Best TE for us in the draft: Ertz, Eifert, Escobar or Reed?

I like Reed as he can be a mismatch creator for us with his athletic ability. I could see him be an Aaron Hernandez for us.

I voted Eifert as the best (I didn't look at the criteria of best fit for our team till after I voted), but he'll probably be gone in the first round, and I wouldn't want us to take him if he fell to #25. I agree that if we are going after a tight end, we could get one for better value in rounds 2-4. I would go defense with the first round and choose among the talent with first-round grades on d-line and LB (except Hopkins, which I would pull the trigger on). The greatest tight-ends of this era have come in later rounds--Graham (Rd. 3), Gronkowski (Rd. 2), Gates (Free Agent). Here are the Tight Ends taken in round 1 over the last 11 years:

1. Vernon Davis, 49ers (No. 6, 2006)
2. Dallas Clark, Colts (No. 24, 2003)
3. Heath Miller, Steelers (No. 30, 2005)
4. Kellen Winslow, Browns (No. 6. 2004)
5. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions (No. 20, 2009)
6. Jeremy Shockey, Giants (No. 14, 2002)
7. Dustin Keller, Jets (No. 30, 2008)
8. Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars (No. 28, 2006)
9. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals (No. 21, 2010)
10. Daniel Graham, Patriots (No. 21, 2002)
11. Greg Olsen, Bears (No. 31, 2007)
12. Ben Watson, Patriots (No. 32, 2004)
13. Jerramy Stevens, (No. 28, 2002)

All of these have been starters, and some have even contributed significantly to their respective teams, but none, save maybe Vernon Davis and Dallas Clark, are "elite" or stars in their respective teams.

If we are in round 2, and Eifert, Kelce, Ertz, Reed, or Escobar are still on the board (in that order), I might take them if our top 5 d-linemen and our top 5 LBs and Hopkins are not there in Rd. 2. Otherwize, I would wait till Round 3 and take whomever was left on that list. I would also support trading up in Rd. 2 to get both a defender that fills a need and a TE.

We arent drafting TE in the first 4 rounds.

Chukarhawk":19o78o7d said:

We arent drafting TE in the first 4 rounds.

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We very well could so don't be so sure. If we get a DT or DE in Free Agency I could see TE being a much higher priority in the draft.

TE just isn't a priority and we aren't going to spend any significant money in FA this year with the following year looming.

There have been reports of Vance McDonald doing a surprisingly well job of blocking in the All-Star game, which has led to the rise in his stock, correct?

How about sign Delanie Walker away from the 49ers? Add to the Hawks and take away from them in the same move.