How high will BB take a tight end in this draft?

[Tunescribe]

BB can't seem to resist; given his track record it's almost inevitable. Problem is, all the marquee college tight ends these days are downfield types and there don't seem to be many blocking specialists. One that looked interesting in the combine (can't recall his name or school) was this 6-foot-7 white kid who reminded me a bit of Boss from the Giants. He is slow, but pack on a bit more muscle and he could be a beast a la Kyle Brady.

 

[signbabybrady]

#7 .................

 

[goz421]

Don' they have Thomas coming back from injury? Probably why they cut Brady. I think this draft will be defensive.

 

[Tunescribe]

#7 .................

In that case, I think you could assume that thousands of Patriots fans would be lining up for cyanide-laced Kool-aid.

 

[tatepatsfan]

3rd or 4th round

 

[Tunescribe]

Don' they have Thomas coming back from injury?

Not a dominating blocker.

 

[Lockdown06]

maybe john carlson from ND if he drops to our early third

 

[Caspir]

One of the third round picks I'm sure. I think they go LB, DB, LB, TE.

 

[DW Toys]

One of the third round picks I'm sure. I think they go LB, DB, LB, TE.

Agreed except if there is a dominant CB at 7 over a LB.
DW Toys

 

[UMDshawn]

The guy you are thinking of is Brad Cottam from Tennessee. He is like 6'7'' 270lbs. I have no idea how well of a blocker he is, but if they drafted a tight end, it would probably be a blocking tight end

 

[Tunescribe]

The guy you are thinking of is Brad Cottam from Tennessee. He is like 6'7'' 270lbs. I have no idea how well of a blocker he is, but if they drafted a tight end, it would probably be a blocking tight end

Thanks. Here's the Top 10 tight end prospects from Draft.com. None are projected as first rounders, and Cottam is projected to go in round 2 or 3. I could see using one of our two third-rounders on him.

1 Dustin Keller 6-2, 242 Purdue
2 Fred Davis 6-3, 255 USC
3 Martellus Bennett 6-6, 259 Texas A&M
4 Brad Cottam 6-8, 271 Tennessee
5 Jermichael Finley 6-5, 243 Texas
6 John Carlson 6-5, 251 Notre Dame
7 Kellen Davis 6-7, 262 Michigan St.
8 Martin Rcker 6-5, 248 Missouri
9 Jacob Tamme 6-3, 236 Kentucky
10 Darrell Strong 6-4, 268 Piitsburgh

 

[Bertil]

I've seen mocks with Cottam going in the first three to the Pats. Makes sense if he's still there then. Fills the Kyle Brady void, not right away, but maybe by week ten if he picks up on the steep learning curve.

 

[KevinFaulk-33]

I've heard some interesting thing about Martellus Bennet, someone of you did watch a game?

 

[WhiZa]

Cottam is suspect as a blocker. Just because he's the biggest TE in the draft doesn't mean he's going to be a a good replacement for Brady.

 

[WhiZa]

I've heard some interesting thing about Martellus Bennet, someone of you did watch a game?

From what I gather Bennet is one of the best blocking TEs in the draft. On top of that he's a former basketball player so he could be a steal in the mid rounds.

 

[jman924]

Ooh. Make it a poll, or a contest.

3rd round.

 

[JoeSixPat]

BB can't seem to resist; given his track record it's almost inevitable. Problem is, all the marquee college tight ends these days are downfield types and there don't seem to be many blocking specialists. One that looked interesting in the combine (can't recall his name or school) was this 6-foot-7 white kid who reminded me a bit of Boss from the Giants. He is slow, but pack on a bit more muscle and he could be a beast a la Kyle Brady.

I think a good blocking TE can be found later in the draft... I don't think BB wants to take a chance looking for a good all around TE high in the draft, nor does he need a Tony Gonzalez with Moss and Welker already hauling in passes.

Although slightly out of date this Football Outsiders article gives a great historical view of where starting players are "found" via the draft. This graphic however I think relates more to pass catching TEs than the additional blocker that the Pats tend to use.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/2006/04/24/ramblings/nfl-draft/3828/

I also think that if blocking is the need, that an athletic O Lineman can serve in that role... the only downside is that few D's are going to worry about such a guy as a pass threat.

 

[IcyPatriot]

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/showthread.php?t=79048

Brad Cottam
TE | (6'7

", 271, 4.759) | TENNESSEE

Massive frame. Is tall with a well-proportioned and muscular frame. Has long arms and big hands. Shows good initial pop and will fight to sustain his blocks.

Tough kid who may be there in the 4th round. Actually, if Belichicks trades down in the 3rd round he could pick up an extra 4th to grab him. We have bigger needs on defense but a blocking TE has to be high on our Radar.