Tight Ends: Flex Ends + Wing Backs
For the sake of clarity, I've organized them by Skill Set, employing terms that've always been with us:
Flex Ends
These are the Hybrid's Hybrid: The purest Dual Threat who's job is to Block and Receive with equal effectiveness.
Example: Rob Gronkowski.
I'll be focusing on Core Strength, Lateral Agility, Release ~ getting free off the Line ~ and Navigation ~ Route Running ~ with equal consideration to all these attributes.
And, no, sir: I don't really care too much what their "40" times are.
Wing Backs
These are the Super Hybrids: Tight Ends who line up On Line, Split Out, at the Wing, and in the BackField.
They have an emphasis on Receiving, but Blocking is important, as well, though usually in Motion.
"Wing Back" is a term that goes back to Pop Warner and Knute Rockne, and is far cooler than "H-Back."
Example: Aaron "The Navigator" Hernandez.
I'll be focusing on Core Strength, Lateral Agility, Release ~ getting free off the Line ~ and Navigation ~ Route Running ~ with an heavy emphasis on the last two attributes.
And, no, I don't much care what their "40" times are, either.
Seems to me that the Offenses that are best equipped to win Championships, year after year after year...are the ones that Move The Chains...And their Receivers tend to be far more adept at Route Running through traffic, than tearing down the SideLines and hauling in 60 yard Bombs...just sayin'!!
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Flex Ends
Frankly, I don't as yet see a single Flex End worth pursuing. Perhaps when I scour the Pro Days, I'll unearth one or two. But for now, if Gronk needs some time off, I'd just send in another Wing Back.
Far better to play an exceptional Wing Back than a mediocre Flex End.
Wing Backs ~ My Short List
Coby Fleener ~ 6.6/245 ~ 1st/2nd ~ 1st
Beast!! Coby Fleener's Core Strength needs a lot of work, but he possesses the Frame, the Coil, and the Core Flexibility to develop it.
And that's a good thing, because his Blocking has a ways to go, not only In Line, but on the move: He's got the Lateral Agility, but the Dexterity isn't there.
In the Receiving Game, on the other hand...the lad brings an intensely impressive Skill Set to the table.
His Release is excellent: He doesn't command much of a Short Burst, but his Core Flexibility, remarkable Fluidity, and tremendous Dexterity make for a formidable adversary to any prospective Jammers.
It's his Navigation, though, that sets Coby Fleener apart from this entire Draft Class.
He carves out his Routes with outstanding precision, and his Acceleration up and down the Gears,his Fluidity and explosive Verticity, bursting out of breaks...and above all his Instincts, Savvy, and sweet Tenacity in boldly challenging the middle of the field all together make for a dangerous constellation of Skills!!
Perhaps most importantly, he displayed all of that at Stanford. What that means: He is already extensively trained in the complicated Diagnostics of a Pro level Offense...and has displayed remarkable expertise.
Orson Charles has been compared, by virtually everyone, to Aaron "The Navigator" Hernandez, due to their virtually identical measurables...And in a few years, that may well become accurate.
But it terms of being ready to make an immediate impact in 2012 ~ as Aaron The Navigator did, in 2010 ~ Charles has a long way to go.
Fleener, on the other hand, could make a tremendous impact in his very first year. In fact, I'd take him against every last Wide Receiver in this entire Draft Class!! His Stock has skyrocketed, but for my money it's still a damned good Value!!
Deal!!
Michael Egnew ~ 6.5/250 ~ 4th-5th ~ 4th-5th
Potential Starter!! Michael Egnew is a mystery to me.
The way he played on Tape in 2010, with Blaine Gabbert under Center, on the one hand, and the way he played this year with Gabbert gone, and at the Senior Bowl, last month, are night and day.
In 2010, with Gabbert ~ a Quarter Back for whom I don't hold a very lofty opinion ~ his Navigation was extremely impressive, as he displayed remarkable Fluidity, sharp Verticity out'f'is breaks, and tremendous Acceleration up and down the Gears...
This year, however, including at the Senior Bowl, he looked like FrankenStein, lumbering around out there.
Also: Mizzou ran a Spread, which is certainly not a point in his favor, as he'll be probably be expected to work in much more complicated Offenses at the next level.
He didn't get any work as an In Line Blocker at Missouri, and certainly doesn't command the Core Strength to inspire much confidence that he'll become adept at it at the next level. However, he does have the Frame to build out, should that be asked of him.
But that's not important: As a Wing Back, the vast majority of the blocking he'd be expected to do would be either in Motion or from either the Slot or split out wide, and he was very effective, there.
His Release off the Line is pretty strong.
Egnew paints one of the murkier pictures I've seen, this season.
To sum up: Last year, he commanded exceptional Short Burst, Fluidity, and Verticity out of his breaks. Yet none of that was evident, this year.
I'm going to call him a Potential Starter for now.
Fair Value!!
Evan Rodriguez ~ 6.2/243 ~ 6th-7th ~ 1st!!
Beast!! Wow. I absolutely love this guy.
Evan Rodriguez is the best Blocking Wing Back in this Class, and it isn't even close.
He commands terrific Core Strength, he explodes off the Snap, and he's especially deadly on the move, diagnosing his target, quickly engaging, and consistently hitting hard and effectively.
He's a former Safety and a former Quarter Back. Mind you: I admit that I'm a sucker for a Cross Training Resume ~ especially if "Quarter Back" or "Point Guard" is on there!! ~ but the cerebral and athletic development that these suggest can be absolutely invaluable.
As a Receiver, he commands remarkable Navigational prowess, Fluidity, and Instincts.
Rodriguez offers a particular blend of attributes that no other player in this Class offers: a powerfull, slashing Motion Blocker and a smooth, dangerous Receiver. If somebody is smart enough to make full use of all elements of his Game, he could have an enormous impact.
Super Sleeper!!
Notes
1 ~ My obsession with Flex Ends and Wing Backs is well documented. The true
Duality of their skill sets in both Blocking and Receiving, and the tactical advantages these afford Offenses, have the Capacity to
revolutionize this Great Game ~ to
disrupt the competitive LandScape. The fact that this Capacity remains as yet virtually untapped
amazes me.
2 ~ I am not a fan of this Draft Class.
Coby Fleener was a very early favorite of mine, but his Market Value has risen to the late 1st Round at this point, and that is a bit too high for my taste. Don't get me wrong: He's worth that and
more. But I believe we can get
substantially better Return on Investment for either of those Picks. The only way that Fleener projects as a Starter in our Line Up is if Aaron the Navigator starts playing most of his snaps at Split End...And because I believe that The Navigator is about to carve out a
monster year and become a truly
magnificent Wing Back, I would hate to see him play anywhere else.
3 ~ Orson Charles is as physically gifted as any Wing Back in this Class, but at no point have I gotten a good impression of his cerebral prowess, nor of his Passion for the Game, so at his 2nd or 3rd Round Market Value, I would have to pass on the kid.
4 ~ I have a funny feeling, when all is said and done, that 2011 ~ and not 2010 ~ will prove to've been aberrational for
Michael Egnew. I could definitely be wrong, but for a 5th Round investment, it's a bet I'm more than happy to make, especially in contrast with a Flex End and Wing Back Market that's gotten
quite pricey with the success of our man Gronkowski, this year!!
5 ~ Needless to say, I am over the
Moon about
Evan Rodriguez. His skill set is almost that of an hybrid between Wing Back and Full Back ~ God knows: several positions overlap, as it is ~ but his Dual Capacity as a Blocking
beast and a truly dangerous Receiver is intoxicating, and I believe he'll prove to be one of the great steals of this Draft.
6 ~ I am very excited about what Mad Bill's clear desire to reintroduce the Full Back to our team says about his realization that ~ as I have been
preaching, despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth by the "It's a Passing League" Gang ~
you need to Run The Damned Ball, if you want to win the Grim Games of Late Winter...But I think that adding a
two dimensional player like Rodriguez would be
far more tactically dangerous than adding a one dimensional Blocking Full Back whose presence would announce "We're going to Run."
