Quote:OK... I'll take a look-see now at the smaller guys. There are three in question ranked atop most rankings just behind OJ Howard. I'll list them with their expected weigh-in numbers...

• David Njoku - The biggest of the three projects to run a 4.5 40 and measures in right about the same as Neal Sterling at 6' 3 5/8", 240 lbs.
  
  
• Gerald Everett - Truly a tiny TE, Everett should run a sub-4.7 while measuring in at 6' 2 5/8" , 227 lbs.
  
  
• Even Engram - Might be able to run a 4.6 40 while measuring in at 6' 3 1/8", 236 lbs.
  
  

Njoku is expected to be a later 1st round pick but might make it to the Jaguars early 2nd round. Everett and Engram are both projected as 2nd or 3rd round pick, and there's no real consensus between these two as to which one should rank higher. By the time the Jaguars early 3rd round pick rolls around, it's conceivable that either Everett or Engram will still be there, but probably not both.


 

There's also a 5th round projection expected to run in the 4.7s....

• Jannu Smith - typically ranks about #9 and should measure in at 6 2 5/8", 245.
  
  

After these four the remaining draftable TEs have some size to them as any remaining smaller TEs probably go undrafted.

 

I was attempting humor more than critique, but yeah, those guys are definitely not the ideal size for the position.  Of course, like a lot of things in the NFL, the standards at TE are evolving with the modern version of the game. For teams with franchise QBs, these types of primarily receiving TEs can be very useful tools despite their lack of versatility and prototypical size.

 

One thing to note here is that our man Sterling has packed on some weight since being drafted two years ago and is listed at 257.  I don't think that's much of an exaggeration after watching him work the blocking sleds last summer. He looked a lot more like a TE than a big receiver out there to me this year.  Of course we don't really know if he'll realize his potential, but some of these similarly sized prospects can potentially bulk up like Sterling did and develop a blocking skill set. 

---------------------------------------------

 

I went back and watched some bits of the week 13 and 14 games to check out Koyack and Sterling:

 

They definitely used Koyack in Marcedes' role and Sterling in Thomas' role as you would expect. 

 

Koyack came out of school at 6'5" - 255 and ran a 4.76 at his pro day. We nabbed him in the 7th round (he was projected in the 5th or 6th by many). 

His blocking looked "adequate or better" to me in the 6 or 7 series I just examined.  He gets good body position, uses his hands well, keeps his head up and can disengage to leak out as a receiver well. On run plays he works hard to move his guy well out of position. He's still a bit green and could be stronger, but he's off to a good start IMO as a blocking end that can leak out for a catch over the middle or in the flats effectively. 

 

Sterling was not asked to block in the run game often, but did so effectively a couple of times in the series I just watched.  They did have him chip a 3-4 OLB a few times on his way to his receiving route, and he looked fine doing so IMO. Having run a 4.62 at his pro day a couple of years and 20 pounds ago, he still looks pretty fast for a TE out there. 

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what the new regime has cooking for the TE group and I really hope to see Sterling (or his potential upgrade) as a seam threat at times. I hope they also giving Bortles plenty of TE check-down possibilities to keep him from forcing the ball into coverage downfield too often. 

 

I personally don't anticipate the Jags going after a TE early in the draft given the focus on the trenches and the run game, so I'll be watching the 5th-7th round prospects as potential targets. 

---