(03-20-2021, 02:58 PM)SeldomRite Wrote:

(03-20-2021, 02:45 PM)johnnywynter Wrote: Couldn't you bulk Colin up to about 240 have "Kyle Pitts" already on your team? I get that the run blocking schemes and TE routes would have to be taught but aren't they about the same guy athletically? Colin has great hands and High Pointing ability so maybe the Jags  could just spend some time converting him into a dynamic Y?

The whole point of a receiving TE is you need them to be good enough at route running and catching that if the defense tries to go heavy to defend the run you can have him beat linebacker coverage, and if they bring in a defensive back to cover him then he can block well when you run against a light defense. Can Collin Johnson be a good enough receiving threat and blocker if he gains 30 lbs (what he'd realistically need to gain) to be the difference maker? I kind of doubt it since he's not particularly dynamic as a receiver right now. Plus the team already has James O'Shaughnessy, and he's essentially what Johnson would be if he bulked up to be a mediocre blocker and pass catcher. No one's beating down his door to pay him. Maybe it's more about Pitts being a special athlete?

That's exactly right.  A TE's ability to block as well as catch passes is what makes him a matchup nightmare.  Having one who can do both puts pressure on a defense, because they don't know which one he will do on the next play.

As for Collin Johnson converting to TE, it's hard for a player to switch positions at the NFL level.  It's hard enough for a player to make it at the position he's played since high school.  But to get to the NFL and switch?  There's a reason very few players do that, and that is, it's very hard to do.

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