Late Round Nugget? -- Harvard TE Ben Braunecker

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Looking at this draft class as a whole, it's not a good year for Tight Ends as a whole. That said, there is one name that come late in the draft (5th to 7th Round range) I think could potentially be quite intriguing for the Seahawks. While most people on this board have been focused on the likes of Tyler Higbee, I’d like to suggest another name (and one whom I believe more dovetails with what the Hawks actually need) -- Harvard TE Ben Braunecker.

He's one that's not been talked about whatsoever, but I just wonder whether or not his skillset might intrigue Schneider enough to take a flyer on him if he's still there in the 6th or 7th Round. Why do I say that? Consider this ...

When you take a look at the overall Tight End position on the Seahawks, what is it that they really need? What they really could use is a guy who is an athletic, physical, good inline blocker. And that is exactly what Ben Braunecker brings to the table. Here is Braunecker's scouting report from NFL.com ...

Strengths: Physical and mean as a blocker. Plays with good knee bend and hip explosion as in­line blocker. Blocks to and thru the whistle and completely overwhelmed many of his opponents. Accelerates into routes with good push and is able to sink and cut with sharpness. Effective route adjustment against contact downfield. Understands how to use leverage to create space in his routes. Carries himself with some attitude.

Source:
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/ben-braunecker?id=2555482

Schneider and company love athletic players ... and Braunecker was one of the top overall performers among TE's at the Combine. While some of his numbers don’t readily leap off the page like Seattle’s other 2 SPARQ Supermen, others compare quite favorably ...

Name	40 Yard Dash	Bench Press #reps of 225 lbs	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3 Cone Drill	20 Yd. Shuttle	60 Yard Shuttle
Braunecker	4.73 sec	20	35.5”	121.0”	6.90 sec	4.20 sec	11.32 sec
Luke Willson	4.51 sec	23	38”	122”	7.04 sec	4.29 sec	NA
Jimmy Graham	4.56 sec	15	38.5”	120”	6.90 sec	4.39 sec	NA

[tdo=9]Ben Braunecker’s Measureables vs. Luke Willson and Jimmy Graham[/tdo]

To further put some of those numbers in to perspective, here’s how some of the wide receivers did at the combine …

3 Cone Drill
Tyler Boyd … 6.90 sec.
Will Fuller … 6.93 sec.
Malcolm Mitchell … 6.94sec.
Sterling Shepherd … 7.00 sec.
Kenny Lawler … 7.13 sec.

20 Yard Shuttle
Kenny Lawler … 4.20 sec.
Will Fuller … 4.27 sec.
Tyler Boyd … 4.35 sec.
Sterling Shepherd … 4.35 sec.

Vertical Jump
Leonte Carroo … 35.5”
Michael Thomas … 35.0”
Braxton Miller … 35.0”
Tyler Boyd … 34.0”
Will Fuller … 33.5”
Laquon Treadwell … 33.0”

This short video underscores that athleticism Braunecker has and his ability to go up and get the ball …
[youtube]1S2sih-ihr8[/youtube]

Here is some Highlight Film of Braunecker and Harvard vs. Yale this year …
[youtube]DbsvWvhnt-U[/youtube]

Positives:
He’s athletic
At 6’3” and 250 pounds, he has good size
Has 32 ¾” arms (so he passes the Seahawk test there)
Is physical and a good blocker (most important trait of why I believe Seattle could be attracted to him)
Has great leaping ability
Good quickness and change of direction
Appears to have good hands

NFL Draft Scout.com adds …

STRENGTHS: Ideal size, length and good speed for the position. Has soft hands and runs good routes. Shows that he's an above average athlete with the ball in his hands, and is often tough to bring down in space as he runs with some pretty good power.
Can find the soft spots in a defense versus zone. Has good concentration and shows a good catch radius for his quarterback. Against man coverage, he has the ability to create separation and get open.
Solid blocker in the Ivy League. Comes off the ball well, shows toughness and the ability to steer lineman.

Source:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1994904/ben-braunecker

Negatives
Basically question marks exist about the level of competition Braunecker was dominating. Will he have the same level of success once he’s playing with the big boys?

Why might Braunecker be a fit for the Seahawks?
Braunecker could offer intriguing value at an apparently low sticker price. The Seahawks have been in need of a good physical blocking TE with a nasty streak for the past couple of years. That is exactly what Braunecker appears to be. Not only that, he has good athleticism, quickness, soft hands, and a knack for getting open. He would seem to be a natural fit on goal line packages or in pass protection situations where the Hawks anticipate a heavy pass rush. If John Schneider and company determine that he can do the same thing he did at Harvard at the Pro Level, then Braunecker becomes an intriguing prospect if he’s still available late in the draft. Even if he does turn out to be a bit rough around the edges as a receiver, what better teacher could he have than Jimmy Graham to show him the tricks of the trade? Could Braunecker end up being just another Mark LeGree (a small school prospect who absolutely dominated inferior competition, but ultimately fizzles when put up against the big boys)? Absolutely he could be. Misses can and do occur all the time in the NFL. But when we’re talking about picks towards the back end of the draft, these are exactly the kind of prospects you take a flier on. Just another name to file away in the old the memory banks come draft day.

 

[SomersetHawk]

Great find. I want him.

 

[Largent80]

Hawkscanner on point.

 

[LickMyNuts]

Great post. It will be interesting to see what we do at te this offseason. I was screaming for a weapon at te before we traded for jg. But we need a low cost blocking te.

 

[cover-2]

Nice post!

For me Braunecker is a really intriguing prospect as a potential FB. He has the experience and "want to" as a blocker, and with his athleticism he could be a swiss army knife as a FB/H-back. He could be our version of the Raiders FB Marcel Reece, whom is a 4-time Pro Bowler.

 

[EverydayImRusselin]

Damn that 7 on 7 jump ball looks like hes bouncing off a trampoline.

 

[Hawks46]

Great find.

4.73 forty is plenty fast for an inline TE. He gets to it quick enough as well, and being from Harvard, he'll pick up the pro game quickly enough.

 

[KillerB]

Not a bad find at all. Quick, but not fast. Aggressive. Approved!

 

[nanomoz]

If your name is Braunecker you're automatically good at both football and HVAC installation.

 

[LickMyNuts]

i bet the pats have their eyes on him

 

[Hawkscanner]

Nice post!

For me Braunecker is a really intriguing prospect as a potential FB. He has the experience and "want to" as a blocker, and with his athleticism he could be a swiss army knife as a FB/H-back. He could be our version of the Raiders FB Marcel Reece, whom is a 4-time Pro Bowler.

That's an excellent point. From what I can tell from the film, that's a role that it looks to me that he already has experience with there at Harvard. That right there could make Braunecker an extremely unique player to the Seahawks, as he would give them a dimension that no one else on the roster has -- the ability to be both an effective inline TE and H-Back/FB. I'm not saying that they necessarily are going to draft him, but to me this guy would fill a need as a blocker, a goal line weapon, and potentially could give defenses yet one more thing to have to contend with. I would think that in and of itself would make Braunecker a guy the Seahawks would be interested in.

 

[titan3131]

From what I've seen and read his blocking seems to only be good vs lower level competition. Whenever he takes on someone closer to his weight he is nothing special...

 

[SomersetHawk]

From what I've seen and read his blocking seems to only be good vs lower level competition. Whenever he takes on someone closer to his weight he is nothing special...

He took on a couple of D-linemen on pretty competently in the video. Granted it's only Yale, but it wouldn't be hard for him to overtake Luke Willson as the best blocking TE on our team.

Yikes, Luke Willson's the best blocking TE on our team.

 

[Hawkscanner]

Yikes, Luke Willson's the best blocking TE on our team.

Yeah, this is exactly what I'm saying when I say Braunecker could fulfill a need. The Hawks have certainly got a need as far as good blocking TE's are concerned.

 

[Sac]

The name is too close to "Brent Buckner" for my tastes.