All-Star Games: Shrine Game.
Positives: Adequate height and good bulk. Above-average hand size. Can drive defenders back as an in-line blocker. Good downfield blocker.
Negatives: Seems to be more of a blocking tight end than a receiving tight end. Below-average route runner and slow in and out of his breaks. Below-average hands and tends to let passes get to his body.
Cowboys, UDFA. Has a ton of receiving ability with enough blocking ability to stay on the field to contribute. On the Cowboys, he’s behind Jason Witten and Gavin Escobar – and possibly James Hanna. Should be able to beat out Hanna to make the final roster. Could be a heavy contributor if put into game action.
All-Star Games: Medal of Honor Bowl and Shrine Game. Former transfer from Stanford.
Positives: Great height. Good bulk. Above-average hand size. Adequate speed. Good hands and can extend and snag passes well. Shows good effort on off-target passes and will dive and catch at full extension. Fair concentration with the ball in the air, and he can catch the ball when he knows a hit is coming. Gets into his routes quickly and can outmuscle defensive backs. Willing run blocker who improved his run blocking effort at the Shrine Game. Fair downfield blocker. Above-average pass blocker. Adequate in-line run blocker. Showed versatility at Shrine Game practices, where he also worked as a running back. Changes directions pretty smoothly. Adequate track speed for the position.
Negatives: Though he is willing run blocker, he tended to give up too easily in college. Below-average ball security technique. Is a little slow getting off the line. Below-average upper body strength.
Projection: In this offense, he probably has a TE2 ceiling. Draftable in the third round or later in dynasty rookie drafts.
Browns, UDFA. Enters a Browns TE corps with a lot of other bodies, but only one that will definitely stick – Jordan Cameron. Cameron’s presence and his lack of blocking ability will probably keep him from having much immediate success, but he has the receiving skills to be an effective contributor in time.
All-Star Games: Shrine Game and South Carolina All-Star Bowl.
Positives: Average hand size. Though he’s too small for a tight end, he has adequate size for an H-back, and was usually used as a move tight end in college. Long arms for wide catch radius. Above-average speed. Above-average acceleration, and he gets off the line quickly and into his routes. Good, soft hands. Good vertical leap in end zone and looks agile. Fair concentration on contested passes. Above-average downfield blocker who stays latched on and maintains leverage and can knock back defenders on initial impact.
Negatives: Below-average height and bulk for a tight end. Sometimes seems to misjudge passes in the air, and will mistime his jumps. Did not get much experience in college as in-line tight end in college, but as a move tight end. Not especially quick hands and may have some trouble with fast passes. Questionable quickness and seems to have to dial it down a lot to get in and out of breaks.
Projection: Probably no need to draft.
Rams, UDFA. Joins a TE corps that has Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks. All three are at least adequate tight ends, but I think Bayer may be better suited by a move to fullback. He likely won’t have any fantasy value.
All-Star Games: Shrine Game.
Positives: Adequate height. Above-average bulk and hand size. Also has experience as a holder on FGs. Fair balance after contact. Above-average hands. Can snag fast passes and adjust fairly well. Can seal the edge as a run blocker and may be improving – looked fairly comfortable from a fullback position at the Shrine Game. Surprisingly elusive after the catch for his size. Above-average balance after contact. Above-average concentration and hands on contested passes. Adequate track speed and lateral quickness.
Negatives: Has some trouble grabbing fast passes. As an in-line run blocker, he looks confused when he has to move to find who to block. Below-average upper-body strength.
Projection: No need to draft.
Falcons, UDFA. Signed by the Falcons as a UDFA but was released in August and put on their practice squad. His versatility on offense and special teams give him a very good chance of sticking on the roster and contributing in his rookie season. Can line up outside, in the slot, or as a 3rd-down back, as well as punt and kick returns. Probably won’t be a fantasy factor outside of return-yardage leagues, but keep an eye on how the team plans to use him.
All-Star Games: Shrine Game.
Positives: Though short, he has adequate bulk for his height. Adequate hand size. Runs with good speed and above-average acceleration. Good burst. Above-average hands and can extend for passes away from his body and on kick returns. When he lines up as a running back, he has the vision and patience to follow his blockers. Above-average cutback vision. Adequate routes, and is able to fight through contact to get into his route. Good body control, and his nimble on the sidelines – able to get both feet down on catches. Willing to lower his shoulder for extra yards, and is surprisingly strong for its small size. Adequate upper-body strength for a wide receiver.
Negatives: Very short for the position. Inconsistent concentration – can make some very difficult catches, but often drops easier passes. His routes are merely adequate, and he needs to cut down the angle against close defensive back coverage. Below-average balance making cuts on slick surface. Below-average punt return fielding decisions.
Projection: Take a late-round flier on him if you have the space.
Browns, UDFA. Brother of Green Bay WR James Jones. Enters a Browns WR corps as probably the fifth- or sixth-best WR, but has the skills to eventually move into a starting role – especially if Josh Gordon is gone. The offense is rebuilding, and I can’t imagine what’s going to happen with Manziel at QB, but I can see him having a ceiling of WR3 on this team.
All-Star Games: Shrine Game.
Positives: Though short, he has adequate bulk for his height. Runs with good speed and acceleration. Has above-average hands and can extend well for passes away from his body. Good concentration on tipped passes. Runs fairly crisp routes, and knows how to shield defenders from the ball in the air. Shows good balance after the catch, and is very agile and elusive in open field. Very nimble on the sidelines and can catch near the line, change direction and get upfield. Above-average body control, and can adjust well to off-target passes. Willing downfield blocker who will hit aggressively.
Negatives: Short for the position, with below-average hand size. Below-average ball security. Struggles on passes where he has to fight for the ball. Though he is a willing blocker, he isn’t especially effective. Questionable decisions after the catch at times – will come back behind the first down marker trying to break a long run.
Projection: Worth a late-round dynasty draft pick, for sure.
Cardinals, Round 3. He went way higher than, I think, anyone expected – especially for a Division 2 player. But his speed and natural hands are going to do well for him on the Cardinals. And, with Fitzgerald and Floyd on the outsides, Brown could probably excel in the slot, where his lack of strength won’t be a detriment. Will be a nice complementary deep threat the offense needs. And he may even be behind Ted Ginn at the beginning. But the offense isn’t exactly stellar, either way, so don’t expect much out of him in fantasy.
All-Star Games: Shrine Game.
Positives: Has good, natural hands and can extend well for passes away from his body. Very good speed. Focused on the ball in the air and can slip, rebalance, secure the catch and get upfield. Runs above-average routes and is quick out of his breaks. His quickness allows him to get very good separation on routes. Is patient after the catch and on kick returns, and is able to pick his way through traffic following his blocks. Adequate vertical leap for the position. Adequate lateral quickness and ability to change directions in Combine drills.
Negatives: Below-average height and bulk for the position. Small hand size. Though he is quick out of his breaks as a route runner, he’s not as quick into his breaks, and has to dial down a lot before changing direction. Suspect adjustments to off target passes in the air. Poor upper-body strength.
Projection: Draft if you have room to hold him for a year or so, but I really don’t expect him to ever be much more than a WR3 in the pros.
Jets, Round 6. Released by the Jets in September.
All-Star Games: Invited to Shrine Game, but withdrew early in the week due to injury.
Positives: Good height and great bulk, with adequate hand size. Above-average speed. Pretty good body control and can adjust well to off-target passes. Above-average concentration on the ball when he knows a hit is coming. Solid downfield blocker. Above-average track speed for the position, but very good for his size. Above-average upper body strength.
Negatives: Below-average hands and tends to body catch, and has trouble extending for passes away from his body. Below-average routes, and tends to drift downfield rather than moving away from defensive backs – needs to work back to quarterback on routes. Doesn’t get much separation on deep passes. Below-average decisions after the catch and will lose yardage going backwards. Injured hamstring and didn’t work out at March 2014 pro day.
Projection: No need to draft in dynasty.
Patriots, UDFA.
All-Star Games: Shrine Game.
Positives: Above-average height. Above-average hands and can catch with hands extended. Good concentration in traffic. Fair routes. Above-average downfield blocker and he maintains his blocks. Adequate track speed for the position.
Negatives: Slightly below-average bulk. Below-average hand size. Tends to let passes get to his body instead of extending to grab them. Suspended for 2013 bowl game for academic reasons.
Patriots, Round 7. Was released in August. He has the hands, routes, and quickness to earn a QB’s trust.
All-Star Games: Shrine Game.
Positives: Though he is short, he has adequate bulk for his height. Adequate hand size. Good hands and can extend and snag passes away from body very well. Good vertical leap, and can highpoint the ball well. Good concentration in traffic and when he knows hit is coming. Nice sideline awareness. Good routes. Quick in and out of breaks. Above-average quickness. Adequate speed. Adequate upper body strength. Former high school running back and quarterback.
Negatives: Very short for the position. Adequate bulk for his size, but still small.
Projection: If he signs somewhere, I’d expect around WR5 numbers, with a WR3 ceiling eventually. No need to draft, but keep an eye on his production.
Dynasty Draftnik 