Jake Butt's Super Bowl LI Thoughts
Last week I looked at the Patriots' tight end situation. Within that post I looked at the tight ends on their roster as well as some free agents that are about to become available on the market. Now I'm going to take a look at some of the rookies that are going to be available via the draft in May.
JAKE BUTT- Jake is a Michigan Wolverine who grew up in Ohio. Chances are good that he's caught a pass or two from a certain Patriot quarterback during one of his visits to the Big House. For his sake, I hope his 10 inch hands impressed TB12. His good hands and size make him a threat in the red zone. His perceived weakness is his inability to beat his opponent deep (Gronk had the same weakness). Jake tore his ACL in his bowl game.
OJ Howard's Super Bowl LI Thoughts
OJ HOWARD- Another tight end with 10 inch hands. While his 6'6" 249 frame sounds impressive, his weakness is his lack of muscle mass and strength. With Howard being in the top 3 for tight ends in the bench press at the combine, it might be something he's been working on. The Alabama product is extremely athletic and was tops in the 3 cone drill. Some scouts are questioning his competitiveness. OJ has had his biggest games under the biggest spotlight, 9 receptions for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns in two National Championship games against Clemson.
SCOTT ORNDOFF- Yes, it is a complete coincidence that Orndoff also has 10 inch hands (Gronk's are 10 3/4). Orndoff played his college ball for the Pitt Panthers. This year he had 58 receptions for 897 yards and 13 touchdowns. At 6'5" and 255 he does a great job holding onto the ball after the catch. The only problem is that he's had a bit of trouble catching the ball as he dropped 10% of the passes meant for him this year.
ADAM SHAHEEN- In his mock draft, Matt McEwan has Shaheen going to the Patriots with the 32nd overall pick. 6'6" 278 with rebounding hands of 9 5/8", Adam dominated his division II competition and had 16 touchdowns this season. While on paper Shaheen's biography does sound like the type of guy who ends up being a stud for the Patriots, those gems usually don't come the way of the draft.
ADAM SHAHEEN- In his mock draft, Matt McEwan has Shaheen going to the Patriots with the 32nd overall pick. 6'6" 278 with rebounding hands of 9 5/8", Adam dominated his division II competition and had 16 touchdowns this season. While on paper Shaheen's biography does sound like the type of guy who ends up being a stud for the Patriots, those gems usually don't come the way of the draft.
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