Wait. Leggett is good?

[roscoeword]

4 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Oh, no doubt. A wonderful talent. But, IMO, TE is a position that’s impossible to play unless you’re 100% committed to it because you get your ass beat in on every snap. There’s nowhere to hide. There are crazy size/speed prospects coming through the draft every year at TE that don’t last five minutes in the league because of the physicality, 

I think that's, why our last tight end ASJ was very servicable. He was built like the incredible hulk, and thus was able to withstand the rigors of the position

[Thai Jet]

On 5/31/2018 at 2:11 PM, MaxAF said:

Don’t know about him personally or how he practices but liked his performance in the Clemson games. Try to watch Clemson whenever they’re on TV. So if he can light it up in the games, I’m good.

That's the bottom line....does he show up to play in the games?   Trouble is, at this level,  that if he doesn't put out in practice he'll never get on the game day roster.

[Thai Jet]

12 hours ago, detectivekimble said:

Lazy and still first-team ACC.  That should tell you a lot about his talent.  Looked good against Alabama in the championship game, too.

Obviously I remember that game. He was a monster.

[LIJetsFan]

Ever since Dustin Keller left via free agency after the 2012 season, the Jets have not been able to get any kind of consistent play out of the tight end position. That’s not to say they haven’t tried. They drafted Jace Amaro with a second round pick in 2014 and after he busted they picked up another second rounder from that year, Austin Seferian-Jenkins during the 2016 season. Seferian-Jenkins may have been the most successful since Keller’s departure but still had inconsistencies in his game before signing with Jacksonville in March.

This left the team with a bunch of question marks at the position. Those question marks include Chris Herndon, Bucky Hodges, Jordan Leggett, Neal Sterling, Eric Tomlinson and Clive Walford. While there are no names that really stand out, let’s take a look at the players that have the best chances of playing in green and white come September.

Eric Tomlinson – 6’6, 263 pounds, 4th season

As it seems at this moment, Tomlinson looks to have the early lead at the starter’s job. Playing just under 40% of the snaps last year he proved to be an asset as an inline blocker. Not only is he able to set the edge in the running game but also provides help as a sixth blocker in the passing game from time to time. With Rick Dennison coming in and implementing an outside zone running scheme, having a player with Tomlinson’s capabilities could be vital to an offense that will look to run more often next season.

Meanwhile his ability as a pass catcher is subpar. In the 2017 season he only reeled in 8 catches, 4 of them going for 20 yards or more. Going back to look at each one of the four, three were blown coverages and the other was the result of very good blocking on a tight end screen. He lacks ideal athleticism and a variety of routes to his repertoire, mostly consisting of hitches and seam routes. Not being able to create separation on his own as a receiver could be what holds him back.

Chris Herndon – 6’4, 253 pounds, Rookie

The Jets selected Herndon with a fourth round pick in April, making him the first new target for Sam Darnold. Late last season Herndon suffered a torn MCL that kept him out for the entire pre-draft process and is expected to keep him limited throughout the summer. What Herndon did show in his first season as a starter at Miami was the ability to be a solid all around tight end. Known to be both willing to get physical in the trenches as well as a reliable threat as a receiver.

I’m not going to say that he’s on Tomlinson’s level as a blocker, but he displayed good pad level, strength and the willingness to get dirty. On the other hand, his hand placement and control can get inconsistent and could definitely stand to improve at this level. It’s the willingness to block that tells me he will be inclined to continue to work on his craft as a blocker.

As a receiver he lined up in the slot, in-line and even in the backfield at times. He has soft hands bringing in 40 catches for 477 yards and 4 touchdowns before missing the last two games of the season. Many of those catches were behind or around the line of scrimmage, being asked to make plays in space. He is a threat to create yards after the catch but it wasn’t by making crazy moves or out running the defender, but more so of him dropping his pads to get physical with the tackler.

Jordan Leggett – 6’5, 258 pounds, 2nd season

Entering his 2nd season after being a fifth round pick last year, he seems to be the fan favorite to take the job. What probably helped was Todd Bowles mentioning that Leggett was one of the reasons for letting Seferian-Jenkins walk in free agency. But after drafting Herndon with their third selection, it doesn’t seem like the job is a lock for him. Leggett is also coming off a knee injury, this one kept him on the sidelines his entire rookie season.

He wasn’t a particularly good blocker to say the least. Despite good size he had a hard time sustaining blocks with poor instincts, leverage and hand placement contributing to that. Leggett’s willingness to block came into question around the league when he was going through the pre-draft process, making many wonder if he will spend the time to work on his blocking ability.

Leggett’s skills as a receiver are much better than his blocking skills but there is still work to be done. While he shows solid hands and the ability to bring in balls away from his body, he needs to work on his route running as well. He doesn’t have great flexibility to be able to break down and break out of cuts. With linebackers and safeties being as athletic as they are, Leggett will struggle to create space against man coverage unless he works on the nuances of route running.

Clive Walford – 6’4, 250 pounds, 4th season

After being waived by the Oakland Raiders, here is another Miami alum trying to find his place on the roster. He has the most experience of the group, playing in 44 games and starting in 10 during his first three seasons. Over that time he showcased his solid ability as a run blocker using his strength and athleticism. He could be a solid blocker in this outside zone scheme they will be using this year.

Off a down year, playing only 130 snaps, he still managed to bring in 70 catches while in Oakland. His hands have improved since college but still not great, dropping five balls on 65 targets the last two seasons. The routes he runs tend to be rounded off allowing defenders to get angles to the ball. This was a problem in college as well hoping that it would have been fixed, so it would be tough to still expect it to get much better at this point. On the bright side, he is good athlete that will allow him to get some big plays down the field every now and again.

When it comes down to it, we should expect Mike Maccagnan to ultimately keep three on the roster on final cuts. The only lock is Chris Herndon but knowing that he likes to keep his own guys expect Jordan Leggett to stick around as well. That leaves one more spot open and because of what he can provide as a blocker, Eric Tomlinson will likely take the last slot. It may not be the most enticing group of tight ends at the moment, but the organization is hopeful that Herndon and/or Leggett can turn into a solid security blanket for that first round quarterback they just selected.

[MaxAF]

1 hour ago, Thai Jet said:

That's the bottom line....does he show up to play in the games?   Trouble is, at this level,  that if he doesn't put out in practice he'll never get on the game day roster.

That’s a fact! So I hope he gets his sh*t together.

[RESNewYork]

National Championship Game. Clemson is on the 26 yard line with Alabama up 3 points with 19 seconds left in the game. This amazing catch put them in definite field goal range, and set up the winning TD. An absolutely amazing fingertip catch, that is as clutch a catch you will ever see, and a huge reason Clemson pulled the upset.

 

[T0mShane]

20 hours ago, detectivekimble said:

He's lazy, but definitely not a pussy like Amaro.  He snatches the ball out of the air with those big, strong mitts and plays like a man.  He shows up on the field.  And apparently, no one can check him in practice.

If that knee holds up, he's going down as the best pick of that draft.

I think you can be tough and still get tired of smashing your head into a defensive end 50 times a game in the hopes that you can get out into a pattern on a dozen of those plays, which id imagine is part of the “lazy” rap against him. Which is something I hate, btw: if you have a TE that’s only a good receiver, then let him play receiver. Like with Dustin Keller. Every time you put that guy in a three point stance, you’re wasting his talent 

[detectivekimble]

39 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

I think you can be tough and still get tired of smashing your head into a defensive end 50 times a game in the hopes that you can get out into a pattern on a dozen of those plays, which id imagine is part of the “lazy” rap against him. Which is something I hate, btw: if you have a TE that’s only a good receiver, then let him play receiver. Like with Dustin Keller. Every time you put that guy in a three point stance, you’re wasting his talent 

Who knows?  Maybe he doesn't do enough between game days.  All I know is that he can play.

[C Mart]

Jordan Leggett, his knee healthy, says Jets' TE involvement will 'be 100 times better' than 2017

By Darryl Slater

RICHMOND, Va. -- Jets tight end Jordan Leggett is finally feeling good physically -- and also feeling as optimistic as ever about how his team might involve his position group in 2018. 

After a season of inconsistent tight end usage under one-and-done offensive coordinator John Morton, Leggett expects more production and targets under Jeremy Bates. 

"I would probably say it's going to be a hundred times better than what it was last year, on how much we're going to get targeted this year," Leggett told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday. 

Leggett and rookie Chris Herndon are battling for the starting tight end job in training camp. 

The Jets on Tuesday held their third and final joint camp practice with Washington, in advance of Thursday night's preseason game No. 2 between the teams at FedEx Field. Herndon is dealing with bruising and might not be able to play. But Leggett will, at long last. 

Leggett on Tuesday practiced for the second straight day, after missing a week-plus due to swelling in his surgically repaired right knee. He wore a brace on the knee, but is pleased with how it responded to practice action. He expects to play a bunch Thursday, after missing the preseason opener against the Falcons. (Herndon also missed that game.) 

"It's going to be a lot of reps" on offense and special teams, Leggett said. 

Leggett, a 2017 fifth-round draft pick, missed all of last season due to that right knee injury. He hasn't played in a game since the Jets' 2017 preseason finale against the Eagles.

After Leggett practiced in this camp for the first four days, his knee swelled up. He needed to have the knee drained and needed to sit out, in order to control the swelling. 

"I think that's beneficial for me," Leggett said of missing practices, despite being in a position battle. "We needed to try to give [the knee] as much time as possible, to go down a little bit." 

But after two straight days of practice against Washington, Leggett hasn't experienced swelling. 

"The swelling is still chilling, so we're good," he said. "I know it'll be fine [Thursday]. [This two-practice stretch] was a challenge for my knee, to see if it was going to swell up again or if it was going to actually back me up. It did very well.

"I'm excited, man. I haven't played in an NFL game in a long time. Hopefully, I can go out there and make a couple plays, score a touchdown. I've got to go out there and just make up for the time I missed." 

With a starting job on the line as he enters Year 2 (though he is really still a rookie), Leggett knows he can't just catch passes. 

"I'm trying to do it all, man," he said. "Just be a four-down tight end. One of the things I most want to focus on [Thursday] is just being to that left [blind] side of all the quarterbacks and being able to have them encouraged enough to have me back there pass protecting." 

Could Thursday be Leggett's springboard game to winning the tight end job over Herndon, especially if Herndon continues to miss action? Or is Herndon, who had looked strong in practice before getting hurt, still the leader for the starting role? 

Either way, Leggett expects Bates to heavily involve his tight ends in 2018. 

"I'm loving it," Leggett said of Bates' offense. "They're giving us a lot of opportunities. J.B. kept telling us, 'We're going to let you run the route until we don't think you can run it anymore.' He has a lot of faith in us. He just sees the potential at the position." 

[MDL_JET]

Honestly, that article doesn't comfort me at all. Sounds like that knee issue for Leggett is gonna be a problem. Feel like if he were to play a full game that swelling would come right back. Hopefully i'm wrong and he comes back strong but I wouldn't count on the guy. 

[Augustiniak]

1 minute ago, MDL_JET said:

Honestly, that article doesn't comfort me at all. Sounds like that knee issue for Leggett is gonna be a problem. Feel like if he were to play a full game that swelling would come right back. Hopefully i'm wrong and he comes back strong but I wouldn't count on the guy. 

agreed and i think he'll have trouble making this roster.  walford is not bad.

[JustInFudge]

On 5/30/2018 at 1:33 PM, T0mShane said:

 

Every scouting report on him. 

https://www.shakinthesouthland.com/platform/amp/2017/4/24/15386502/jordan-leggett-nfl-draft-2017-scouting-report-clemson-tigers

It wasnt just the scouting reports, I'm pretty sure he out right said, he's a lazy person at one point.

However, I could have sworn I also read that the a light turned on and he started taking everything a little more serious he senior year. 

I was high on Leggett coming out, I thought he'd be a solid joker type TE.  

[Thai Jet]

22 minutes ago, MDL_JET said:

Honestly, that article doesn't comfort me at all. Sounds like that knee issue for Leggett is gonna be a problem. Feel like if he were to play a full game that swelling would come right back. Hopefully i'm wrong and he comes back strong but I wouldn't count on the guy. 

Agreed. With his history he's not the kind of guy you can count on. Hopefully we both are wrong.

[Warfish]

We have alot of perceived "potential" at TE.

We have almost no actual documented production (as-yet) at TE.

Make of that what you will.

[MDL_JET]

4 minutes ago, Warfish said:

We have alot of perceived "potential" at TE.

We have almost no actual documented production (as-yet) at TE.

Make of that what you will.

Gotta start somewhere. 

[roscoeword]

one of these guys has got to pan out. The percentages are with us.

[#27TheDominator]

13 minutes ago, roscoeword said:

one of these guys has got to pan out. The percentages are with us.

We're due!

[Sperm Edwards]

3 minutes ago, #27TheDominator said:

We're due!

?

You need help spelling your homonyms. 

[roscoeword]

We're doo doo? 

[Losmeister]

On 5/30/2018 at 3:58 PM, David Harris said:

Leggetts sloppy man- I’m sorry but he is. I follow him on Instagram and he’s got a gut.  His body is soft and he seems kinda like a bitch. 

 

I hope he proves me wrong.

 

but I’m on to Herndon

things that make you, hmm.

[bostonmajet]

from one of the weakest areas of the team, to one of young players and promise. Way too soon to celebrate, but we will likely need to get rid of one of them; it may be possible to trade one for a backup OL on a team that has OL but need a catching TE.

[Integrity28]

On 5/30/2018 at 1:39 PM, Obrien2Toon said:

I like herndon and leggett

but neither of them can block

Good thing it’s not 1987 then.

[Integrity28]

On 5/30/2018 at 9:03 PM, joewilly12 said:

Yes 

Never a bad thing to have all these good TE's 

Dare I say we have the best TE room in the league? Or at least the most congenial.

[JetBlue]

On 5/30/2018 at 3:49 PM, detectivekimble said:

I think Leggett is better.

Leggett may be more explosive as a receiver but Herndon is the better all around player (especially as a blocker) but I am glad to both of them.  I hope they both continue to flash through out the rest of camp and preseason.  It is about time we hit on a few more middle round picks. 

[Jetlife33]

I don’t like any of our TE’s. And I’m pretty sure once the season starts and we see them play fans will quickly sour on them. Herndon is a JAG based on my opinion of his college gametape. Leggett is lazy and cant stay healthy. 

[JetBlue]

11 minutes ago, Jetlife33 said:

I don’t like any of our TE’s. And I’m pretty sure once the season starts and we see them play fans will quickly sour on them. Herndon is a JAG based on my opinion of his college gametape. Leggett is lazy and cant stay healthy. 

Where do fans come up with this stuff?  Leggett can't stay healthy?   He is lazy?  I bet if we cut him, Houston will snap him up and seconds.  He was one of Deshaun Watsons favorite targets at Clemson.  How about we do this; why not give them a chance to play a little first.  Injuries are part of the game and anyone can go down at any time.  Him being injured in his rookie year does not mean he cannot stay healthy.  Herndon was injured in college and is out now because of injuries.  Do you consider him injury prone too?   Before his knee injury in college he was looking very impressive, just like he appears to be looking in camp before suffering his latest setback (which doesn't appear to be serious).  It would be great if we stop jumping to conclusions and "making up our minds" on players and just have a little more patience.  BTW I doubt the fans will sour on either of these guys because if they are both healthy, they will be productive, especially with Sam throwing to them. 

[Jet_Engine1]

On 5/30/2018 at 2:49 PM, roscoeword said:

We always seem to have a receiver who misses a year as a rookie - Devon, Legget, that guy who Sanchez threw his first T.D to and was traded to Cleveland, one or two of Idzik's draft choices....  I hope Legget pans out, we need a break already.  

Chauncey Stuckey. 9th rounder.

[detectivekimble]

1 hour ago, JetBlue said:

Leggett may be more explosive as a receiver but Herndon is the better all around player (especially as a blocker) but I am glad to both of them.  I hope they both continue to flash through out the rest of camp and preseason.  It is about time we hit on a few more middle round picks. 

 

4 hours ago, Augustiniak said:

agreed and i think he'll have trouble making this roster.  walford is not bad.

No one can check Leggett when he's actually on the field.  The dude doesn't practice and he steps on the field against Washington's #1 defense and does whatever he wants with them.  The organization thinks he can play, too.  I don't see him going anywhere.  

[Jetlife33]

1 hour ago, JetBlue said:

Where do fans come up with this stuff?  Leggett can't stay healthy?   He is lazy?  I bet if we cut him, Houston will snap him up and seconds.  He was one of Deshaun Watsons favorite targets at Clemson.  How about we do this; why not give them a chance to play a little first.  Injuries are part of the game and anyone can go down at any time.  Him being injured in his rookie year does not mean he cannot stay healthy.  Herndon was injured in college and is out now because of injuries.  Do you consider him injury prone too?   Before his knee injury in college he was looking very impressive, just like he appears to be looking in camp before suffering his latest setback (which doesn't appear to be serious).  It would be great if we stop jumping to conclusions and "making up our minds" on players and just have a little more patience.  BTW I doubt the fans will sour on either of these guys because if they are both healthy, they will be productive, especially with Sam throwing to them. 

You know leggett’s nickname in college by players on his team was “lazy leggett”? And I’m pretty sure he’s been suffering with knee injuries dating back to his freshman year in college. I’m not impressed with this group of tight ends and I doubt other teams are worried about them. But sure I’ll give them more time and obviously will hope they can become playmakers. 

[JetBlue]

5 hours ago, Jetlife33 said:

You know leggett’s nickname in college by players on his team was “lazy leggett”? And I’m pretty sure he’s been suffering with knee injuries dating back to his freshman year in college. I’m not impressed with this group of tight ends and I doubt other teams are worried about them. But sure I’ll give them more time and obviously will hope they can become playmakers. 

We can agree on this.