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02-23-2007, 06:58 AM
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THIS STORY
Tight end confident he can help Packers
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Feb. 22, 2007
Indianapolis - Zach Miller, a standout tight end from Arizona State, listed team after team Thursday that he thought needed help at his position.
When Miller finished, he had carelessly forgotten to name the Green Bay Packers.
"Oh yeah, that's right," said Miller, who interviewed with Green Bay Wednesday night at the NFL combine. "I forgot about them. They definitely need a tight end."
They sure do.
Bubba Franks, David Martin and Donald Lee were as pedestrian as a group of tight ends could be in 2006. The Green Bay trio combined for a paltry 58 receptions, 580 yards and two touchdowns.
So logic suggests the Packers will address the position relatively early in the National Football League draft on April 28 and 29. The problem is, the 2007 crop of tight ends isn't wowing anybody.
There are no freakish athletes such as Kellen Winslow Jr., Ben Watson or Vernon Davis. The senior class is fantastically weak. Even the depth of the group is suspect, at best.
"There's been stronger groups of tight ends coming out in the past," said Rick Spielman, Minnesota's vice president of player personnel.
"It's not as good as it's been," New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "There's some value down the line, though."
Miller and Greg Olsen of Miami - a pair of juniors - are considered the cream of the crop. But both appear to be fringe first-rounders and would probably be a reach for Green Bay to choose with the 16th overall pick.
Overall, it would be a surprise if more than four tight ends were taken on Day 1, when the first three rounds are conducted. Over the last 10 years, an average of 5.1 tight ends per season were chosen on Day 1. And the last time there wasn't a tight end taken in the first round was 1999.
"I still think it will work itself out to be a pretty solid group," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "I don't know that you have anybody quite in the same category as the kid last year (Davis). But it's a group that will be a pretty good group."
Thompson is certainly hoping so, because the Packers sure could use some new talent. Franks appears finished, and Martin is a free agent. Lee agreed to terms last week but is coming off a year in which he had just 10 receptions.
So Thompson almost certainly has to replenish the position and either Miller or Olsen would be a good place to start.
Miller, nicknamed "The Truth," has drawn comparisons to Baltimore's Todd Heap, another former Arizona State player. Miller averaged 48 catches, 504 yards and 4.7 touchdowns per season during his three years at Arizona State and broke Heap's record for receptions by a tight end.
Miller (6 feet 4 inches, 256 pounds) is also one of the better blockers among the group. Where he'll be selected could ultimately be determined by his time in the 40-yard dash.
"I think my best attribute is my blocking," Miller said. "They are always looking for the complete tight end; they always stress the complete tight end. It's hard to find a guy who can block and run well, and you have to be able to do both."
Olsen (6-6, 258) is probably the best pass catcher in the group. But most scouts have been turned off by his blocking.
"I think it's something I'm adequate at," Olsen said. "But something I can improve on as I get stronger and work on my technique and focus on improving that aspect of my game."
Minnesota's Matt Spaeth (6-7, 270), who won the Mackey Award, is recovering from torn ligaments in his right shoulder and likely won't go before Round 3. Iowa's Jeff Chandler (6-7, 270) might also sneak into the third round, as could Georgia's Martrez Miller (6-4, 252).
"There's some guys in that third, fourth, mid-round range that are going to play in this league," Spielman said. "It's just a matter of going through and finding that guy that's going to do that."
THIS STORY
Tight end confident he can help Packers
By ROB REISCHEL
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Feb. 22, 2007
Indianapolis - Zach Miller, a standout tight end from Arizona State, listed team after team Thursday that he thought needed help at his position.
When Miller finished, he had carelessly forgotten to name the Green Bay Packers.
"Oh yeah, that's right," said Miller, who interviewed with Green Bay Wednesday night at the NFL combine. "I forgot about them. They definitely need a tight end."
They sure do.
Bubba Franks, David Martin and Donald Lee were as pedestrian as a group of tight ends could be in 2006. The Green Bay trio combined for a paltry 58 receptions, 580 yards and two touchdowns.
So logic suggests the Packers will address the position relatively early in the National Football League draft on April 28 and 29. The problem is, the 2007 crop of tight ends isn't wowing anybody.
There are no freakish athletes such as Kellen Winslow Jr., Ben Watson or Vernon Davis. The senior class is fantastically weak. Even the depth of the group is suspect, at best.
"There's been stronger groups of tight ends coming out in the past," said Rick Spielman, Minnesota's vice president of player personnel.
"It's not as good as it's been," New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said. "There's some value down the line, though."
Miller and Greg Olsen of Miami - a pair of juniors - are considered the cream of the crop. But both appear to be fringe first-rounders and would probably be a reach for Green Bay to choose with the 16th overall pick.
Overall, it would be a surprise if more than four tight ends were taken on Day 1, when the first three rounds are conducted. Over the last 10 years, an average of 5.1 tight ends per season were chosen on Day 1. And the last time there wasn't a tight end taken in the first round was 1999.
"I still think it will work itself out to be a pretty solid group," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "I don't know that you have anybody quite in the same category as the kid last year (Davis). But it's a group that will be a pretty good group."
Thompson is certainly hoping so, because the Packers sure could use some new talent. Franks appears finished, and Martin is a free agent. Lee agreed to terms last week but is coming off a year in which he had just 10 receptions.
So Thompson almost certainly has to replenish the position and either Miller or Olsen would be a good place to start.
Miller, nicknamed "The Truth," has drawn comparisons to Baltimore's Todd Heap, another former Arizona State player. Miller averaged 48 catches, 504 yards and 4.7 touchdowns per season during his three years at Arizona State and broke Heap's record for receptions by a tight end.
Miller (6 feet 4 inches, 256 pounds) is also one of the better blockers among the group. Where he'll be selected could ultimately be determined by his time in the 40-yard dash.
"I think my best attribute is my blocking," Miller said. "They are always looking for the complete tight end; they always stress the complete tight end. It's hard to find a guy who can block and run well, and you have to be able to do both."
Olsen (6-6, 258) is probably the best pass catcher in the group. But most scouts have been turned off by his blocking.
"I think it's something I'm adequate at," Olsen said. "But something I can improve on as I get stronger and work on my technique and focus on improving that aspect of my game."
Minnesota's Matt Spaeth (6-7, 270), who won the Mackey Award, is recovering from torn ligaments in his right shoulder and likely won't go before Round 3. Iowa's Jeff Chandler (6-7, 270) might also sneak into the third round, as could Georgia's Martrez Miller (6-4, 252).
"There's some guys in that third, fourth, mid-round range that are going to play in this league," Spielman said. "It's just a matter of going through and finding that guy that's going to do that."