How shocked/upset would you be with Gresham in the 1st?

[VJCPatriot]

We know BB has never shown a reluctance to invest heavily in the tight end position. He took tight ends back to back in the 1st round in consecutive years. Now however both Graham and Watson are gone. Are we going to rely on a past his prime Alge Crumpler to be the guy at TE? I don't think so. For depth alone the Pats will draft at least another tight end or maybe even two.

But is Gresham worth a 1st? How upset would you be if BB took him in the 1st round? I'm not concerned with Gresham's ability to catch the ball, that seems self evident, however I AM worried about his purported lack of blocking ability and of course the injury concerns.

 

[dryheat44]

Not at all/Not at all

 

[Marqui]

Pretty upset. He has good hands but I don't see the elite TE speed to separate consistently from NFL defenders. And like you said, he doesn't block at all and has injury concerns. Plus this draft is very deep with TE talent. Gresham doesn't seem like a great 1st pick to me.

 

[Gator Mike]

Not at all/Not at all

This.

Well... I take it back. I'd be surprised to see the Pats take him at #22. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Pats use their first pick on whatever TE they like best.

 

[BelizePats]

This is a great question and at first glance I would be pissed. We definitely need a young TE, but it does not seem to make sense so high because of our offenses apparent unwillingness to use the position much, particularly when we have other needs/holes.
That said, I have a great deal of respect for dryheats football IQ, which is certainly a lot higher than mine. I must be missing something!!!
I don't get to watch a lot of college ball so is Gresham the kind of talent that would alter the offensive philosophy going forward?

 

[Criptonite]

With BB's history, I definitely wouldn't be shocked. I wouldn't be too happy though. I'd rather use a #1 on a position that is more important to the team. I also think we can get a quality TE on day 3. Considering the depth of the TEs in the draft, the recent injury history of the potential 1st round prospects and the relative lack of working out TEs before the draft this year by the Pats, I feel we will pass on Gresham and the other top guys.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I find it virtually impossible that BB takes a TE in the first round that has been out of football more than a year.

Personally I think the top talent at TE in this draft is overated and WAY too risky,I think you could get a fine player much later in the draft like Shuler for instance.

Its going to be a DT,OLB or WR in round one IMO

 

[borg]

Two knee operations in 4 years....bad business decision at #22

 

[Relentless649]

I would be very upset. I mean the kid can't block or won't block, He's had to major knee surgeries(1 Senior of High school, 1 Senior year of College), & i think he is overrated. Plus we have more pressing needs at RDE, OLB, WR, maybe even RB. We can get a solid TE in the second round and beyond.

 

[bucky]

I would be shocked if they draft Tebow at 22. Or Colin Peek. But I won't be shocked if they draft the supposedly best available TE. I'll be very disappointed though if they chose him over trading down or getting a guy like Hughes. I'm really in the trading down camp this year.

 

[WaterfallJumper]

He's not as bad of a blocker as everyone is insinuating. Inconsistent, yes, but not terrible.

He's a special talent with the ball in his hands. He runs like freaking truck, and has good hands to go with it. I think he'd be an excellent addition to this offense, and I wouldn't be upset if we picked him. Remember, last year he was considered one of those rare TEs who could go in the top 10! Why not nab that kind of talent in the 20s?

 

[Isaac]

I've always thought that it's a shame that Brady is going through his career without playing with an elite tight end. If the Brass think Gresham could be one, I'm in full support.

 

[mgteich]

I expect a repeat of 2009 when many were predicting Pettigrew. I expect that some team will spare us the agony of waiting to see if Belichick gives in to his addiction to first round tight ends.

I would not be shocked at all. From the perspective of the offense, he may add more than a wide receiver.

However, I do not WANT us to draft a TE at 22. I think that we need to draft Odrick or an OLB, or even Wilson.

 

[zimmy]

Would I be shocked? No. We all know Bill has a history of taking tight ends early. Would I be disappointed? Yes. e have bigger needs than tight end and we can get comparable players to Gresham at 47 or 53, or a decent tight end later in the draft. We should be looking to solve our pash rush first and foremost with these early picks. That said, I struggle to come up with players that I would happily select at 22 who have a chance of being there - Kindle, Odrick maybe Graham. I'd take Haden, Bryant or McClain if they fell I think but that looks unlikely. If Kindle goes before 22 I'm all for a trade down to the late 1st early 2nd and pick up a 3rd rounder. Then I'd take 4 players out of - Hughes, Gronkowski, Wootton, Damian Williams, Koa Misi, Brandon Spikes, Roger Saffold, Eric Norwood

 

[Keyser Söze]

I would be mad, he could be had by our picks in the 2nd

 

[JMarr]

I've always thought that it's a shame that Brady is going through his career without playing with an elite tight end. If the Brass think Gresham could be one, I'm in full support.

I agree but it seems since Welker got here, he has become Brady's Jason Witten/Antonio Gates. It would be nice if TB had a big, reliable target like that. I love Welker, but he can be taken out of the game in the Red Zone and takes way too many big hits for a guy his size.

 

[Seneschal2]

How upset would you be if BB took him in the 1st round?

Never been upset with any Belichick pick -- in any round.

That said, TE doesn't appeal to me in the first two rounds. I'm confident we'll draft one, but the way TEs are used in this offense makes me want one later rather than earlier.

In this draft there are some very good to excellent blockers at the position, which I believe is priority #1 for BB. I'd start with rounds 3-4.

Also, BB prefers well-balanced TEs in his offense. Two TEs equally adept at both blocking and receiving, rather than any one-dimensional pass receiving only type. Difficult to gameplan against.

 

[LuthierJr]

Being a Hometown OU fan I can chime in as I've seen every college game he has played.

First the perception that he cannot, or won't block is false. He was rarely called on to block because he was one of the top targets in the offense was, almost always sent out on a route. I've seen many many occasions where he blocked, and did so adequately. Now, for sure, he is not a supreme blocker. If that is from a lack of practice, experience, or talent I don't know. He has the frame to bulk up so assuming he is coachable then I can't see why he couldn't become an acceptable blocker when called on.

Hands: He has great ones. Catches the ball exceedingly well, and does it in traffic very well too.

Speed: Average for a receiving tight end. Not the greatest, but plays a bit faster in pads than raw numbers tell. Has instinct to get open when, perhaps, his speed doesn't get him there.

Durability: Can't really comment. Was only ever injured once or twice that I saw. It happens.

To the original question.... I'd be shocked if we drafted him in the first round. I would also be a little upset too. I like the guy, but we have bigger fish to fry in my opinion. IF we can get him in the 2nd round (which I don't think is out of the scope of reality) I'd be all for it.

 

[skinnydog]

This would be a monumentally stupid pick. This offense just does not feature the TE. It would be waste. No TE before the 4th round.

 

[patsfan-1982]

i would be a lil shocked. but if he could give the pats 70 to 80 rec and 700 to 800 yerds a year i would be happy.