Football - General
We all know that in EFS, the FB and TE roles are somewhat interchangeable. You have to start one or the other, or even both, but you can't play two of either position. That's the only gotcha. Now, absent the occasional Gates or Gonzales or Witten, these guys tend to toil away in anonymity. It's no big surprise that they are largely invisible in the Draft, either.
But no more! Your friendly champion of linemen and other media-insignificant positions will illuminate you regarding some of the top TE's and FB's to appear before you in the upcoming draft.
1. Fred Davis, TE, USC. Fred is 6-3+, 250+, and runs a 4.75 40. Winner of the 2007 Mackie Award as the nation's top TE, and currently the top-ranked TE/FB in the various draft lists. Led USC in receptions and was the team's co-MVP. Excellent quickness (former WR). Good character. Blocking will be an issue. Compares to Chris Cooley.
2. John Carlson, TE, Notre Dame. 6-5, 250+, 4.88 40. Led the horrible Irish offense with 40 catches, plus played very well on special teams. Not fast, but solid.
3. Dustin Keller, TE, Purdue. 6-3, 242. Kind of a WR/TE hybrid. Good athletic ability, decent hands, best used as an H-back. Not much of a blocker. 4.55 speed.
4. Jermichael Finley, TE, Texas. 6-5, 236, 4.82. Not much of a record on this guy, leaving TX after his redshirt Soph season. Good hands and body control, developing blocking skills, still a growing boy. Not all that fast, though. He'll be a project.
5. Brad Cottam, TE, Tennessee. 6-8, 271, 4.63. Now here's a possibility: the only thing limiting this guy is lack of experience. He's also not a great RAC guy, but size and speed and his developing blocking and hands are intriguing.
6. Owen Schmitt, FB, West Virginia. Owen is an intriguing prospect. He is a good all-around back, blocks and catches well, and is good for an occasional carry. He measures 6-2, 250+, and still manages a 4.7 in the 40. He's a throwback - think Larry Csonka, Bronco Nagurski, old time blood and guts guys. Runs hard, has great character, loves to block… Jeez, I wanna marry this guy.
7. Peyton Hillis, FB, Arkansas. As a LSU alum and fan, it killed me to see this guy perform so well against the Tigers. Yeah, McFadden and Jones were studs, but this guy held his own, too. Excellent runner. 6-1, 240, 4.58. Fantastic receiver, high motor guy, hard worker, excellent special teams performer. A bit of a RB/FB tweener with average blocking skills. Think Brian Leonard here…
8. Jacob Tamme, TE, Kentucky. 6-5, 240, 4.60. Sounds like a WR to me. Sounds like a guy who needs to spend next year pumping iron and getting up around 270 or so. But he has great receiving skills and runs well after the catch. He can't block. (Sounds like a WR to me.) But he can long-snap and hold, so maybe that's his career niche. Smart: finished college in 3 years.
9. Jacob Hester, FB, LSU. Speaking of the Tigers, Hester was the #1 back in a truly talent-loaded roster. No, he wasn't the fastest (4.6) or the shiftiest, but he was the guy the Tigers rode to the National Championship. He's a hard worker and great team player. He catches and blocks extremely well, runs adequately, and hangs on to the ball. He'll make someone a great #2 or #3 back. 5-10+, 236, 4.62.
10. Jerome Felton, FB, Furman. Here's another great all-around choice. Some compare him to Tony Richardson. 5-11+, 241, 4.75. Great quickness and balance, decent blocker. Another tweener like Hillis and Hester, and another great addition for a pro squad.
11. Craig Stevens, TE, California. 6-3, 254, 4.59. Team captain, good intangibles, great blocker, and the boy can motivate… check out that 4.59 number for a 250+ lb man. Not bad. One of the top bench press performers at the Combine. A good all-around TE.
12. J.J. Finley, TE, Oklahoma. 6-6, 254, 4.76. Projected late rounder. Solid all-around TE, but inconsistent hands and average speed hold him back from higher visibility.
13. Martellus Bennett, TE, Texas A&M. 6-6, 259, 4.68. Coming out as a junior, here's a guy to watch. Great all around athlete: played TE, DL, and even basketball at A&M. A character (in a good way… the guy is quotable).
14. Carl Stewart, FB, Auburn. 6-1, 230, 4.66. He may project more as an H-Back type given his excellent running and receiving skills vs. close-range blocking skills. He blocks better in the open field.
15. Jed Collins, FB, Washington State. 6-2, 254, 4.88. More of a pure FB, although his role at WA St was more as an H-Back. Good hands, good in-line blocking skills. Slowwwwww for anything other than a "guard with his brains knocked out" - as my HS coach used to refer to the fullback position.
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