Tight Ends, personnel questions

jammerhawk

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
10,155
Reaction score
1,764
This area of the O is the one area where I think there is a truly solid personnel group here. I am assuming that Dissly recovers from a truly nasty injury and reveals all of the promise we saw from him before he got hurt. I am encouraged that the team also kept swooped around as he has talent and they also have Fant available for situational play, though we have get him a turf monster talisman to prevent further stumbles when in the clear.

Vannett has truly developed into a solid player and Dickson is already one, then there are Dissly, Swoopes and Fant. I like the depth at this position. The team is better, deeper and cheaper at TE than they ever were with the Jinmmy'

Saw somewhere where some draft expert is posing a TE for the team at pick 21, very much doubt that happens.
 

Jville

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
13,187
Reaction score
1,549
I've refrained from grouping George Fant with the tight ends. George was their choice for that 6th lineman role in 2018. He simply carries too much weight to provide the change of direction tight ends offer.

With Will Dissly, I think patience is in order. For OTAs, they have Ed Dickson, Nick Vannett, and an ongoing project in Tyrone Swoopes. They need to add two or three competitive tight ends for training camp.
 

sutz

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
29,164
Reaction score
5,185
Location
Kent, WA
Yeah, for all the hoopla, Fant is still a tackle. :)

I hope for the best with Dissly. It took Graham almost two years to get back from a similar injury. So, yeah patience with Dissly will be needed.

We're in decent shape but I'd expect some pickups here to fill in until Dissly is 100%.
 

truehawksfan

New member
Joined
Mar 4, 2007
Messages
898
Reaction score
0
I expect a bigger impact next year because a TE has caught 50+ passes when Schotty was the OC w/the Rams and Jets.

Dissly was on course to hit that number until he suffered a brutal injury. IMHO, the Hawks need to draft another TE, perhaps his former teammate, Drew Sample, because Dissly’s injury could be considered career threatening.
 

chris98251

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Messages
39,524
Reaction score
1,522
Location
Roy Wa.
truehawksfan":1ojf0cbg said:
I expect a bigger impact next year because a TE has caught 50+ passes when Schotty was the OC w/the Rams and Jets.

Dissly was on course to hit that number until he suffered a brutal injury. IMHO, the Hawks need to draft another TE, perhaps his former teammate, Drew Sample, because Dissly’s injury could be considered career threatening.

4 draft picks as of today, Dissley, Dickson, Swoopes and Fant , Vannett on roster, no true FS and need for depth at O line and DT. Throw in WR's possibly and I doubt we throw our ring around a TE unless it's a UDFA or we pick up 3 more picks.
 

truehawksfan

New member
Joined
Mar 4, 2007
Messages
898
Reaction score
0
I agree, with 4 draft picks, TE isn’t considered a priority.

That said, do you think JS will not trade down to acquire more picks? JS has had at least 7 picks since he’s been here and I think he’ll continue the tradition of having at least 7 this year.
 

chris98251

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Messages
39,524
Reaction score
1,522
Location
Roy Wa.
truehawksfan":2ircklc1 said:
I agree, with 4 draft picks, TE isn’t considered a priority.

That said, do you think JS will not trade down to acquire more picks? JS has had at least 7 picks since he’s been here and I think he’ll continue the tradition of having at least 7 this year.

Do I think he will try? Yes if they don't have a A plus player they like there they feel will not drop further.
 

getnasty

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 7, 2010
Messages
6,462
Reaction score
659
Yeah this group is questionable at best to me. Obviously not the scariest pass catching group by any strech and if they were so great at run blocking then why are we playing Fant all the time at TE? I realize that Fant should be better then even a good run blocking TE but he's also no threat in the passing game. I also think the Dissley had a great week 1 but dont beleive that anywhere close to what you should exect out of him throughout a career. I'm not saying a would draft one but lets not rule it out.
 

Seahawkfan80

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 5, 2011
Messages
11,207
Reaction score
615
getnasty":29pc9she said:
Yeah this group is questionable at best to me. Obviously not the scariest pass catching group by any strech and if they were so great at run blocking then why are we playing Fant all the time at TE? I realize that Fant should be better then even a good run blocking TE but he's also no threat in the passing game. I also think the Dissley had a great week 1 but dont beleive that anywhere close to what you should exect out of him throughout a career. I'm not saying a would draft one but lets not rule it out.

I think there will be applicable free agents available after the draft. I would wonder if there are some attending the combine.
 

Attyla the Hawk

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 11, 2013
Messages
2,559
Reaction score
47
There are a lot of exceptional talents at TE this year.

Personally, i'd favor getting one on day 2 if there is a likelihood that we'll have attrition in this group in the next 24 months.

TJ Hockenson is the alpha talent. Kind of reminds me of Jay Novacek in his abilities to sit in the perfect spot in a zone as well as a similar ability to separate at the last moment. Very fluid athlete. Not a liability as a blocker.

Dissly is a great prospect. But we should be mindful, that ruptured patella injuries are still very devastating injuries. Graham did return from his but it took essentially 14 months before he was moderately functional. It's still the worst lower body injury a player can suffer and there is a reasonable expectation that Dissly will never recover fully.

Clearly it doesn't appear that we'll grant Vannett a second contract. I fully expect us to allow him to test the market and if it's soft -- to sign him for close to the minimum. So it's highly likely he's gone after 2019. Meaning we are in the TE market in the next 12 months.

This class is one of the better ones. Hasn't been one this strong or deep since 2010. Probably more than one multiple time pro bowl talent in this group.

We're almost assuredly going to have a better chance of getting a TE worth signing a second deal than either a Safety or OL player of the same quality. With a realistic shot of getting a difference making TE.

It seems to me to be ill advised to regard 'need' as a year to year thing. It seems much better to think of needs in at minimum a two year out period.
 

Jville

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
13,187
Reaction score
1,549
Attyla the Hawk":4ga320mw said:
It seems to me to be ill advised to regard 'need' as a year to year thing. It seems much better to think of needs in at minimum a two year out period.

Good advise. Your point is probably overlooked far too often. It takes at least two years for most players to adjust and begin to thrive in the NFL. So two years out is more realistic.
 

truehawksfan

New member
Joined
Mar 4, 2007
Messages
898
Reaction score
0
I read the article in FG. He fits the profile and should be available in day three. And, we know JS will trade down acquiring picks in RDS 3-7 whete a blocking TE who can catch will be available.

Glad someone else thinks this is a need we can address late in the draft.
 

Jville

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2007
Messages
13,187
Reaction score
1,549
jammerhawk":2sad5o7b said:
Not everyone agrees that this position group is solid.

Here is an article that promotes the selection of a TE in the draft, I disagree with there premise the others besides Dissly are not solid. The article is food for thought.

https://www.fieldgulls.com/2019/1/16/18 ... kdown-tape

Thanks for posting. I've never met Matty F Brown. But, I've come to look forward to reading his articles.

West Virginia struggled to run the rock from 10 personnel but switching to 11 personnel (getting Wesco involved) saw the rushing attack improve. The Mountaineers coaches showed great schematic faith in the tight end, essentially playing him like a 6th offensive linemen at times.

Take this play from WVU’s victory over Texas. From H-back, Wesco effectively became the backside tackle on the inside zone run. This allowed the rest of the line to shift over to the left and climb more aggressively, creating an unbalanced effect for the defensive front to deal with.
Play 7 HORNS DOWN
 

AgentDib

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2010
Messages
5,468
Reaction score
1,240
Location
Bothell
I like our guys but it's easy to overrate them because of that. I wouldn't be surprised at all if we drafted a TE, even early if the right combination of big target + blocking fell to them.

How much better would the group look if Dissly was suddenly fully healthy? That's also how much better it could look if we bring in another good TE.
 

2_0_6

New member
Joined
Sep 21, 2013
Messages
3,540
Reaction score
0
Location
South Seattle
Dissly's injury concerns me. Sure he's a young guy, but that's a major injury to come back from. If they aren't looking to add another body via the draft or free agency to that position group, they are crazy.
 

Latest posts

Top