Postby nabright » Mon Jul 10, 2017 10:32 am
Im going to try to revive this thread a bit by giving my opinions on what seems to be the consensus top 3. Made a separate post not realizing this one exists haha
My number 1 TE is definitely Howard. In terms of talent, he is right up there with anyone in this draft class, but gets the obvious bump down due to being a TE. I believe he's the most talented TE to come out since Gronk did. He is by far the best all-around TE in this class, which will definitely help him get early touches. If a TE can't block, they tend to not get many targets early in their careers. Which is a huge reason why I am putting Howard above the other two. His lack of college production is definitely one of the concerning things most people will point out. However, Alabama was terrible at designing plays for him down the field. Most of the plays he was used in were as a check down or short routes down the middle. I am willing to look past his stats though because when he did get the ball you saw his talent when he had the ball in his hands. He also has been known as a top talent since he was recruited. He was the #1 TE in his recruiting class. He also is playing with Winston as his QB. So, you will not have to worry about him not having a good QB throwing to him. Overall, I think Howard is the safest TE out of the 3 as well. I see his floor as a low-end TE1/high-end TE2 because of his blocking ability will keep him on the field, even if somehow he doesn't make use of his great measurables as a receiver.
My number 2 TE is going to be Engram. He clearly possess great pass catching ability. If he is used the right way, he could end up being a player similar to Jordan Reed. He has great athleticism as too, even as a smaller TE, running a 4.42 is extremely fast for someone his size. Now, he has one major concern when it comes to being a TE. Plain and simply, he won't be able to block well in the NFL. He weighs about 230 and is no where big enough to block a DE or OLB. He will get beat most of the time trying to block one of them. So, he will be relegated to being a pure pass catching TE. Heck, I would not be surprised he was considered more a WR at some point in his career. I think he may take the longest to convert his draft stock into meaningful fantasy production. Right now he is behind OBJ, Marshall, and Shepard for targets and he will rarely be the only TE on the field unless they are running a spread. You also have to worry about when Eli retires, who will be throwing the ball for the NYG? Overall, I think he quite possibly has the highest upside of any of the big 3 TEs, but has obvious deficiencies to his game as a TE. So, if he doesn't live up to his hype as a pass-catcher, he could end of being a bust.
My number 3 TE is Njoku. In most draft classes, he would be considered the best TE prospect, but he ended up being in one of the best in recent memory. Njoku has great athleticim, just like the others. He also has the benefit of being in one of the most TE friendly offenses in the NFL. It wouldn't surprise me if he put up the most points of any of the rookie TEs this season. He doesn't have a ton of competition for targets(compared to Howard/Engram) and the Browns might be in a lot of garbage time, so they could air it out at the end of games a lot this season. Some of his downside is in his rawness as a prospect. He has shown clear talent as a receiver, but was a little sloppy as a route runner at times. He also doesn't have the ability as a blocker Howard has, but is a bigger TE, so he could develop that aspect of his game. There's also the obvious drawback of being on the Browns haha, but I personally think they are turning things around there. They also still don't have an established QB and have never had one, so that is a big concern. Overall, I think Njoku is the most raw prospect out of the 3, but he may have landed in the best situation for immediate production. He is the most likely to bust of the 3 in my opinion, but it's quite possible none of them bust. It's unlikely though.
Team 1
12tm, Super-flex, 1PPR, start QB/RB/RB/WR/WR/WR/TE/FLEX/OP
QB: ARod, Wilson, Goff, Winston, Taysom Hill
RB: Cook, Mack, Barber, L. Murray, Ito Smith, Bibbs
WR: ARob, Kupp, Miller(Chi), Agholar, Doctson, Grant, Gordon Z. Jones, Quinn(Wsh), Wilson(Mia)
TE: Reed, Ebron, Andrews, V. Davis, Gates, Herndon
Team 2
12tm, Super-flex, 1PPR, start QB/RB/RB/WR/WR/TE/FLEX/FLEX/OP
QB: Luck, Tanny, Goff
RB: Henry, Drake
WR: Nuk, ARob, Cooper, JuJu, Shepard, Hurns, Lockett, Stewart, Kupp
TE: Doyle, Allen, Clay
Team 3
14tm Super-flex, 1.5PPR and 1.5pts per 10yds for TEs, 1PPR for WRs, .5ppr and .25ppc for RBs. start QB/RB/RB/WR/WR/TE/FLEX/FLEX/OP
QB: Luck, Goff, Jones
RB: Henry, Ekeler, Howard, Hines, Kelley, McKinnon, Samuels
WR: Cooks, Ridley, Ross, Callaway, Moncreif, MWilliams, Enunwa, Kupp, Golladay, Kearse, Reynolds
TE: Howard, Hurst