There appears to be a pecking order in the upcoming NFL Draft. OJ Howard is on everyone’s mock board as the top prospect and the position and one of the top 10 players overall. David Njoku of Miami has been moving steadily up the ladder, garnering interest from teams in the middle and late first round. He could be the second TE selected in the first round. Njoku will continue the tradition as another prospect from Miami.
Then there is Evan Engram. The Ole Miss tight end who has the tools to be as good, if not better than his two colleagues and figures to be a second-round “steal” by teams looking to bolster their intermediate passing game.
Both Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. have him off the board at No. 35 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
If I have learned anything about this draft process, you read everything and believe nothing. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone knows who the top talents are and then, it is a crapshoot.
If you shuffle the list between 15 and 45, you get the same kind of talent. Engram deserves to be amongst the second tier of stars who will influence the NFL in years to come.
Tight ends who are 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds are not supposed to run a 4.43-40 yard dash. Engram played against the best talent in the SEC, just like Howard at Alabama. While he will need more size to become a complete player, he has a solid start to a strong NFL career.
In this player profile, we will look at the strengths and weaknesses of Evan Engram as he moves on to the next level. We also include a few teams that will be interested in adding help to their tight end unit.
Strengths
Speed. In this league, speed kills. Evan Engram will be a nice complementary target across the middle and on third down. He is also a matchup nightmare in the red zone. He has great hands.
According to MSN.com, when watching Engram play for Ole Miss, he is a massive mismatch on offense. Something many teams will crave at the tight end position. Someone who can cause havoc going down the field and causing problems for the defense. Getting in the middle of the field in between the linebackers and safeties with speed and athleticism makes it extremely challenging to defend.
Weaknesses
There is still, room to grow. Evan Engram is a work in progress. Therefore, he will need to learn more on the next level.
The main standout weakness that comes up with Engram is his blocking. This seems to be an area that scouts are heavily criticizing. Having the ability to block as a tight end can be a very important asset especially on run plays. Although he is willing to block and put effort into it, Engram appears to be inconsistent which it makes it difficult for teams to rely on this skill.
If I team is looking to draft a tight end to help establish the run game first, he is not the option.
Teams Interested
Jacksonville, Dallas, Carolina, Baltimore, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Oakland, Seattle, New Orleans, Tampa Bay