(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.