Identifying intriguing tight ends

The top players in the NFL at TE all share similar traits — burst and short area quickness/change of direction. The 10-yard split and agility testing (short shuttle & three-cone) have been a good way to work out who has a shot of being interesting at the next level:

Rob Gronkowski — 1.58 (10), 4.47 (ss)
Travis Kelce — 1.61 (10), 4.42 (ss)
George Kittle — 1.59 (10), 4.55 (ss)
Mark Andrews — 1.54 (10), 4.38 (ss)
T.J. Hockenson — 1.63 (10), 4.18 (ss)
Sam LaPorta — 1.59 (10), 4.25 (ss)
David Njoku — 1.61 (10), 4.34 (ss)

Meanwhile, the Seahawks have paid a fair amount of attention to agility testing in particular:

Luke Willson — 4.29 (ss), 7.08 (3c)
Will Dissly — 4.40 (ss), 7.07 (3c)
Nick Vannett — 4.20 (ss), 7.05 (3c)
Anthony McCoy — 4.57 (ss), 6.99 (3c)
Zach Miller — 4.42 (ss), 7.01 (3c)
Jimmy Graham — 4.45 (ss), 6.90 (3c)
Greg Olsen — 4.48 (ss), 7.04 (3c)
Colby Parkinson — 4.46 (ss), 7.15 (3c)
Gerald Everett — 4.33 (ss), 6.99 (3c)
Noah Fant — 4.22 (ss), 6.81 (3c)
Pharaoh Brown — 4.46 (ss), 7.24 (3c)
AJ Barner — 4.41 (ss), 7.02 (3c)

In the 2025 class, there are a handful of players who tick all of the boxes:

Jalin Conyers — 1.62 (10), 4.27 (ss), 6.94 (3c)
Harold Fannin Jr — 1.56 (10), 4.39 (ss), 6.97 (3c)
Jackson Hawes — 1.56 (10), 4.40 (ss), DNR (3c)
Thomas Fidone — 1.57 (10), 4.29 (ss), 7.01 (3c)

Mitchell Evans (1.55 10-yard split, 4.40 short shuttle) would’ve qualified but he ran a poor 7.25 three-cone. Therefore, the four names above jump onto the radar as particularly intriguing. I’ve done a lot of study on Fannin Jr and Hawes already and will dig into the other two in the coming days.

All of the 10-yard split were reasonable to be fair:

Mitchell Evans — 1.55
Terrance Ferguson — 1.55
Jackson Hawes — 1.56
Harold Fannin jr — 1.56
CJ Dippre — 1.56
Thomas Fidone — 1.57
Joshua Simon — 1.58
Gavin Bartholomew — 1.59
Jake Briningstool — 1.60
Moliki Matavao — 1.60
Bryson Nesbit — 1.61
Jalin Conyers — 1.62
Robbie Ouzts — 1.64
Gunnar Helm — 1.69

Overall I thought the class looked sharp, caught the ball well, showed off athleticism and made it clear there’s a tight end to be had in this class for Seattle.

Jackson Hawes is the best blocker in the group by far. We know the Seahawks really liked Will Dissly and Hawes carries a similar playing style but he’s a different level of athlete. He ran a faster forty (4.82 vs 4.87), a way faster 10-yard split (1.56 vs 1.69), plus he had a better vertical (34.5 vs 31) and broad (10-1 vs 9-3). They both ran a 4.40 shuttle. Admittedly Dissly was 9lbs heavier but Hawes looks in great shape for a blocking tight end. He has a big muscular frame and moved well for his size. He also caught the ball away from his body during drills, extending his hands to the ball. I’m moving him up to a third round grade after seeing these unexpected testing results. His 10-yard split being as fast as it was is a big eye-opener.

Mason Taylor looked fantastic on the field. He ran possibly the best gauntlet I can recall since starting the blog in 2008. Everything looked so smooth and effortless. He’s a very naturally gifted football player and on this evidence, without any testing results, he secured a top-40 placing. If he tests well at LSU’s pro-day, the first round is very possible.

I’m a big fan of Notre Dame’s Mitchell Evans and think he can be a chain-mover and red-zone threat as a receiver, plus a decent blocker. He stood out driving the sled while also looking a natural running the gauntlet . He presented his hands nicely to the ball, catching it away from his frame.

Alabama’s Robbie Ouzts, who projects as a potential full-back, jumped 34 inches in the vertical jump at 274lbs. It’s the highest vertical jump by a tight end weighing at least 270lbs since 2003 (when records began). He showed strong hands during drills and looks a bit of a character (see the image above).

Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren and Elijah Arroyo didn’t participate today.

Nick Emmanwori puts on a show

At 220lbs he jumped an 11’6” broad, tied for the second-longest broad jump by a safety weighing at least 220lbs since 2003. He also jumped a 43-inch vertical. He’s only the second player to run a sub-4.4 forty, jump over 40 inches in the vertical, over 11-0 in the broad, while weighing over 220 pounds. The other was, of course, DK Metcalf.

There’s absolutely no denying these are special results and Emmanwori deservedly will leave Indianapolis as one of the big winners (he didn’t do on-field drills after running a 4.38).

A cautionary note though, given I’m seeing people suggest a likely top-15 placing after this workout. The main reason he was being discussed as a first round possibility was due to his physical profile. We knew he would test well and he did. I’m not sure this will promote him 10-15 spots up the board having simply lived up to lofty expectations.

When you watched South Carolina, the force impacter was often linebacker Demetrius Knight or defensive linemen Kyle Kennard, Tonka Hemmingway and TJ Sanders. Emmanwori still played well but there were times where you craved to see the kind of crunching blow the likes of Jihaad Campbell deliver so well. He tackles well with a low missed tackle percentage but he’s not a Kam Chancellor type of player who will set the tone. Nor is he, for me, a direct Kyle Hamilton type. Hamilton wasn’t Kam either but he did pack a punch and also played with unbelievable instinct to make up for a lack of pure speed.

Emmanwori is a sensational athlete but he’s closer to Jeremy Chinn than the other two names mentioned here.

I think if the Seahawks are going to go defense at #18, I would prefer one of the collection of available pass rushers or one of Jahdae Barron, Will Johnson, Jalon Walker or Jihaad Campbell.

In terms of the other safeties, it isn’t a deep group and some of the name players didn’t do anything (Xavier Watts, Kevin Winston Jr). I would caution against reacting too quickly to Malaki Starks’ disappointing 4.50 forty and 33 inch vertical at 197lbs. He’s still faster than Brian Branch and has shown range on tape.

Starks had a poor 2024 season considering the standards he set the previous year. You could see in the drills he can move around the field, though. He plucked the ball out of the air, changed direction nicely and adjusted to the football well. He looked noticeably better than the admittedly limited others who were performing drills. He recorded the fastest top speed in four different drills — the gauntlet (18.39mph), line (18.66mph), W (17.92mph) and the Teryl Austin (18.74mph).

It’ll be a test of upside in many draft rooms, plus working out why his play tailed off so badly last season. There is a player here and as with Branch, he could fall into a range where he suddenly provides good value.

Cornerbacks look the part

The group recorded an average forty time of 4.44 seconds, making this the fastest class at the combine since at least 2003. Only the 2024 wide receivers averaged a faster forty time than this year’s cornerbacks.

I always think the corner workouts are an eye-test assessment. Who looks like they can play in the NFL, in terms of size and the way they transition? This was a mostly big, tall, long group with smooth change of direction skills. I enjoyed watching the session, which was shorter and more dynamic than we’ve seen in recent years.

Maxwell Hairston made the headlines by running the tied-fifth fastest forty by a cornerback since records began (4.28). He put on a real show in everything he did during drills and reached 24.25mph, the most among cornerbacks. Despite all of this I don’t think he’s a first round pick. His run defense will scare many teams off. He missed 44.4% of tackles in the running game last season. You can’t get away with that at the next level, even if you can stick in coverage. I think today’s workout cemented his place in round two. You just better work on his willingness to tackle versus the run.

Darien Porter looked long and languid with a classic frame for a Pete Carroll Seahawk. He was fast and I like the look of him. He ran a 4.30 forty-yard dash with a 1.50-second ten-yard split, reaching 23.89mph on his run, second only to Hairston. He reached a top speed of 18.30mph on the W drill, the second-fastest of any cornerback over the last three combines. His short shuttle (4.04) was impressive too. The problem is the tape is so hit and miss. Can the Seahawks put up with two Riq Woolen’s? I get the feeling Mike Macdonald might think one is enough.

Caleb Ransaw is known as a hitter in run support and a likely safety convert but he ran well enough (4.33) to be more than that. He’s well sized in his frame and also showed off explosive power (40 inch vertical). I want to watch more of him, as I do with Zah Frazier, Upton Stout and Marques Sigle.

Jahdae Barron running a 4.39 likely means he won’t get past Miami at #13 in round one. I didn’t expect Jacob Parrish to run a 4.35 and he added a 10-9 broad and a 37.5 inch vertical. These are good numbers. Nohl Williams reached a top speed of 20.05mph on the back pedal break drill, the fastest speed of any corner at this year’s combine and the only corner this year over 20mph. Dorian Strong looks the part with a big old frame and Bilhal Kone flashed a little. Azareye’h Thomas didn’t run a forty but looked good on the field.

I think there’s depth here and the Seahawks should be able to identify players they’d like to add. I do believe this could be a first round option at #18, as it was a year ago, if one of Barron or Johnson last to them.

Quarterbacks ready to perform tomorrow

I still believe there’s a middle class of QB’s this year — enough so that the Seahawks will likely take one at some point between rounds 2-4.

I’m looking forward to seeing how they all throw on Saturday, given the perceived top two of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders aren’t doing anything.

I will pass on this note. I was speaking to a good source earlier today and we discussed Will Howard at Ohio State. His 97.4 QBR rating in the playoffs really stood out to me, as did Ohio State’s 50% conversion rate on third downs in the four decisive games.

The source called Howard ‘the most NFL ready QB’ in this draft, noted his football IQ was off the charts and that he was ‘a passer not a thrower’ — meaning he does a good job on intermediate/deep throws, delivering layered passes. He doesn’t have the biggest arm but there’s belief he can improve in this area with mechanical tweaks.

I thought I would share that perspective. It won’t be a surprise if Howard generates more buzz as the weeks go on, perhaps starting from tomorrow.

If you missed my day two review on the live stream, check it out here: