How is Njoku not a Unanimous !st Round Pick?

sitzee

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Looking at other UM TE's taken in the 1st round Njoku compares favorably

His Average Per Catch exceeds the others & he created most of those yards on his own



00-01 Shockey 61 catches 815 yds. 13.4 APC 10 TD's
01-03 Winslow 119 catches 1365 yds. 11.5 APC 9 TD's
04-06 Olsen 87 catches 1215 yds. 14 APC 6 TD's
15-16 Njoku 64 catches 1060 yds. 16.6 APC 9 TD's
 
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It doesn't matter because the opinions that really count- NFL GMs- will draft him in the 1st round. That type of athleticism is too hard to pass-up especially for team picking in the latter half of round 1. They're generally playoff teams and don't have the glaring holes at other skills positions or QB.
 
He might be a first round pick, I have no idea. But if something holds him down, it's his hands are somewhat suspect. But that can improve. Hopefully he's working on it now. He'll have plenty of chances to catch passes at the combine. He needs to make sure he looks everyone into his hands.

If I were his financial advisor, I'd be whispering in his ear 24 hours a day: look the ball into your hands, look the ball into your hands.
 
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When he kills the combine, it'll elevate him to 1st round status

He's the best TE prospect in my eyes (maybe 2nd to Legget from Clemson)
 
TE is well down the list of in-demand positions. A lot of teams are using jumbo packages that don't even have a TE on the field. A 1st rounder has to be on the field for every play. There are several years in which no TE is taken the first day.
 
Blocking.

With that said, I still think he has a good shot at the 1st round with a good combine.
 
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Doesn't have the hands those guys have, doesn't block as well, he isn't that big. He's only 6'3, maybe 6'4. Most elite tight ends are around the 6'5 or taller range. His height hinders his blocking (arms not as long.) And you shouldn't compare stats. David plays in a much more pass happy world than those other guys played in.

With all that being said, he's a athletic freak. Reminds me of Vernon Davis, but he has a little more size and probably isn't quite as fast.

With all this being said, he's a borderline 1st round pick so why are you complaining?
 
TE is well down the list of in-demand positions. A lot of teams are using jumbo packages that don't even have a TE on the field. A 1st rounder has to be on the field for every play. There are several years in which no TE is taken the first day.

What?

Firstly you're looking for impact players in the 1st round. They don't have to be on the field every down, but you want to notice when they're there.

Secondly, TE is still a premium position. If you have a mismatch there DCs lose sleep. Njoku is a mismatch for anyone in the NFL.

When it's all said and done he'll be a first rounder, he's too athletic and productive to overlook.
 
Doesn't have the hands those guys have, doesn't block as well, he isn't that big. He's only 6'3, maybe 6'4. Most elite tight ends are around the 6'5 or taller range. His height hinders his blocking (arms not as long.) And you shouldn't compare stats. David plays in a much more pass happy world than those other guys played in.

With all that being said, he's a athletic freak. Reminds me of Vernon Davis, but he has a little more size and probably isn't quite as fast.

With all this being said, he's a borderline 1st round pick so why are you complaining?

He's going to be used like Greg Olsen when he first gets in the NFL - as a big WR flexed out. Hopefully like Greg he learns to become a passable blocker to increase his value.
 
TE is well down the list of in-demand positions. A lot of teams are using jumbo packages that don't even have a TE on the field. A 1st rounder has to be on the field for every play. There are several years in which no TE is taken the first day.

What?

Firstly you're looking for impact players in the 1st round. They don't have to be on the field every down, but you want to notice when they're there.

Secondly, TE is still a premium position. If you have a mismatch there DCs lose sleep. Njoku is a mismatch for anyone in the NFL.

When it's all said and done he'll be a first rounder, he's too athletic and productive to overlook.

What?

Aside from drafting a QB to sit behind a vet, no coach uses a first round pick for a role player...they are drafting players to be on the field as much as possible. 3-5th round is when you draft players that are role players.
 
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How are you still surprised by the way they disrespect this U is the real question...it's been going on for three full decades
 
Doesn't have the hands those guys have, doesn't block as well, he isn't that big. He's only 6'3, maybe 6'4. Most elite tight ends are around the 6'5 or taller range. His height hinders his blocking (arms not as long.) And you shouldn't compare stats. David plays in a much more pass happy world than those other guys played in.

With all that being said, he's a athletic freak. Reminds me of Vernon Davis, but he has a little more size and probably isn't quite as fast.

With all this being said, he's a borderline 1st round pick so why are you complaining?

He's going to be used like Greg Olsen when he first gets in the NFL - as a big WR flexed out. Hopefully like Greg he learns to become a passable blocker to increase his value.

I agree. His hand will rarely be down, and mainly to help lose him in traffic. No one is expecting him to dominate a SDE or a SLB.
 
Long Story short is Njoku is still a big time prospect and he can do some things others can't (speed and athleticism) but the average TE can do things he can't like run block against a DE or bigger LBs and catch the ball almost every time. Right now if you throw Njoku ten catchable balls he gets 8 or 9. If its third down, a drop, could be the difference between the offense unit staying on the field or not. Let's not act like he is a flawless player.
 
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Long Story short is Njoku is still a big time prospect and he can do some things others can't (speed and athleticism) but the average TE can do things he can't like run block against a DE or bigger LBs and catch the ball almost every time. Right now if you throw Njoku ten catchable balls he gets 8 or 9. If its third down, a drop, could be the difference between the offense unit staying on the field or not. Let's not act like he is a flawless player.

He isn't, but he can do things with the ball in his hands that those average TEs can't and that's what you look for as a GM.

He may drop 1 of those 3rd downs, but he also may take a couple of them 40 yards downfield.
 
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TE is well down the list of in-demand positions. A lot of teams are using jumbo packages that don't even have a TE on the field. A 1st rounder has to be on the field for every play. There are several years in which no TE is taken the first day.

What?

Firstly you're looking for impact players in the 1st round. They don't have to be on the field every down, but you want to notice when they're there.

Secondly, TE is still a premium position. If you have a mismatch there DCs lose sleep. Njoku is a mismatch for anyone in the NFL.

When it's all said and done he'll be a first rounder, he's too athletic and productive to overlook.

I think there have been zero TEs drafted in the first round in the last two drafts. Ebron was the last first rounder taken, and he was much more impressive than Njoku. He killed us, for sure. Olsen, FWIW, went with the 31st pick. He has a chance to be an impact player. But I'd wait on him - not least because others have been hyped more. He will be available later. (But I would have said that about Dorsett, so . . . . .)
 
he is a te. its simple , very few te's get picked in first round. the only one considered a sure thing in 1st is oj howard, njoku is a great receiving te but not so good blocker. plus team needs.

at worst njoku is early 2nd but could slip into 1st based on his athletic ability but really its his blocking that could make him slide till 2nd round
 
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