My Top TE, H Backs, and Full Backs In The 2020 NFL Draft

[Tony The Wiz]

Hello Jet Fans Again,

Today I will be discussing the Tight Ends, H Backs and Fullbacks. After watching the Super Bowl, and watching two top tight ends in the game, we all know this is an under appreciated position. One of them, I had liked, and had him a highly rated came out of Cincinnati, was Travis Kelce. And the other I have to admit, I knew nothing about, was George Kittle. I mean, I watched him at Iowa, but really thought he wasn't going to be anything special. And I was wrong.

So I go back decades, and remember watching back in the day, the great John Mackey, Mike Ditka, Dave Casper, Ozzie Newsome and both New York teams Tight Ends, Bob Tucker, Pete Lammons and Rich Caster.  All wonderful memories for me. Either my father and I watching Tarkenton to Bob Tucker, or Me and my father watching Namath throw bombs to Rich Caster.  And we cannot forget football legend announcer, Curt Gowdy, praising that great QB, Joe Namath. I still remember that game when Joe went head to head versus Johnny Unitas in that classic offensive showcase game on NBC.  I still remember it like it was yesterday. Hey you young Jet fans, we all know you are stuck in your house because of this dreadful virus, so I challenge you to go find this game on YouTube if you can. And if it is there, watch this from the beginning. What a Classic, and the look on Johnny United face after Namath was doing his thing, was Epic !! 

So with that, I will reveal first my Top Tight Ends. First, last year there was 16 Tight Ends drafted. That includes H Backs but not full backs. Three fullbacks were drafted.  One last point the average Forty Time for NFL Tight Ends is 4.70.  Again my grade system begins with top 3 Grade, top 7 Grade, Top 10 Grade, Mid RD Grade and Late RD Grade. You will never see a Top 3 Grade or even a Top 7 Grade. The position will never be that important for this to happen. After my Tight Ends I will list my top 8 H Backs and then my top 5 Full Backs.   

 

1. COLE KMET- NOTRE DAME  - As a Notre Dame fan I seen a lot of this young man. And with out a doubt he is the number 1 TE in this draft. He has perfect size at 6' 6" and  262 lbs and catches everything.  He also is a real nice blocker and at the Combine he showed enough speed with a 4.70 Forty and an explosive 37 Vertical.   MID TO LATE 1ST ROUND GRADE

2. ADAM TRAUTMAN - DAYTON -  He was very impressive in the Senior bowl. He did every thing right. Even his blocking was excellent. He was very productive this year with 70 receptions and 916 yards. His hands aren't as big as Kmet who has 10 1/2" hands.  Trautman hands length is 9 1/2". But he is a Pro Type TE size of 6' 5" and 255 lbs.  At the Combine he ran a 4.8 and a vertical of 34.5. If he ran a 4.7 and under I would of considered him a late 1st round grade.  REAL EARLY 2ND ROUND GRADE

3. HARRISON BRYANT - FLORIDA ATLANTIC - Another who has nice size being 6' 5" and 253 lbs. He also has 9 1/2" size hands. Harrison had some great numbers this year with 65 reception and 1004 yards. And in the Senior Bowl we seen how good a blocker is and he is a competitor. Really liked him all year. He was my 2nd top TE and he is very close with Trautman for that honor. He did run faster than Trautman with a 4.73 Forty. EARLY 2ND ROUND GRADE

4. COLBY PARKINSON - STANFORD -  He just keeps up the tradition for top Tight Ends coming out of this college. He was a top high school recruit who turn out as a top TE in this class of tight ends. He is a big target at 6' 7" and 254 lbs. He is an o.k blocker but his strength is going and get that ball over the middle.  This year his stats weren't as good as other Tight Ends but that wasn't his fault since the Quarterback situation got murky from injuries. But even so he had 48 receptions and 589 yards. His had length is 9 5/8".       LATE 2ND ROUND GRADE

5. BRYCEN HOPKINS - PERDUE  - A really nice receiver. He had a nice year with Purdue as he caught 61 receptions and 830 yards. He is slightly smaller than the Tight Ends I mentioned above as he is 6' 4" and 245 lbs. But he has nice size hands at 10 1/8" . He also ran a great time of 4.66 Forty. He really is smooth in his route running and he finds the open seams.  EARLY 3RD ROUND GRADE

6. DEVIN ASIASI - UCLA -  A really nice Tight End who has wonderful hands. He runs nice routes and will get you that extra yard when hit. I noticed he weighed much more than he did last year and the weight loss increased his production greatly. He went to the Combine and ran a nice 4.73 Forty and looked good in the field drills. He does need to get stronger.  His hands are 9 1/4 inches and he is 6' 3" 257 lbs.  He had nice production this year with 44 receptions for 641 yards.   MID 3RD TO LATE 3RD ROUND GRADE.  

7. ALBERT OKWEUEGBUNAM  - MISSOURI -  We been hearing about him for over 2 years and at the combine he really had the best Forty time of any Tight Ends.  He ran a 4.49 Forty, but than he didn't do any more events. I had wished he did. Most coaches probably did to. He has real nice size at 6' 5" 1/2 and 258 lbs. His hands are big with 10 1/4 inches.  My problem is where was the production this year. He had a decent QB so is it can he separate himself. Now with that speed he should of. He only had 26 receptions for 306 yards. So who is he as a player?  LATE  3RD ROUND GRADE

8. JARED PINKNEY - VANDERBILT -  What Player are we going to get the player of 2018, where he caught 50 receptions for 774 yards in 13 games, or the Pinkney of 2019, where in an injury year in 8 games he only caught 20 receptions for 233 yards. Now this could not all be his fault, since in 2018 he had one of the top QB's in college.  So going into the Combine, after healing from his wrist injury, we needed to see something positive. And then he runs a disastrous 4.96. So right off we see he is no speed guy.  But what I like about him is his hands. His hands are 10 1/2 inches and when the ball is near him he snatches it out of the air. His blocking is also a plus. He is 6' 4" and 257 lbs but plays bigger.   EARLY 4TH ROUND TO MID 4TH ROUND GRADE

9. DALTON KEENE - VIRGINIA TECH -  He impressed at the NFL Combine, and he showed many scouts what he is all about as a player when he caught  three Touchdown Passes against Miami. When you watch him on the Football field you really think he is smaller than he is but he is 6' 4" and 253 lbs. He is fluid on his routes and he goes up there to snare his reception. His hands are 9 3/4 inches. He never gives up on a play. Always looking for that first hit, he doesn't back off, and instead wants to get extra yards. He would be any teams favorite, as he plays with passion and enthusiasm.  If the Quarterback play was any better his stats would of doubled.  Teams are going to fall in love with him. He could vault up the draft board because of his grit and style of play.  EARLY 4TH ROUND TO MID 4TH ROUND  

10. JACOB BREELAND - OREGON - If it wasn't for his injury Jacob was on the watch list for best Tight Ends in the Country. In 6 games he caught 26 balls for 405 yards. He recovered from his knee injury and was invited to the Combine. While there he didn't perform any drills. So to say where is he going to be drafted is a mystery. But when healthy, he is dependable receiver. At 6' 5" 253 lbs, he has nice size, and his hands size are 9 7/8, but he is not much of a blocker. What I notice is, he seems to feel himself into spots to get open for his QB. And he is a pretty good route runner. LATE 4TH ROUND TO EARLY 5TH ROUND GRADE

11. MITCHELL WILCOX - SOUTH FLORIDA - I Watched him in a few games this year, and he is another Tight End who got affected with bad Quarterback play. It is a shame, because he is a real good player.  At 6' 3" 1/2,  and 248 lbs, he could be an H Back. But when I watch him block on the line, he doesn't do a bad job. He does need to get stronger but. His time is a slow 4.88 Forty, so I say he is more of a traditional TE.  He has some good catching skills, and I see him catching balls over the middle lining up in a traditional TE position. Now he does have small hands for his height, 9 1/8".   LATE 5TH ROUND TO EARLY 6TH ROUND.

12.  NATE WIETING - IOWA   -    Why would I have a player who caught only 10 receptions this year, and have him in my top 12 Traditional Tight Ends?  One Word.....................................................IOWA.   The same school that produced T.J. Hockenson, Noah Fant, George Kittle, C.J Fierdorowicz, Tony Moeaki, Brandon Myers, Scott Chandler,and Dallas Clark this century. Their Head Coach understands the Pro Game and these player are ready for it. We all know he was not going to be  invited to the Combine, but when you watched him this year he was a fierce blocker at 6' 4" and 245 lbs. I know he will put on 10 pounds of muscle and work on his craft. Now he wasn't the featured TE at Iowa. They have a talented freshman TE. I can see him making a team.   LATE 6TH ROUND TO LATE 7TH ROUND GRADE

13. SEAN MCKEON - MICHIGAN -  Not much production this year, but was injured and only play 7 games this year. His best game was the Ohio St. game, and he looked fluid running routes. He was open many times and the QB never seen him. We all know who the QB was.  But when the ball did come his way he looked real nice with hand location. I watched his blocking ability, and it was so so. He would make contact with his opponent, but needs to drive him more. He needs to bulk up that 6' 5" 245 lb frame. We see all these kids come into the league like this, and in no time bulk up to about 260 lbs, and become way more stronger with the strength coaches the NFL provides.   7th ROUND GRADE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------So those were my top 13 traditional Tight Ends I have rated. Now like I said with the talent of the running back position and wideout position, in my opinion there will be no more than 15 Tight Ends and H backs going to be drafted. So some of these players would be undrafted free agents. I really feel that the draft should add 1 more round in the draft. Instead of 7 rounds I would like to see 8 rounds. In fact I wouldn't mind a nine round draft. I am going to tell you why. There are advantages for some teams when undrafted players become free agents. Just look at teams in California or Texas. The management of teams like the Rams, 49ers, Texans and Cowboys could watch way better players than the Giants, Jets, Eagles or Redskins in their backyard. Same with the Florida teams, but it shows you how bad Miami is when that talent pool is right there in their town and they still stink. I know it hasn't hurt the Patriots but Belecheat really knows how to get extra picks and work the draft.  So lets now take a look at my top H Backs.

H BACKS

1.  CHASE CLAYPOOL -  NOTRE DAME -  He should convert to an H Back, and become the nightmare he would become for all Safeties and linebackers out there.  His game is perfect for an H Back. He really isn't a great route runner, but more of breaking free from a defender type receiver. He finds his spot, or out runs the defender, or he out jumps them with his athleticism to make the catch. He has the speed, after showcasing it at the Combine. He ran a fast 4.42 Forty for a guy who is 6' 4" 1/4  and 238 lbs.. And a 40.5 Vertical, and 126 Broad jump, just put the cherry on top as a top performer.  Now lets compare him to Okweugbunam, who ran an impressive 4.49 at 6' 5" and 258 lbs.. What makes Claypool a way better player? He knows how to use his speed and width to free himself from the defender. Something that Okweugbunam doesn't do much of.  Claypool like Okweugunbaum has real nice size hands at 9 7/8 inches.  Look. I don't know if they are going to do this but being a Notre Dame fan and a fan of Claypool I wish they do.  LATE 1ST ROUND PICK as an H Back

2.  HUNTER BRYANT -  WASHINGTON  -   I watched Bryant a lot this year. He seemed like he was always open. Here is another perfect H Back, but what separates Bryant with Claypool is speed. Bryant who is 2 inch shorter than Chase, but 10 pounds heavier, ran a 4.74 Forty. So there is no way he could be a wideout with that time. Now who is to say, if he had lost 25 pounds what would his time be?  But he will come into the NFL as a H Back. He has great hands, and is excellent in traffic. He competes for every catch. I watched him in a game when it was snowing and cold, and it didn't affect him. Only negatives I see, are he is not much of a blocker, and he did have knee injuries in the past.   LATE 2ND ROUND GRADE

3.  JOSIAH DEGUARA - CINCINNATI -   One of my favorite Tight Ends or H Back. He is 6' 2 1/2 and 245 lbs with 9 inch hands. But what he is as a player is a competitor. If you want to know who this guy is, and what he is about, then watch the first game of the year against the UCLA Bruins. Late in the first half, with about 27 seconds the Cincinnati QB, air mailed a pass to the end zone where the UCLA cornerback zeroed in on it. The ball was intercepted on the two yard line, and the cornerback had clear sailing until Deguara from out of nowhere ran down the field and tackled this cornerback saving a TD.  He could play on my team anytime. He just shows me the same passion that Travis Kelce played with when he was playing for them. His hustle is contagious. And he makes big plays when you need it the most.       LATE 2ND ROUND GRADE

4.  THADDEUS MOSS -  LSU  - The son of Randy Moss the Hall Of Fame receiver and Marshall great. I remember when I was watching his games catching balls from our own NY Jet Former QB, Chad Pennington. So now his son wins a National Championship with LSU and his QB was Joe Burrow. Thaddeus has a different body than his dad, as he is more of an H Back. At 6' 2" and 250 lbs, he will be asked to function in an offense differently than his dad. This year he performed well for the Tigers by catching 47 balls and gaining 570 yards. He was invited to the Combine, but couldn't compete in any of the drills after the finding of a fracture in his foot.  His best feature is his hands. But when running he does look a little sluggish. He doesn't have that burst of speed and he doesn't look to get extra yards. But he is a good run blocker.    EARLY 4TH ROUND GRADE          

5.  GIAVANNI RICCI - WESTERN MICHIGAN -  He is 6' 3" and 235 lbs who is an excellent receiver, and he runs nice fine routes. No delay in his cuts, and looks like a refine wideout. He does have the ability to block, and he goes after the defender. He doesn't wait for the defender to get to him first. He had a nice year this year with 51 receptions and 643 yards and a nice total of 8 Touchdowns. I see him as an NFL player.  LATE 4TH ROUND GRADE

6. JOEY MAGNIFICO - MEMPHIS -  With a last name like that he has to be on my list. No kidding aside, I watch this kid at Memphis, and I like what I seen up until his injury. It was unfortunate that he got injured, since in 9 games he had just 1 reception less than he had in 12 games last year. And he has a nice 16.8 per reception average.  He is 6' 2" 3/4 and 235 lbs. It is funny how some people have him in the Tight End category when he is this size. For me he is an H Back, and he runs about a 4.72 Forty if not faster. He has quick routes, and he has good hands.  I like him more than other highly rated H Backs .       EARLY 5TH ROUND GRADE 

7. RILEY STAPLETON - JAMES MADISON -  I  love this player. No one is talking about him and he probably won't get drafted. But I see more potential and quickness from him than my next pick, who many experts think will go in the late 4th or early fifth. First lets talk about two brothers playing for the same team.  That is what we had here.  His brother is the Tight End on James Madison, but he is bigger and more of a traditional TE. And he doesn't have the pass catching ability of his younger brother. He had 65 receptions and 788 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has the length being 6' 5'' and 230 lbs. Yes, he will put on about 10 pounds, or even more, since he is this tall.  He could surprise a lot of people.   LATE 5TH ROUND GRADE     my diamond in the rough. 

8.  CHARLIE TAUMOEPEAU - PORTLAND ST.  -  Was invited to the Senior Bowl and than the NFL Combine. He showed you some speed at the combine with a 4.75 Forty which surprised me. On tape he actually looks slower. He is 6' 2" and 240 lbs with 9 1/2 inch hands. His best quality is he has good receiving ability when the ball is thrown to him. He doesn't separate quick though to break open. I mean he is athletic since he jumped a vertical of 36.5 inches and broad jumped a 121 inches. But I just don;t see it on some tape I watch.  He needs to go into a camp and be on a practice squad and put some work in. LATE 6TH ROUND GRADE TO EARLY 7TH

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------      So that was my top 8 H Backs and now I will give you my Top 5 Full Backs.  Now there was 3 FULL BACKS Chosen In The 2019 NFL DRAFT

 

1.   SEWO OLONIULA -  TCU -  Again, I stated that I watched at least 6 games TCU played this year, and by far he is the best Full back. Now you can say he is a running back, but he was always brought in to give a big block or get those tough yards.  At 6' 3'' and 235 lbs I could see him adding 12 pounds of muscle, if not more, and not affect his speed which is around 4.65 Forty. What I like about him, is when he makes contact you go backwards. And when he gets bigger and stronger he will be a force.  He gained 537 yards this year, and had 8 touch downs in 134 attempts. But we also have to love that he caught 24 balls out of the backfield.  He could go from EARLY 4TH TO EARLY 5TH in the draft.  I like him.

2. DARIUS BRADWELL -  TULANE - I watched him in a game against Temple and he is very impressive. He runs high and looks like he could put on more weight on his 6' 1' frame. Right now he is 230 lbs, but I see easily at 245 lbs and be a combo RB-FB like Sewo. This past year was no where near what he was in 2018. In his junior year he rushed for 1134 yards in 201 carries.  So he is a capable runner. He will be on someones team next year. Sometimes he looks like you can't tackle him.  MID 5TH TO LATE 5TH ROUND GRADE        

3.  BRADY ROSS -  IOWA  - First, he is a pure hard nose full back.  Old School.  And he has learned his future trade, from a great coaching staff led by my number college football head coach, Kirk Ferentz.  Brady is on nobody's list of full backs. WHY?   Because the only thing he does is block !!  And for two years that all it has been.  He is a hard nose 6' 0" 248 lbs of grunt work blocking machine.  How do you rank a guy who has only 6 carries all year. You want a old type full back on your team, than draft him in the 7th round or sign him quick as an undrafted free agent.

4.  BRONSON RECHSTEINER - KENNISAW ST.  I just got to say this, but I went to a wrestling event where this players father and uncle were the tag team champions, The Steiner Brothers.  They had many a battle with Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, The Anderson brothers and the Garvins.  Now today, Bronson is trying to make his own mark. Hopefully he gets a chance since these FCS players are making their mark in the NFL. He is a hard nose running back who probably will be playing as a full back.  He is built and he is solid but smallish at 5' 11 1/4" and 232 lbs., but he could run the ball. This year he ran for 909 yards in only 112 attempts, for a real nice 8.1 yard per carry.  Note to the head coach :  Why didn't he get more carries?!!     He won't get drafted. I don't think but who knows.    He runs hard people. He needs to go to a camp.   LATE  7TH ROUND -  FA

 5.  A.J. HINES - DUQUENSE - Who?  Well let me tell you about him.   HE IS  5' 11" and 235 lbs and  talented. Need to watch this players tape. Big and powerful and fast. They say he runs about a 4.62 forty.  What I just seen on his tape  looked like O,J. Simpson since he wore number 32. In 2018 he had an incredible year with 1520 yards and 13 receptions for a total of 236 yards. He won the award the Jerry Rice award. This year he had curled off some with a 76  less carries but still got 776 yards.   He could be a little known gem.  My Diamond in the Rough. I will be watching where this player goes to.   BRING HIM IN JETS FOR A LOOK            LATE 7TH RD -FA 

          So that wraps up this position and there were some fine TE or H Backs I  didn't list that could make teams. Players like Stephen Sullivan of LSU, Cheyenne O'Grady of Arkansas,  Charlie Woerner of Georgia, Parker Houston of San Diego St., Kelvin Smith of North Texas, Noah Togai of Oregon St. and Jared Rice of Fresno St.   All of these players will make teams next year. Most will probably be on Practice Squads.

 

Tony 

??     ✈✈                                                                                                                   

[Losmeister]

what stamina!

[Tony The Wiz]

9 hours ago, Losmeister said:

what stamina!

Yes

[Paradis]

[Beerfish]

You ding some of these guys for production but ignore that Kmet has 60 career catches and 1 year of production and 6 career tds all this past year.

Okwuegbunam has 98 career catches produced all three seasons and has 23 tds

Some of the small school  guys like Trautman have gaudy stats but , small school.

[TNJet]

TE is the last thing we should draft. Griffin and Herndon are above average, and we drafted Wesco last year.

[Tony The Wiz]

18 hours ago, Beerfish said:

You ding some of these guys for production but ignore that Kmet has 60 career catches and 1 year of production and 6 career tds all this past year.

Okwuegbunam has 98 career catches produced all three seasons and has 23 tds

Some of the small school  guys like Trautman have gaudy stats but , small school.

Do you want to compare Kmet with Okwuegbunam? Really.  Kmet was one of the top high school tight ends in the country. And with the up and down Quarterback play at Notre Dame really hurt his production. Okwuegbunam had Drew Lock as his QB who had a first round grade on him last year by many outlets.   

[Beerfish]

4 minutes ago, Tony The Wiz said:

Do you want to compare Kmet with Okwuegbunam? Really.  Kmet was one of the top high school tight ends in the country. And with the up and down Quarterback play at Notre Dame really hurt his production. Okwuegbunam had Drew Lock as his QB who had a first round grade on him last year by many outlets.   

I'm saying your comment about 'production' goes two ways.

You took one guy to task for production and his college production was actually better than your favoured players.

Is production very important or not?

Just a matter of parameters.

[Tony The Wiz]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

I'm saying your comment about 'production' goes two ways.

You took one guy to task for production and his college production was actually better than your favoured players.

Is production very important or not?

Just a matter of parameters.

Again Production means a lot in my book. But there are circumstances when it is not your fault. Look at the Stanford TE Colby Parkinson. Stanford's QB situation caused them not to make a Bowl Game. But Parkinson still got 48 receptions. Imagine if he had a real QB. 

[pdxgreen]

Hopefully Jacob Breeland can make it to end of the draft/UDFA period because of injury concerns.  Not a great blocker but the guy is a good situational target that would do really well with Darnold.