11 April, 2020
Fairly or unfairly, New England Patriots' fans have certain expectations when it comes to the tight end position, and, sadly, there is very little chance that any tight end brought on to the roster would meet those expectations.
That's important to keep in mind as Patriots' head coach and defacto general manager Bill Belichick navigates both the free agent market and his draft board - because no one he ends up bringing in is going to satiate the void left when sure-fire Hall-of-Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski retired before the start of last season.
Certainly, the duo of Matt LaCosse and now-retired Ben Watson did little to make fans forget about Gronkowski, as LaCosse and Watson were mainly a pass catching tight ends, lending only token production in the pattern and almost nothing as inline blockers.
Both were productive in other places and Watson was a serviceable tight end for the Patriots before Gronkowski arrived, returning on a one-year deal from New Orleans as a little more than a placeholder until Belichick dealt for a younger version. Belichick even passed on a couple of young players coming out of college...
...settling instead to appease quarterback Tom Brady with a big wide receiver with the last pick in the first round when there were still some decent tight ends left on the board.
Would Brady have preferred a safety-valve type tight end instead of Arizona State's N'Keal Harry, who spent half of the season on the injured list? Certainly, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels would have preferred a combination tight end who was at least a red zone target and could double as an inline blocker for the running game.
But he also thought that he had the run blocking covered with fullbacks James Develin and rookie load Jakob Johnson, but he lost both very early in the season and, combined with no inline blocking tight ends on the roster, the running game took a nosedive.
So if last season did anything for Patriots' fans, it made them appreciative of the tight end position and how important it really is to the product on the field, and how badly their team is in need of a quality combination tight end.
That will have to come in the draft, as the Patriots' lack of cap space prohibited them from bidding on veteran tight ends in free agency - and fortunately for Belichick and Patriots' fans, the draft features a couple of college players that fit their needs.
Purdue's 6' 5", 240 pound Brycen Hopkins is a combination of a plus-sized receiver and a serviceable inline blocker, though his skill set speaks more to a "Move" style of tight end, with speed and strength to separate, battle and fight for yardage after the catch, and can do so on routes on all three levels.
Unlike traditional "move" tight ends, Hopkins' length and speed make him a vertical threat, with seam routes being where he earned his bones in college, breaking into his routes from the slot, primarily.
Hopkins is a projected late-first, early-second round prospect and while he probably will not last until the Patriots select in the second round, he would be a reach at number twenty-three overall in the first round, with New England needing to fill several holes on both sides of the ball, better prospects and athletes in other areas of need would become better value in that spot...
...and since I'm projecting that Belichick will trade out of the first round to acquire picks in the second and fourth rounds anyway, Hopkins gets lost in the numbers game - But this draft is deep in tight ends with the skill set that Belichick is seeking - and as they all project as second and third day selections, there are three others that fall right into Belichick's wheelhouse.
Vanderbilt's 6' 4", 250 pound Jared Pinkney may not last to the third round, but would be an exceptional value if he did. While he doesn't possess a ton of speed, he is a fluid and graceful runner who can gain separation down the seam, and he catches everything thrown his way - but his best attribute is the physicality he brings to the position.
Pinkney won't run past or away from many defenders after the catch, but he will finish plays by punishing would-be tacklers, running through them rather than trying to dodge them. He's built like a bulldozer and is a willing inline blocker, using his size and strength to move defensive ends off their spot in the running game.
If Pinkney isn't still on the board early in the third round, Dayton's Adam Trautman should be.
At 6' 5" and 250 pounds, he has the tools to be a top-flight tight end, though he's a little raw, having arrived at Dayton as a quarterback and as a forward on their basketball team. He is a willing inline blocker, but his value is in his versatility, able to line up all over the offensive formation and running routes not typically traditional tight end routes.
He possesses solid hands and a lot of quickness and toughness and tracks the ball very well up the seam. Once he receives some professional coaching to refine his blocking skills, Trautman could be a solid addition and long-time starter for the Patriots.
While Trautman at the top of the third round is my overwhelming favorite for the combination tight end, one name that cannot be ignored in the later rounds is 22-year-old Thaddeus Moss.
Built like a linebacker at 6' 3" and 250 pounds, Moss's forte is run blocking, but was also a reliable short-to-intermediate safety valve in the passing game, his versatility translating to the H-back position as a lead blocker, much like a fullback would function in the Patriots' offense.
He's not a gazelle like his father, Randy, but does have the requisite speed, hands and tracking ability to handle seam routes. Namesake aside, Moss is an emerging talent with classic H-back skills, powerful blocking and with the ability to run the underneath and screen patterns as a safety valve. He needs some professional coaching, but his versatility, blood lines and commitment to the game means that he's the kind of athlete that Belichick loves to mentor.
The Patriots are in need of both an inline and a move tight end, so don't be surprised if Belichick spends two of his twelve overall picks on the tight end position.
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