ESPN needs to calm down and decide on what they are going to do power rankings of. Are they doing positions or skill sets? Anyway, they are doing Tight Ends this time. Here’s the link to the article: http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/25756/power-rankings-top-10-nfl-tight-ends
ESPN’s list consists of:
1. Jason Witten
2. Antonio Gates
3. Dallas Clark
4. Vernon Davis
5. Chris Cooley
6. Tony Gonzalez
7. Kellen Winslow Jr.
8. Marcedes Lewis
9. Brandon Pettigrew
10. Jermichael Finley
Others mentioned in the article as receiving votes or being snubs includes Zach Miller, Dustin Keller, Heath Miller, Benjamin Watson, Greg Olsen, Owen Daniels, and Visanthe Shiancoe.
Truthfully, I have no real issue with this list until the last two. While I may have certain players moved around, all the players in the first eight are very good tight ends. The only wo0n I mildly (very mildly) disagree with is Chris Cooley, who has been less than productive i9n the red-zone the last three years. But even then I am really nit-picking.
However the last two really do bother me. While I don’t deny that Pettigrew could be here in another year or two, he just hasn’t done enough to earn a spot here. Though that is only minor in comparison to the effect including Finley has had. While I don’t deny that Finley is full of potential because of his unique combination of size and speed, that’s all he is; Potential. In the three years he’s been in the NFL, he has yet to play a sixteen game season and has only been very good in the one season where he has played in ten or more games. If yo9u’ll pardon my snobbishness, one very good season and a ton of potential is hardly equivalent to numerous excellent (or even very good) seasons. Both Heath Miller and Zach Miller (no relation) have far more business being on this list than Finley.
Now since that’s finished, here’s my top 15.
1. Antonio Gates – Gates will remain here until he proves to me he doesn’t deserve it. Gates brings a ton of speed and size to the position is truly is a mis-match every time he steps on the field. He also utilizes a lot of his experience as a college basketball player to “box-out” defenders and keep them from coming through him to get to the ball.
2. Vernon Davis – Davis is just a monster. While there have been many with great skill sets, I just don’t remember ever seeing someone like Davis. He plays a lot like I imagine Ozzie Newsome and Kellen Winslow (Senior) played. While there are many who are great at creating mismatches, there just isn’t anyone in the NFL with his size, speed and explosiveness. HE is also a solid blocker. I might have put him at number one, if he hadn’t taken three years to emerge.
3. Jason Witten – Witten has been a consistently productive player. He has very good speed for his size and has proven to be an extremely savvy route runner. He isn’t particularly fast or explosive, but his production would never indicate that.
4. Kellen Winslow Jr. – Kellen Winslow Jr. is about as talented as they come at the position, and that’s after losing two years to injury. He has great reach and athleticism which makes him a mismatch against most defenders. He excels in the middle of the field.
5. Heath Miller – Heath Miller is almost without a doubt the most balanced tight end in the NFL right now. He is as good a blocker as he is a receiver and while he doesn’t necessarily threaten the defense deep, he is still a player that most be accounted for on every play.
6. Zach Miller – Zach Miller is quickly rising up the ranks and could be known as the best tight end in the NFL soon. He has excellent hands and very good speed. Probably the thing that works the most in his favor is the fact that he has been so successful with a Raiders team that has struggled to find consistency at the quarterback position. He spent the first three years of his career catching passes from JaMarcus Russell, and was still among the best in receiving for a tight end. That should speak to his quality as a receiver by itself.
7. Tony Gonzalez – What can I say about Gonzo? Really is there anything to say that hasn’t already been said to death. The guy is the greatest tight end to ever play the game of football. The only reason he is down this far is because he is starting to show his age, and even then it is better than most tight ends in the NFL can muster at their peak.
8. Dallas Clark – Clark, on some level, has become the prototype for what a receiving tight end should be. He really was the beginning of the modern tight end, which splits out from the line more often than playing in-line. He is tremendously athletic and productive; however the production could be attributed to playing with the best quarterback of a generation and in an offense that’s full of weapons. Anyway you look at it, his production is top five material and he could be in that range if he returns to form following the injury that knocked him out for the year.
9. Owen Daniels – Daniels is almost a clone of Clark. He has great athleticism and receiving talent, which really allows him to take advantage of the space that Andre Johnson clears out. He is also a good blocker within the zone-blocking scheme that the Texans run. His injury problems the last two years have knocked him down the list, but he certainly has the talent to climb back to the top.
10. Marcedes Lewis – This may be a surprise if you’ve read me previous lists, however I have my reasoning. Unlike so many players who I have dismissed or knocked down my list because they were breakout players, Lewis has been building to this for the last few years. Originally considered a bust, Lewis has improved in every facet of the game each year he has been in the league and is now playing at his full potential. His size and athleticism make him a great red-zone target, though he does most of his damage in the middle of the field.
11. Chris Cooley – Cooley is an interesting case to consider. He’s always been productive, but for many people he’s not really a tight end. Many think of him as an H-back (think a bigger Kevin Faulk or a more athletic Brian Lenard), who happens to get motioned to the tight end spot a lot. I really don’t think of him in those terms, mostly because of how productive he has been.
12. Greg Olsen – Olsen gets underrated a lot because of how up and down the Bears pass offense is. Even when the Bears do get their aerial assault going, the big plays will go to Johnny Knox, Devin Hester or Matt Forte, knocking Olsen from the minds of most people. However, the playoff game against the Seahawks proved that he can be as much a playmaker as any other tight end in the NFL.
13. Kevin Boss – Boss is often underrated because he isn’t flashy. However, he has more substance to his play than many more well known or flashier players. He is a willing (not to mention solid) blocker and has deceptive speed. He’ll never be the kind of player who stretches the seam, nor is he athletic enough to threaten more athletic safeties. That being said, he is more than fast enough to get away from most linebackers and more powerful than most defensive backs.
14. Brent Celek – Celek is somewhat like Boss, but a bit less consistent and more athletic. He isn’t as good a blocker either. Still quite productive though. If he can produce like he did in 2009 more consistently, then he’ll move up this list.
15. Anthony Fasano – Fasano has gone from being a major bust in Dallas (kind of unfair to him since he is stuck behind Jason Witten), to being a more than just solid player in Miami. While he has never put up the kind of receiving numbers that are most commonly associated with great tight ends, he has always remained an extremely balanced and consistent player.
Well there you go. Next time, I’ll be taking a break from the power rankings and delivering my first round mock draft. Stay tuned!
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