn't the devon smith of our draft

[rangerous]

6 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

Averaged by the season, Walford's numbers are pretty similar to ASJ and people wanted to pay that guy actual money.

EDIT: From context, now I guess you were talking about Sterling. 

asj had a really good first 8 games last season and then fell way off.  it looked like the jets finally found a te who could catch passes and block.  and he even showed he could run after catching.  he just wasn't worth the money he was asking for.  they'll be fine with the guys they have.  tomlinson will still block with an ocassional pass and it looks like leggett and herndon will be the other guys.

[LIJetsFan]

What does Chris Herndon bring to the Jets?

By Bent | May 8 | 11:14PM

May 4, 2018; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon (89) during New York Jets rookie mini camp at Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports (Noah K. Murray)

The Jets selected tight end Chris Herndon with the first of their day three picks in the 2018 draft last month. Herndon, who went to college at Miami, was injured towards the end of the 2017 season, which may have prevented him from going earlier. The Jets scooped him up with the 107th overall pick and will be hoping he proves to be a bargain. Let's weigh up his likely role in 2018 before reviewing his strengths and weaknesses.

The Jets have two contributors left from last year's team in Eric Tomlinson and Neal Sterling. Tomlinson is easily the best blocker they have at tight end and figures to resume the role of blocking specialist next season. Sterling, a converted wide receiver, didn't play much until the last game of the season, but turned heads with a five catch, 74-yard performance.

They also added two players prior to the draft. Clive Walford is the most experienced tight end on the roster and probably the best option in terms of being able to contribute both as a blocker and a pass catcher. However, he fell out of favor in Oakland last year, so his spot isn't necessarily secure with all the youngsters nipping at his heels. Bucky Hodges is more of a long-shot.

Perhaps the most interesting player to contrast Herndon with is Jordan Leggett. The Jets drafted Leggett in the fifth round last year and he showed some flashes in preseason, but then hurt his knee and ended up missing the whole year. Have the Jets given up on Leggett or do they see him and Herndon as two good young pieces to build their offense around?

When making a comparison between Leggett and Herndon, it initially seems that more similarities than differences arise the more research and film study you carry out. They're basically the same size, profile similarly from an athletic standpoint, and their respective roles in their final year at college were also comparable. Knee issues are also something they share.

There are some differences though, which suggest that they could both yet contribute next season, in distinct roles. Leggett is more of a downfield threat with superior agility numbers, while Herndon is more explosive, which makes him more of a threat after the catch. 

It's possible they could play together with Herndon being the "Y" or inline tight end and Leggett as the "F" or "move" tight end. Herndon played the majority of his snaps as a more conventional tight end in 2015 and 2016 and only transitioned into more of a slot-based role after David Njoku left for the NFL before the 2017 season. It's therefore possible they could have plans for each of them, although it could just as easily be a case of the Jets doubling-up on young tight ends with the hope that one of them steps up. 

That 2017 season was easily Herndon's most productive, though. In fact, had he not missed the last few games after injuring his knee, he might have surpassed Leggett's career-best of 46 receptions. 

However, watching his footage from last season shows that a lot of Herndon's production was simply catching passes underneath or in the flat and then picking up 6-8 yards after the catch. While this padded his stats and produced positive plays for the offense, he doesn't show as much as Leggett in terms of beating his man or creating separation and his numbers were nowhere near as good in terms of yardage and touchdowns.

With Leggett's more dynamic downfield abilities, he could complement Herndon well if the rookie can generate positive outcomes as more of a safety valve-type.

Of the two, Herndon is the more consistent blocker. Each showed improvements in their final year at college, but Leggett went from actively bad to barely competent while Herndon developed his efficiency. Herndon's improved grades might merely be a by-product of playing almost twice as many of his reps in the slot rather than in-line, but he has flashed an ability to set the edge and hold up at the point of attack.

If it comes down to one roster spot between the two of them, Herndon's intangibles might stand him in good stead over Leggett, who has had attitude questions in his past, although his college coaches have said he had matured and managed to overcome these issues by the time he left school.

Ultimately, Herndon seems like a player who might not have elite potential but should have an NFL future as long as he can get healthy. From the sounds of it, he could be good to go by OTAs, which is important because he can't afford to lose ground in what figures to be a crowded competition.

[Joejet]

7 hours ago, Jetsplayer21 said:

Because he only was allowed to play 1 game lol. Bowles is an idiot for not testing this guy out more. 

He is entering his 4th year, more people than Bowles have kept him on the bench.

[jetstream23]

I'm still a little puzzled by not bringing back ASJ.  I know it would have been a little overpayment to give him $10M over 2 years, but the Jets reportedly were willing to go to $8M.  He would have brought back some continuity at the position and that's important for an offense, particularly a rookie QB if Darnold gets on the field early.  It also would likely have meant the Jets go in a different direction with that 4th round pick.  Given our Cap situation it seemed like keeping ASJ would have been the right move even if the finances were a little uncomfortable for Maccagnan.

[Dcat]

15 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

I'm still a little puzzled by not bringing back ASJ.  I know it would have been a little overpayment to give him $10M over 2 years, but the Jets reportedly were willing to go to $8M.  He would have brought back some continuity at the position and that's important for an offense, particularly a rookie QB if Darnold gets on the field early.  It also would likely have meant the Jets go in a different direction with that 4th round pick.  Given our Cap situation it seemed like keeping ASJ would have been the right move even if the finances were a little uncomfortable for Maccagnan.

Unless of course the coaches didn't like him and he had issues we were unaware of.  Bottom line: Mac, Bowles & co thought he was a poor fit and wasn't worth the money.  Fine with me. AFAIC, Sefarian-Jenkins was unimpressive out there. Maybe he was better than anything we had seen, considering the abyssmal TE history over the past decade or two, but that doesn't mean that ASJ was worth much.  I guess people just saw more in ASJ than I did.   I'm hoping they find their TE guys in the this year's crop on the roster: Walford, Leggett, Sterling, Herndon, Hodges, Tomlinson.  

[#27TheDominator]

5 hours ago, rangerous said:

asj had a really good first 8 games last season and then fell way off.  it looked like the jets finally found a te who could catch passes and block.  and he even showed he could run after catching.  he just wasn't worth the money he was asking for.  they'll be fine with the guys they have.  tomlinson will still block with an ocassional pass and it looks like leggett and herndon will be the other guys.

really good first 8 games?  He was suspended the first two.  He only broke 50 yards once and it was week 10.  I guess you mean that little run where he caught TDs (actually credited, not the ones the refs overturned) weeks 5-7.  Those were the only scores he had all year.  He is okay, but I don't see spending $10M on him and another $15M on backup QBs as sound planning.

20 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

I'm still a little puzzled by not bringing back ASJ.  I know it would have been a little overpayment to give him $10M over 2 years, but the Jets reportedly were willing to go to $8M.  He would have brought back some continuity at the position and that's important for an offense, particularly a rookie QB if Darnold gets on the field early.  It also would likely have meant the Jets go in a different direction with that 4th round pick.  Given our Cap situation it seemed like keeping ASJ would have been the right move even if the finances were a little uncomfortable for Maccagnan.

Strongly disagree.  Another target hog and not very good.

[jetstream23]

39 minutes ago, Dcat said:

Unless of course the coaches didn't like him and he had issues we were unaware of.  Bottom line: Mac, Bowles & co thought he was a poor fit and wasn't worth the money.  Fine with me. AFAIC, Sefarian-Jenkins was unimpressive out there. Maybe he was better than anything we had seen, considering the abyssmal TE history over the past decade or two, but that doesn't mean that ASJ was worth much.  I guess people just saw more in ASJ than I did.   I'm hoping they find their TE guys in the this year's crop on the roster: Walford, Leggett, Sterling, Herndon, Hodges, Tomlinson.  

Fair points.  Maybe I'm giving too much benefit of the doubt because we've literally had nothing at the position for years and he seemed average.  I have not problem with the Jets putting together a group that will compete to see who develops and emerges.  My bigger concern is making sure we have that safety valve for a rookie QB and I thought ASJ would provide at least some level of continuity.

[jetstream23]

45 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

Strongly disagree.  Another target hog and not very good.

The only argument I'll make to that is you can't hog targets if the QB is deciding where to throw the ball.  This isn't basketball.  They were looking to him for a reason (ex. he was the only one getting open, he was proving to be reliable, etc.).  I do agree that he wasn't any better than average and would have been overpaid.  My point was that for certain positions of roster weakness I would have been okay slightly overpaying especially if it can aid in the development of a young QB.

[#27TheDominator]

2 minutes ago, jetstream23 said:

The only argument I'll make to that is you can't hog targets if the QB is deciding where to throw the ball.  This isn't basketball.  They were looking to him for a reason (ex. he was the only one getting open, he was proving to be reliable, etc.).  I do agree that he wasn't any better than average and would have been overpaid.  My point was that for certain positions of roster weakness I would have been okay slightly overpaying especially if it can aid in the development of a young QB.

There may be some truth to that, and his catch percentage was much higher last year than it has been in the past.  Still, I am fine with saving the money.  I didn't feel a huge dropoff with Tomlinson and there is hope that Leggett  and/or Herndon might fill the role better, or at least similarly while remaining cheap. 

[Jetsplayer21]

5 hours ago, Joejet said:

He is entering his 4th year, more people than Bowles have kept him on the bench.

More people than Bowles is an idiot lol. But I do not know the circumstance in other places. Did they actually have a TE or 2 Who were already signed beyond 1 year ? Were they in contention for playoffs? Did they have better than a average TE playing ahead of him? 

[Philc1]

20 hours ago, #27TheDominator said:

Watching clips of Herndon he kind of reminded me of Keller with the Jets.  Problem is, when I watched clips of Keller at Purdue he kind of reminded me of Walter Payton. 

Herndon can actually block. Keller didnt

[JiFtheOracle]

On 5/8/2018 at 12:38 PM, Dcat said:

I was listening to Late Hits with Gil Brandt and Alex Marvez in the car last night.  From 10pm to 11pm they did an hour of TE discussion and calls.  I called in re: Jets' TE situation: Walford, Leggett, Herdon, Hodges, Sterling, Tomlinson. 

They don't get a lot of calls from Jets fans and Brandt took the opportunity to shower positive comments about the Jets entire draft, obviously Darnold, but particularly Shepherd and Nickerson.  

When it came to TEs, he basically said the jets are trying to find their way and that they had decided that Sefarian-Jenkins was a bad fit on the team and wasn't worth the money he was seeking.  Neither one uttered a peep about the Raiders castoff, Walford, the former Raiders 2015 3rd round pick, which surprised me.  Walford is set to earn $1.9 million in 2018 (0 guaranteed) and has 3 years experience.  Is he a lock to make the roster based on his experience?  They didn't address it.   

Brandt said that Hodges got hurt in Minnesota last year and later on (October) couldn't even make the practice squad in Carolina.  Brandt's words exactly "Hodges left his best game at Virginia Tech", implying that when he showed up to both Minnesota and Carolina, he wasn't very good at all.  That's disappointing.  At best, he is practice squad fodder and probably a camp cut.

Marvez raved about Leggett and thinks he will be good and said Jets fans need to give him a chance.  Liked his college situstion at Clemson.  Neither knew (or said) much about this year's 4th round pick or about Sterling.  

I'm holding out hope for Leggett.  I think he can play. He was my sleeper TE pick last year who I really liked in the mid rounds.  He looked good in a small sample size last year and I recall that he was making plays during practice too.

Herndon, Leggett, Walford, Tomlinson is my guess.