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**Jags02** · 02-23-2017, 08:52 AM

It's interesting that Shaneen played basketball as well. Most of the best tall athletes go into the NBA when they would otherwise be an awesome NFL TE. Here we have a case of a good, tall athlete willing to go the football route. I wish more did that, but the NBA pays more than NFL TEs tend to make.

As a pass catcher he's been productive since moving to TE his sophomore season. He led college TEs in receptions as a Junior in his first season as a starter, and it's impressive that he tied Michael Robert's 16 TDs his senior season for the most TDs among college TEs while also setting his school's record. His nfl.com profile goes into detail about his route running both good and bad...

Quote:STRENGTHS ...Accomplished high school hooper who brings the same footwork to the field. Has good sink into breaks and can make sharp cuts coming out. Has foot quickness for clever stutter-and-go double moves to uncover against linebackers. Above average speed and acceleration for his size. Creates leverage points against man coverage before breaking his routes off and pulling away. Moved all over the field. Was isolated for fade routes near endzone. Plus hand-eye coordination and shows ability to alter body positioning to improve catch-odds while ball-tracking...

WEAKNESSES ...Upper body is stiff and mechanical in his routes. Hasn't learned how to utilize hands to free himself against press. Gets jammed up in his release and can be knocked off the timing of his patterns. Will need to learn to adjust in space in order to maneuver past traffic...

The big question is how "stiff and mechanical" because that could get exposed, although the rest of his weaknesses can be developed out of him. He's clearly more of a pass catcher than a blocker, although he has good size for a blocker (roughly 6-5, 280) so the hope is he can develop there. As his profile sums him up, "...he's a pass catching tight end in a Y-tight end's body." They ding him a bit for his struggles blocking, citing...

Quote:

Physically overwhelmed a lower level of competition...In need of his fair share of technique work as a run blocker. Ducks head into initial contact. Finds himself lunging and chasing when asked to climb to second level. ...He's a poorer blocker than what might be expected for a player with his frame...

He's projected to run a sub-4.9, but claims he'll run a sub-4.6 and is often cited as being a "fast TE." Shaheen made first-team across the board including All American. Generally ranked around #8 among TEs, he's also projected to go anywhere from round 3 to 7, although he probably goes ahead of Michael Roberts who tends to rank just outside the top 10. I'll guess round 5 for Shaheen and round 6 for Roberts, although with this draft so deep in TEs you might see both fall a round later.

If you scroll down on this page...
http://draftblaster.com/2017-NFL-Draft/s...haheen-te/

...you'll get a good look at his extremely natural hands during his 2016 junior season. He truly is a gifted receiver who can make the tough catch, and that has me thinking he's worth developing him into his frame as a blocker. Looking at a few more scouting reports, it's worth noting that has an extra breakaway gear with the ball in his hands that helps him pick up YAC, and he's great at positioning his body to win contested balls. He does seem to have an issue beating press coverage, and it's worth noting that he played against total scrubs, but he still should be a tremendous receiver in the NFL and potentially a tremendous blocker given his frame once he does develop in that area.

'02