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Draft Preview: Wide receivers, tight ends
Davis considered top tight-end prospect ever
Posted: April 24, 2006
On the Packers
Bob McGinn
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Green Bay - A lot of tight ends have entered the National Football League over the years but it probably can be said that none of them ever has had more ability than Vernon Davis.
Longtime scouts said Davis' workout at the combine was the best that they had ever seen by a tight end. It would be one thing if Davis was only a marginal performer, but at Maryland he was a good to very good player. And his character and work habits are regarded as beyond reproach.
"There's absolutely nothing not to like about the guy," Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo said. "(Kellen) Winslow, (Tony) Gonzalez, (Jeremy) Shockey had pretty good speed when they came out, but nobody put up these kinds of numbers. Nobody. So he's got special talent, and he's a good blocker. You can build an offense around him."
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Scouts were eager to see Davis two months ago in Indianapolis. As a third-year junior just having declared a year early, Davis had to fill in a lot of blanks on his résumé.
Beforehand, some personnel people guessed he'd measure about 6 feet 2 inches. When Davis was announced at 6-3¼ and 254 pounds, his size no longer could be used against him.
Here are his workout numbers:
• A 40-yard dash of 4.38 seconds.
• A vertical jump of 42 inches.
• A standing broad jump of 10 feet 8 inches.
• Thirty-three repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press.
• And a score of 20 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test, just about the league average.
Angelo, in the personnel business for 27 years, couldn't remember a better class of tight ends. Bill Polian, president of the Indianapolis Colts, said tight end was the best position in this draft.
Despite the depth of talent, Davis' numbers put his peers to shame. The best efforts by the others were a 4.54 40 (Western Michigan's Tony Scheffler) a 37-inch vertical jump (UCLA's Marcedes Lewis), a 9-10 broad jump (Lewis) and 32 reps on the bench (Michigan's Tim Massaquoi).
Now compare Davis' performance to that of some of the other leading tight ends in the last 20 or so years.
Winslow, 2004: 6-4, 249, 4.58, 33½, 10-1, 24 (Wonderlic of 12).
Shockey, 2002: 6-4½, 255, 4.59, 33, 10-0, no bench press (Wonderlic of 16).
Gonzalez, 1997: 6-4, 242, 4.81, 33½, 9-8, no bench press (Wonderlic of 12).
Shannon Sharpe, 1990: 6-1½, 221, 4.66, 34, 10-2, no bench press (Wonderlic unavailable).
Keith Jackson, 1984: 6-2½, 249, 4.69, 29, no broad jump or bench press (Wonderlic of 21).
Research from the last 20 years showed that the next-best workout was turned in two years ago by Ben Watson, who went to New England on the 32nd pick. His numbers were 6-3½, 258, 4.50, 35½, 10-3, 34 (Wonderlic of 41). After an injury-wrecked rookie season he started to come on in ’05.
"(Davis) is an explosive athlete but I won't ever put all-time on anybody," said Ozzie Newsome, the GM of the Baltimore Ravens and a Hall of Fame tight end for the Cleveland Browns. "They put all-time on Kellen Winslow and he has yet to play a down. There's too many things that can happen."
Given that Davis is rated head and shoulders above everyone else, the Journal Sentinel polled 21 personnel people on the next-best tight end. Lewis drew 10 votes, followed by Georgia's Leonard Pope with 4½, Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein with 4 and Notre Dame's Anthony Fasano with 2½.
It probably can be said that Pope, at 6-7¾, is the tallest tight end at the combine since Zach Hilton (6-7¾) signed with New Orleans as a free agent in 2003. At their pro days, however, Pope was measured at 6-7 7/8 and Hilton was 6-7 3/8.
As plentiful as the supply of tight ends with starting ability is, the list of capable wide receivers is equally as barren.
"You might get as good a guy in the fourth round as you would in the first," Polian said. "What's up high isn't terrific."
Twelve of 20 scouts tabbed Ohio State's Santonio Holmes as the best of the bunch, six picked Florida's Chad Jackson and two liked Miami's Sinorice Moss.
When scouts were asked to list their top three in order (a first-place vote was worth three points, etc), the results showed Holmes with 49 points, Jackson with 37, Moss with 17, Western Michigan's Greg Jennings and Oregon's Demetrius Williams with 7 apiece and Notre Dame's Maurice Stovall with 3.
Davis considered top tight-end prospect ever
Posted: April 24, 2006
On the Packers
Bob McGinn
Green Bay - A lot of tight ends have entered the National Football League over the years but it probably can be said that none of them ever has had more ability than Vernon Davis.
Longtime scouts said Davis' workout at the combine was the best that they had ever seen by a tight end. It would be one thing if Davis was only a marginal performer, but at Maryland he was a good to very good player. And his character and work habits are regarded as beyond reproach.
"There's absolutely nothing not to like about the guy," Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo said. "(Kellen) Winslow, (Tony) Gonzalez, (Jeremy) Shockey had pretty good speed when they came out, but nobody put up these kinds of numbers. Nobody. So he's got special talent, and he's a good blocker. You can build an offense around him."
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Scouts were eager to see Davis two months ago in Indianapolis. As a third-year junior just having declared a year early, Davis had to fill in a lot of blanks on his résumé.
Beforehand, some personnel people guessed he'd measure about 6 feet 2 inches. When Davis was announced at 6-3¼ and 254 pounds, his size no longer could be used against him.
Here are his workout numbers:
• A 40-yard dash of 4.38 seconds.
• A vertical jump of 42 inches.
• A standing broad jump of 10 feet 8 inches.
• Thirty-three repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press.
• And a score of 20 on the 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test, just about the league average.
Angelo, in the personnel business for 27 years, couldn't remember a better class of tight ends. Bill Polian, president of the Indianapolis Colts, said tight end was the best position in this draft.
Despite the depth of talent, Davis' numbers put his peers to shame. The best efforts by the others were a 4.54 40 (Western Michigan's Tony Scheffler) a 37-inch vertical jump (UCLA's Marcedes Lewis), a 9-10 broad jump (Lewis) and 32 reps on the bench (Michigan's Tim Massaquoi).
Now compare Davis' performance to that of some of the other leading tight ends in the last 20 or so years.
Winslow, 2004: 6-4, 249, 4.58, 33½, 10-1, 24 (Wonderlic of 12).
Shockey, 2002: 6-4½, 255, 4.59, 33, 10-0, no bench press (Wonderlic of 16).
Gonzalez, 1997: 6-4, 242, 4.81, 33½, 9-8, no bench press (Wonderlic of 12).
Shannon Sharpe, 1990: 6-1½, 221, 4.66, 34, 10-2, no bench press (Wonderlic unavailable).
Keith Jackson, 1984: 6-2½, 249, 4.69, 29, no broad jump or bench press (Wonderlic of 21).
Research from the last 20 years showed that the next-best workout was turned in two years ago by Ben Watson, who went to New England on the 32nd pick. His numbers were 6-3½, 258, 4.50, 35½, 10-3, 34 (Wonderlic of 41). After an injury-wrecked rookie season he started to come on in ’05.
"(Davis) is an explosive athlete but I won't ever put all-time on anybody," said Ozzie Newsome, the GM of the Baltimore Ravens and a Hall of Fame tight end for the Cleveland Browns. "They put all-time on Kellen Winslow and he has yet to play a down. There's too many things that can happen."
Given that Davis is rated head and shoulders above everyone else, the Journal Sentinel polled 21 personnel people on the next-best tight end. Lewis drew 10 votes, followed by Georgia's Leonard Pope with 4½, Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein with 4 and Notre Dame's Anthony Fasano with 2½.
It probably can be said that Pope, at 6-7¾, is the tallest tight end at the combine since Zach Hilton (6-7¾) signed with New Orleans as a free agent in 2003. At their pro days, however, Pope was measured at 6-7 7/8 and Hilton was 6-7 3/8.
As plentiful as the supply of tight ends with starting ability is, the list of capable wide receivers is equally as barren.
"You might get as good a guy in the fourth round as you would in the first," Polian said. "What's up high isn't terrific."
Twelve of 20 scouts tabbed Ohio State's Santonio Holmes as the best of the bunch, six picked Florida's Chad Jackson and two liked Miami's Sinorice Moss.
When scouts were asked to list their top three in order (a first-place vote was worth three points, etc), the results showed Holmes with 49 points, Jackson with 37, Moss with 17, Western Michigan's Greg Jennings and Oregon's Demetrius Williams with 7 apiece and Notre Dame's Maurice Stovall with 3.
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