Image: NFL Draft Prospect Martellus BennettI think you would have to consider the 2007 NFL Draft a poor year for tight ends with Miami's Greg Olsen the only legitimate first rounder and even he, with his blazing speed, wasn't taken until the 31st pick by the Chicago Bears, Olsen is just a bulked up receiver and won't be much help in the running game. Heck there were only two tight ends taken on day one with the other being Arizona State's Zach Miller, who was drafted by the Raiders with the sixth pick in the second round. That was about a full round ahead of where I though Miller would go after he ran so poorly at the NFL Scouting Combine.
That's all about to change for the 2008 NFL Draft, especially if three of the top juniors declare early. I will start off with the three talented juniors that I think have tons of NFL potential. Martellus Bennett from Texas A&M is my top ranked tight under-classmen, and if it wasn't for Notre Dames' Senior John Carlson he would probably be my top rated tight end over all. Bennett has proto-type size and speed for an NFL tight end. His size of 6' 6" 254 pounds is ideal and he has hands on par with some of the best receivers in the nation. Depending on who you talk to he is even listed as being 6' 7" tall. So I think it's safe to say he is a legitimate 6' 6". Bennett was rated by most publications as the top ranked prep tight end coming out of high school and he hasn't disappointed the Aggies. He was a key cog in the Aggie offense last year (2006) as only a sophomore finishing with 38 catches and a 13.1 yards per catch average. Bennett is also a supreme basket ball player; he played football and basketball for the Aggies in 2005-06.
Chase Coffman from Missouri is another talented junior and he comes from an NFL pedigree; his father was former NFL Pro Paul Coffman. Coffman is not quite as big as Bennett at 6' 5" 240 pounds, but he has great hands and really has a knack for finding the open spots in the zone. Coffman finished his 2006 season as the leader in receptions in the Big 12 for tight ends with 58 catches. He also hauled in a very impressive nine touchdowns, shattering the Missouri Tiger tight end touchdown record.
Last but not least is a relatively unknown NFL Draft Prospect that plays for the under rated Wisconsin Badgers. Travis Beckum doesn't have near the size as the other tight ends, he will probably be more of a pass catching tight end or H-back, but the 6' 4" 225 pounder is a talent worth watching. Beckum is still learning the position as he converted from defensive end prior to the 2006 season, but boy was he a fast learner. Towards the end of the season he hit his groove and dominated his opponents, finishing strong with 61 catches, five touchdowns and a 14.8 yards per carry average.
The other three tight ends worth mentioning are talented seniors. John Carlson from Notre Dame looks like a first round draft pick for the 2008 NFL Draft, he seems to have it all, well coached, experienced, nice size and speed and excellent production. The 6' 5" 255 pounder finished last year (2006) with 47 receptions for 634 yards and 4 TDs, he also led the team with a 13.5 yards per catch average.
Martin Rucker from Missouri will also be a forced to be reckoned with in the 2008 NFL Draft. I am not rating Rucker on the same level as the previously mentioned prospects, but the senior is talented none the less. His production has dropped off a little from 13.8 yards per catch as a freshman, to 12.1 as a sophomore, to just 9.6 as a junior in 2006. Part of the drop off might be due to the fact that he plays with his team mate Chase Coffman, who I previously mentioned as top NFL Draft Prospect. The Tigers have a pair of super talented tight ends and there are only so many balls to go around. The 6' 6" 255 pound senior still finished with 53 catches for 511 yards and 5 TDs.
The last senior tight end that I want to cover today is NC State's Anthony Hill. I am much higher on Hill than most NFL Draft analysts. I think Hill will be a sleeper this year and will make a fine professional football player. When you watch Hill on film he looks like a receiver with his speed, agility and hands, but he is 6' 5" tall and close to 280 pounds. Hill led his team in receptions last year as a junior with 45 catches and 478 yards. Unlike the other tight ends mentioned, Hill is a powerful and skillful in-line blocker and will be an every down type of tight end. Those types of tight ends are coveted in the NFL. Hill is a consensus first team All-ACC selection.
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