TE David Njoku - Why He's The Best TE From This Class + Analysis

[ItsPantone278]

I've been calling for a double dip on Howard and Njoku for a bit, but now I believe Njoku may get some interest towards the end of the first. 

Anyways, Njoku may not be ready to produce day one, but no doubt he's a hel l of a prospect.

[LinvilleGorge]

2 minutes ago, Promethean Forerunner said:

QB play in the national championship games didn't 'hinder' Howard soooooooo...

Kaaya was a starter but Miami has had many QB starters that are currently not in the NFL. It means nothing. Kaaya had bad ball placement and made crappy decisions. All the first round talk was all hype. That's what happens when you attend a top school and are winning.

I'll take a TE from Tight End U.

Yes, Howard had some good games in the title games and you're somehow trying to turn that into a negative? LOL! Most people see showing up in a big way in big games as a very positive thing. Hell, he accounted for over 60% of Alabama's receiving yardage in both of those games.

What do Miami's past QBs have to do with anything? It's irrelevant.

Is Kaaya a much better passer than Hurts(or Coker for that matter), yes or no? Specifically when throwing the ball down the field. I say yes. Hurts barely averaged 185 passing yards per game. Kaaya averaged over 270. Kaaya averaged 20% more yards per attempt.

I think it's fair to say that QB play can play a significant role in the success of a TE.

[LinvilleGorge]

6 minutes ago, ItsPantone278 said:

I've been calling for a double dip on Howard and Njoku for a bit, but now I believe Njoku may get some interest towards the end of the first. 

Anyways, Njoku may not be ready to produce day one, but no doubt he's a hel l of a prospect.

If we double dipped at TE, Dave should be fired on the spot. I get drafting another TE fairly high. We run a lot of double TE sets and Olsen is 32. The young guy would get plenty of snaps while waiting for his opportunity to start. But, two early picks? The #3 guy wouldn't be seeing much time at all and would essentially be a wasted pick.

[ItsPantone278]

Just now, LinvilleGorge said:

If we double dipped at TE, Dave should be fired on the spot. I get drafting another TE fairly high. We run a lot of double TE sets and Olsen is 32. The young guy would get plenty of snaps while waiting for his opportunity to start. But, two early picks? The #3 guy wouldn't be seeing much time at all and would essentially be a wasted pick.

TE is a tough transition.  It doesn't matter because it wouldn't happen, but Njoku could help on special teams while he learned the position.  And with his ability he could line up as a wr option as well.  Definitely not a full time contributor year 1 no matter where he ends up.  But he's as talented a prospectas there is and Olsens on the other side of 30.  If ur gonna have 3 TEs why not have 3 that can all play

[LinvilleGorge]

1 minute ago, ItsPantone278 said:

TE is a tough transition.  It doesn't matter because it wouldn't happen, but Njoku could help on special teams while he learned the position.  And with his ability he could line up as a wr option as well.  Definitely not a full time contributor year 1 no matter where he ends up.  But he's as talented a prospectas there is and Olsens on the other side of 30.  If ur gonna have 3 TEs why not have 3 that can all play

Because we'd be neglecting the opportunity to upgrade at other positions. If we were talking college recruiting where you have a ton of scholarships and a much bigger roster, I'd say sure! Bring them all in! But this is the NFL where you have a salary cap, a draft order, and a 53 man roster. Can't take TEs in the 1st and 2nd round while you already have an All-Pro on the roster. Olsen could easily have another 3-4 years left in the tank. That's the majority of a rookie contract.

[ItsPantone278]

18 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Because we'd be neglecting the opportunity to upgrade at other positions. If we were talking college recruiting where you have a ton of scholarships and a much bigger roster, I'd say sure! Bring them all in! But this is the NFL where you have a salary cap, a draft order, and a 53 man roster. Can't take TEs in the 1st and 2nd round while you already have an All-Pro on the roster. Olsen could easily have another 3-4 years left in the tank. That's the majority of a rookie contract.

That's why I agree it would never happen, but this is a rare TE class and the game, especially our scheme has changed.  These are essentially receiver options the likes of KB.

[LinvilleGorge]

3 minutes ago, ItsPantone278 said:

That's why I agree it would never happen, but this is a rare TE class and the game, especially our scheme has changed.  These are essentially receiver options the likes of KB.

This scheme of all size and no speed has taken us as far as we can go. And we just lost our only proven speed threat.

[ItsPantone278]

15 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

This scheme of all size and no speed has taken us as far as we can go. And we just lost our only proven speed threat.

I don't think big fast versatile players are the problem.  These prospects have plenty of speed for the NFL.  Last year was a bad year for a number of reasons.  Perfect storm of miss fortune and attrition under the a cloud of a super bowl hangover.  The concept nor the scheme were as much the problem as the many contributing factors  imo

[LinvilleGorge]

3 minutes ago, ItsPantone278 said:

I don't think big fast versatile players are the problem.  These prospects have plenty of speed for the NFL.  Last year was a bad year for a number of reasons.  Perfect storm of miss fortune and attrition under the a cloud of a super bowl hangover.  The concept nor the scheme were as much the problem as the many contributing factors  imo

Plenty of speed for the TE position, sure. But unfortunately, we have WRs who run like TEs too. We need some real speed to keep teams from stacking the box on us. 

Until we get some better threats at WR, we're going to continue to see stacked boxes.

[Woodie]

2 hours ago, Promethean Forerunner said:

Again...

YPC, 20+ yard catches, touchdowns and yards after contact say otherwise

They're results, not skillsets.  Too many factors go into those results to get a conclusive evaluation.  For instance, how many times was Howard targeted downfield compared to Njoku?  How was he used in the redzone...as a receiver, blocker, the primary option, and so forth? And yards after contact is a very inconsistent measure since not all contact is the same, nor are the situations in which a player gets the ball.  Not to mention the role the offensive scheme and surrounding talent plays.  Heck, if all we had to do was look at the numbers, there wouldn't be any need for the combine, all-star games, pro days, private workouts, etc.  Teams could just pull out the stat sheet and make their selections.  No, teams look for the skillsets a player possesses to determine how they translate to the NFL.  Stats are only an indicator to use as part of the puzzle. 

So, just looking at the actual skills, what does Njoku possess that is superior to Howard?  Has he shown better hands?  Has he shown he can run better routes?  Is he a better athlete?  Is he a better blocker? The answer is no to all of them.  Does that mean Njoku is a bad player?  Absolutely not.  But Howard clearly has the better tools, and is considered the better prospect by virtually every evaluator for a reason. 

[csx]

Smaller and slower. I'd prefer Howard but this guy could be more likely after our first pick

[DaveThePanther2008]

Don't know about knocking Howard but if we don't get Howard and get this guy I would be content.

[Soul Rebel]

I like Njoku, but.....

• Wouldn't take him at 8 and he will be gone before 40.
• Shaheen and Hodges intrigue me as much as Njoku, but for different reasons. Both of these two should be possible for us by the end of day 2. 

If we somehow land Njoku without flushing away our chances on early picks or give up too much to get him, I'd be happy with he and Olsen at TE.

However, I really think Howard is in play at 8 unless one of the heavy hitters falls (Adams, Hooker, LF, Thomas). If we bypass Howard, Shaheen or Hodges would make me happy too. 

[Woodie]

6 hours ago, Promethean Forerunner said:

And please indicate to me how Howard is above Njoku in these areas?

I'll give Howard the better hands but beyond that? It gets murky because Howard isn't aggressive in his blocking or even battling a defender for a catch. Then there's the athleticism factor too. Outside the 40 yard dash and outside 1 rep at the bench press, Howard didn't beat Njoku anywhere else. Njoku is more agile, has a longer catch radius, more explosive and by far more aggressive. I suggest you watch more tape on Njoku if you doubt his 'yards after catch' attribute. The guy is hard to bring down because he possesses a powerful lower body. A 6'4", 250 lb guy isn't suppose to jump 39 inches into the air or be able to make a cut like a shifty RB. Hell, similar to our offense, a TE shouldn't be the number one option either... but he is because he can easily get separation and torch LBs and DBs if even given an inch.

The numbers don't lie. Njoku is the superior player when he has the ball in his hands or beats his man. 

Then why does pretty much every reputable evaluator have Howard ranked higher, and any team scout reports that come out also list Howard as the top TE prospect this year?

Look, I'm not trying to knock Njoku in any way.  I'm just saying that I believe Howard is the better prospect.  I get why you like Njoku, he's a very good prospect, and the gap is not huge.  Both should be 1st round picks, and I expect both will be good pros.  But if we end up taking one, it will most likely be Howard at #8 since Njoku won't be there at 40.