(02-23-2021, 08:04 PM)Bullseye Wrote:

(02-23-2021, 07:30 PM)TheO-LineMatters Wrote: Honestly, I don't know. I wouldn't specifically target any TE in any particular round. It would all depend on how the board fell and which players I had rated at the top of my board and who was available. I'm not one of those people who subscribes to the idea that we must find a breakout TE this season. We have a ton of needs on this team and ultimately some needs will get addressed and others won't. Rome wasn't built in a day and I know we are in a total re-build, so realistically we are probably looking at 2-3 years before we will be competitive. As long as we go into next season with a new QB, better O-Line protection on the edge for that QB and major improvements at a few defensive positions, I will be happy. If we cannot find a franchise TE this year, I look for one next season. You can win games with average TE play. Yes, great teams like Kansas City and Tampa Bay have excellent TE's, but guys like Kelce and Gronkowski are also future Hall of Famers. Those kinds of players are few and far between. If we could get someone who could give us key yards as a "safety net" player for the QB, I'll be satisfied with that. We'll just have to see how things play out.

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I don't know how you are defining "breakout" TE.
First and foremost, I look for a TE that could provide that security blanket for a QB.  The guy who, when the chips are down, can reliably get open-especially over the middle, catch the ball, and move the chains.  People say that great QBs make the receiver.  While there is some truth to that, most great QBs have had weapons at TE that helped enable them to be great.  Brady has Gronk.  Brett Favre had Chmura and Jackson.  Aikman had Novacek.  Fouts had Winslow.  Stabler had Casper.  Beyond that, having a TE that can create match up problems for defenses can take the offense to another level.  Many of those guys I listed above created matchup problems for defenses, and their offenses were better for it.
If, as you observe, we are 2-3 years before we are competitive, then it wouldn't be devastating if a rookie TE we provided for TL wouldn't have a HUGE immediate impact.  As long as they "grow up" together in the scheme and both improve over time, I'm okay with it.  But I suspect Friermuth would have a pretty decent impact for TL this year as his security blanket, and has the ability to pose problems for some defenses.

An average TE can provide a security blanket. A breakout TE is exactly that. Someone who comes in an makes an impact immediately like Kelce did in his first full season when he had 862 yards receiving or like Rob Gronkowski did as a rookie when he scored 10 TD's. Those guys are total anomalies. 

I totally believe a great QB will make average receivers look better. That's why I am so against selecting a receiver early in the draft. I believe we have very talented WR's, but they have been hindered by terrible QB play. I'm fully expecting Chark and Shenault in particular, to have breakout seasons in the next 2 years with Lawrence throwing to them. Just look at the season Trevor had last year with a group of sub-par Clemson receivers. He could do the same for an average TE. I like James O'Shaughnessy. Before he got injured, I thought he had a lot of promise. If we re-sign him and if he's back to 100% next season, I believe he could be the "security net" kind of TE you describe. Maybe he won't have overly gaudy stats, but I believe he would be an effective TE. 

Personally, I'm just not "blown away" by any certain TE in this draft. I love the potential of Kyle Pitts, but the injuries are a real red flag. Freiermuth looks ok, but he's certainly no T.J. Hockenson, imo. I believe better players at other positions will be available when he is selected. I like Hunter Long and Brevin Jordan in the middle rounds, but I'd have to see what players are on the board at that point. Three guys that do intrigue me a lot as a late round selections are Kenny Yeboah of Mississippi, Matt Bushman of BYU and Zach Davidson of Central Missouri. If one of them is available late in the draft, I definitely pull the trigger. They are raw, but show a lot of potential. Bushman would have gone much higher had he not missed all of last season with an injury. He was supposed to be Zach Wilson's "go to" guy.

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