A tight end is a hybrid, half horse, half winged creature, to borrow an image from mythology. The horse half would be a stellar blocker, the winged creature half an accomplished receiver.
Get one who can do both, as the Chargers did when they enlisted Kellen Winslow, and, later, Antonio Gates, and you have something.
There would not seem to be a tight end with those qualities available in the Saturday and Sunday NFL Draft, none of the players at this position having received better than a second-round grade in the publications dealing with the process.
“But this is a great year for tight ends,” said ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., who is aware that as NFL offenses have evolved, with the emphasis on the pass, what teams most want in tight ends are players who can catch footballs.
“Time was that if a tight end couldn't block, he couldn't play,” Kiper said. “Now it's if he can't catch, he can't play. They're glorified wide receivers. Blocking is almost secondary. That's why Dustin Keller is so attractive.”
Keller is a Purdue athlete who made 68 receptions in 2007 for 881 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He has 4.57 speed, which is faster than many wideouts. Blocking is not his strength.
Another tight end with favorable notices is Martellus Bennett of Texas A&M. His assets include his height; he is 6-6 1/8. For speed, at 4.72 he can't match Keller, but he is said to possess strong potential as a blocker.
The best of the available tight ends might be a USC athlete, Fred Davis. One draft study has him going in the first quartile of the second round, which would put him ahead of the others. Davis is a 255-pounder who doesn't shy from blocking and runs good routes.
Jerry Magee: (619) 293-1830; jerry.magee@uniontrib.com
