To make my Top 10 Tight Ends in 2015 NFL Draft I took into consideration their height, weight, and speed. Then I looked at their performances at the NFL Combine and/or their pro day workout. Then I looked at their production from last season. I also watched games of many of the 23 tight ends that I studied.
Check out my other articles on the 2015 NFL Draft:
1. Clive Walford, 6.4, 251, 4.7, Miami (FL)
- has prototype size and speed for an NFL tight end
- very explosive as shown by his 10 foot broad jump, which ranks him second
- the most productive tight end of this year's draft class
- among tight ends he ranked 5th in catches, 3rd in yards per catch, and 6th in touchdowns scored
- he led the Miami Hurricanes in catches last season
- catches the ball with his hands and has a big catch radius
- he has good moves and can shake defenders
- good route runner, makes good cuts
- he is hard to bring down after the catch
2. MyCole Pruitt, 6.2, 251, 4.52, Southern Illinois
- on the short side, but has the weight and speed for a prototype NFL tight end
- played as an inline tight end, but was also split out some
- the fastest tight end of this class
- the highest vertical jump of this class
- 2nd best athlete of the tight ends
- averaged 17 yards per catch, which ranked him 3rd
- 4th most productive tight end in this class
- led the tight ends in catches with 81 catches, second best was 60
- makes tough catches in traffic
- catches the ball with his hands and makes catches away from his body
3. James O’Shaughnessy, 6.4, 248, 4.68, Illinois State
- has the prototype size and speed for an NFL tight end
- showed his explosion by ranking 4th in the 40 yard dash, 5th in the vertical jump, and 6th in the 20 yard shuttle run among the top 23 draft eligible tight ends
- ranked as the 9th best athlete among the tight ends
- 3rd best production of the tight ends
- only caught 29 passes, but he averaged a whopping 18.8 yards per reception, which is 1st among the tight ends
- his 9 touchdowns ranked him 3rd among the tight ends
- he is more of a receiver than a blocker
- makes really tough catches, takes the ball away from the defender, really fights hard for the ball
- scored 2 touchdowns in the NCAA FCS Championship Game
4. Maxx Williams, 6.4, 249, 4.78, Minnesota
- has the prototype size and speed of an NFL tight end
- 10th best athlete among the tight ends
- showed his quickness by running the 4th best 20 yard shuttle time of the tight ends
- ranked 2nd best in production among the tight ends
- ranked 2nd in yards per catch at 15.8
- ranked 4th in touchdowns with 8
- he has good hands and can catch the ball away from his body
- he can also make the over the shoulder catch
- has a big catch radius
5. Casey Pierce, 6.3, 244, 4.77, Kent State
- has the prototype size and speed of an NFL tight end
- 4th best athlete among the tight ends
- showed his explosive ability with his 36.5 inch vertical jump, which ranked 3rd among the tight ends
- showed his quickness and change of direction ability with the fastest 20 yard shuttle time of the tight ends
- his production last season ranked him at 7th
- his 60 catches ranked him 2nd among the tight ends
- he has good hands and can catch passes away from his body
- he can also make over the shoulder catches
- adjusts to the ball well
- was a QB in high school
- great team first attitude
Casey Pierce highlights
6. Jesse James, 6.7, 261, 4.69, Penn State
- has the prototype size and speed to be an NFL tight end, although I am worried about his height, he may be too tall which could hurt his blocking ability, but should help his pass catching ability
- showed his great explosive ability with his 1st ranked broad jump and his 2nd ranked vertical jump
- put his size with his jumping ability, he should make a great receiver for a QB
- he is also the 2nd strongest tight end of the group with his 26 reps of the 225 pound bench
- his production last season ranked him at 12th among tight ends
- has good hands, can catch passes away from his body
- he is very fluid, especially for his size
- he played as an inline tight end and split out as a wide receiver
7. Blake Bell, 6.6, 252, 4.77, Oklahoma
- has the prototype size and speed for an NFL tight end
- 8th ranked athlete of the tight ends
- showed his speed, quickness, and change of direction with his 2nd ranked 60 yard shuttle run and his 3rd ranked 20 yard shuttle run
- more of a receiver than a blocker
- his production last season at Oklahoma ranked him at 9th among the tight ends
- he was very good in the red zone last season, catching 12 touchdowns, ranking him 2nd
- he also averaged 13.4 yards per catch, ranking him 6th among tight ends
- he has good hands and can make catches away from his body
- he can also make over the shoulder catches
- looks like an ex QB when he has to block, he will lock up with a defender and try, but needs to get stronger
8. Jean Sirfin, 6.5, 245, 4.81, UMASS
- has the prototype size and speed of an NFL tight end
- showed his explosive ability with his 6th ranked broad jump
- showed his speed, quickness, and change of direction with his 6th ranked 60 yard shuttle run
- his production last season ranked him 5th
- he ranked in the top 10 in all of the offensive categories I used
- did not look very good at the combine, looked much better in the games I saw him play
- UMASS split him out more than inline, so he does not have much experience blocking
- catches the ball with his hands away from his body, and has a very big catch radius
- will go across the middle and make a tough catch while taking a big hit
- reminds me of Rob Gronkowski
9. Nick O'Leary, 6.3, 252, 4.92, Florida State
- has the prototype size to be a prototype NFL tight end, but his 40 time was slow
- showed his strength by ranking 7th in bench press reps at 225 pounds
- ranked 8th in the 60 yard shuttle run, showing his quickness and change of direction
- his production last season ranked him 6th
- his 48 catches last season ranked him 3rd
- he ranked in the top 10 in all of the offensive categories that I use
- good hands and can catch passes away from his body
- can also make an over the shoulder catch
- he lines up inline, split out, as an H back or wing
- he is a willing blocker
10. A. J. Derby, 6.4, 255, 4.72, Arkansas
- has the prototype size and speed to be an NFL tight end
- was a QB in junior college and at Arkansas as well before being moved to tight end
- he was also a former linebacker
- 7th fastest tight end
- his 13.8 yards per catch ranked him 5th among the tight ends
- has good hands and can make some very tough catches
- used as an inline tight end and split out as well