The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Tight ends big catches in the draft

By Dan Daly

The Redskins did an interesting thing late on the first day of the draft. They traded a second-round pick next year for a third-round pick this year — and then used it to take a tight end, Utah State's Chris ey (who projects as an H-back in Joe Gibbs' grand design).
A continuing theme in recent NFL Drafts is the increasing importance teams are placing on the tight end position. Not only are more high picks being spent on tight ends than ever before, clubs are going to unusual lengths to acquire them. The Browns, for instance, gave up a second-rounder to move up one spot Saturday and draft Kellen Winslow at No. 6. Two years ago, the Giants moved up to get Jeremy Shockey, and the Patriots did likewise to get Daniel Graham (obtaining the selection from the Redskins).

Teams just can't get enough tight ends these days. Perhaps you noticed that at the bottom of the first round Saturday, the Patriots drafted another tight end, Ben Watson — just two years after they took Graham No. 1. And in the third round, the Colts selected tight end Ben Hartsock — merely a year after they took Dallas Clark in Round 1.
The Giants doubled up on tight ends in '02 and '03 with Shockey and Vishante Shiancoe, a third-rounder. So did the Raiders with Doug Jolley (second round) and Teyo Johnson (third). The Jets drafted Anthony Becht in the first round in '00 and Chris Baker in the third two years later. Yup, times are awfully good for tight ends.
And when a model franchise like the Patriots starts stockpiling them, well, it must be a smart move, right?
Part of the reason for the tight end frenzy, according to Gibbs, is the way defenses have evolved. In the '80s and early '90s, D-coordinators would put a linebacker over the tight end, but now they put a 280-pound end. "You've gotta have a guy who's a heck of a blocker to do something with [a defensive end]," Joe said yesterday.
But mostly, he went on, it's teams seeing other teams get "big production" out of "some really good tight ends" — and wanting one for themselves. It's also, he added, a matter of "style of play." Many clubs "lean toward the West Coast offense, and that's not a tight end-oriented offense. But our offense is [geared to the tight end], and Kansas City's is." As a result, "We're carrying five tight ends [on the roster] as opposed to two or three," which just creates more of a need for them.
Then, too, the colleges have been turning out a slew of gifted tight ends lately, and teams would be nuts not to take advantage of their talents. Let's face it, with Winslow frolicking in the middle of the field, it's going to be a lot harder for opposing safeties to help out on the Browns' wideouts. It will also make blitzing a much riskier proposition. If the safety doesn't get to the quarterback, Winslow may well find himself matched up on a linebacker. Yummy.
Years from now, we might look back on this as the Golden Era of the tight end. The '60s were pretty solid with Mike Ditka, John Mackey, Jackie Smith, Ron Kramer and Jerry Smith, among others, but have there ever been four tight ends, all playing at the same time, as dangerous as Tony Gonzalez, Todd Heap, Shockey and now Winslow (not to mention Shannon Sharpe)? As nostalgic as I am for the Good Old Days, I tend to doubt it.
The shift in focus has been fairly dramatic. In the late '80s and early '90s, the tight end position was virtually ignored in the early rounds of the draft. From '85 to '91, a span of seven years, only three tight ends were taken in the first round, and just 13 went in the first three rounds. In the first five years of the current decade, though, nine tight ends have been taken in the first round, and 27 have gone in the first three rounds — a huge difference.
Gibbs, of course, has always had a fetish for tight ends, H-backs in particular. Since rejoining the Redskins in January, he's totally revamped the position, drafting ey and signing Walter Rasby, Brian Kozlowski and Mike Sellers. And he might not be done yet. Joe never drafted a tight end higher than the fifth round in his first term with the club (Michael Williams, 1982), but that doesn't mean he won't take one in the first round next year. I mean, why not? Everybody else is doing it.