NFL Draft – TE Rankings

Liz Condo-USA TODAY Sports

With the NFL draft a little less than a month away, I thought it was about time I posted my position rankings. The Bears have far fewer holes than they did at the beginning of the off-season, so it’s feasible that they could really draft any position. You can see what positions I think they will target in my latest mock draft, but Emery has been very unpredictable in his short time running the Bears so your guess is probably as good as mine. Throughout the next month I will list my rankings at each position with some analysis of the players and occasional commentary on whether they would be a good fit for the Bears. If you think my rankings are way off or if I forgot anybody, let me know about it in the comments.

Positions: QB | RB | WR | TE | T | G | C | DT | DE | ILB | OLB | CB | SS | FS

TE Rankings:

1.) Eric Ebron, North Carolina (6’4, 245):  Ebron has tight end size but the speed and acceleration of a wide receiver. His hands need to be more consistent; He made some highlight reel grabs, but also dropped some easy ones. Ebron has the talent to be a poor man’s Jimmy Graham. Draft Projection: 1st round

2.) Jace Amaro, Texas Tech  (6’5, 265): He’s the best “move” TE prospect in the draft. Amaro had a disappointing combine so he may drop to round 2, though he did look better at his pro day. He put up monster numbers in college (106, 1352, 7) but lined up split out as a receiver more often than a tight end. Amaro is not much of a blocker but could develop into a weapon in the passing game. Draft Projection: 1st-2nd round

3.) Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington (6’5, 262): A good blocker with surprising agility for a man his size and excellent hands. His injury concerns are all that keep him from the #2 spot and being a late 1st round pick. ASJ in not a deep threat, but can be a reliable (and huge) target on short to mid range routes and is tough to bring down once he has the ball in his hands. Draft Projection: 2nd round

4.) Troy Niklas, Notre Dame (6’6, 270): Niklas has only played the position for two years at the college level, but has shown flashes of massive potential. He’s already a great blocker, has shown soft hands, and can move pretty well for a big man. Niklas might need a year to two to learn the nuances of the position at the pro level but he could help right away in the run game and eventually be a weapon in the middle of the field. Draft Projection: 2nd-3rd round