Feb 21, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Rice tight end Vance McDonald speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

After all the talk about Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen, and Orson Charles during the pre-draft process not one single tight end was drafted in the first round. It’s possible, however, that all three come off the board in the second round. After that there are about two more tight ends that could go on day three.

1. Dwyane Allen, Clemson

I’m in the minority here but I favor Dwayn eAllen to the athletic Fleener. Allen is a better football player than he is Combine athlete. Allen is one of the best combination blockers since Brandon Pettigrew and similar in many ways. Pettigrew was bigger though. Allen has great body control and good hands. Allen is one of my best remaining players, not just best TE available.

2. Coby Fleener, Stanford Cardinal

Fleener is an instant pass receiving threat, but I have reservations. First, while he showed off terrific speed at his proday,I think he’s a long strider who builds up speed and is not dynamic in the short area. He’s also a willing, but not great in-line blocker. He’ll be a reliable red zone option though with his terrific size.

3. Orson Charles, TE, Georgia

Charles has had a terrible pre-draft process, but he’s still a good football player. Charles is well built and a tenacious blocker. He  might never be a great blocker, but he’ll give you all he can. Charles also is a good receiving threat.

4. Michael Egnew, TE, Missouri

Egnew is a good receiving threat with a good build, but he had a terrible 2011 season. Egnew has decent hands, but drops a lot of catch-able balls

5. Ladarius Green, TE, Louisiana Lafyete

A “TE”. Green is a big option as a receiver, but he’s more of a WR than he is a tight end. A lot of upside as a pass catcher, but I’d be stunned if he was picked by a team like the Steelers or Giants.

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Coby Fleener might have all the buzz, but hte best TE in this class might eventually be Dwyane Allen. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

We’re doing a quick overview of each position in the 2012 NFL Draft to prep you for the upcoming draft. This section will focus on the Tight ends. Tight ends are a coveted position in the league right now with all the success the Patriots had this past year with Gronkowski and Hernandez, but the problem is if teams are looking for great tight ends in this class, they’ll be grasping at straws.

Three Studs:

Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

Allen reminds me a lot of Brandon Pettigrew, but not quite as big or as good of a blocker. Allen has great body control, and good size, he’s a willing blocker and catches the ball well. Even though Fleener’s blazing speed and size make him an intriguing prospect, I’ve had Dwayne Allen as the number one tight end throughout the process. He’s a fringe first round prospect, and if a team can get him late in the second round that’d be a coup.

Coby Fleener, Stanford Cardinal

A willing blocker, but too lean at 6’6. He ignited his stock with a terrific proday in which he ran a better forty yard dash than some wide receivers. The focal point of the Cardinal passing offense (well all the tight ends), Fleener is a potential matchup nightmare at the N.F.L. level. I think, however, if a team expects him to make a QB better they’ll be disappointed. If he ended up with a team like the Giants, Steelers, Bears he could have 600+ receiving yards and 8 touchdowns in year one. A team like the Browns and he wouldn’t put up nearly as good numbers.

Michael Egnew, TE, Missouri

There are really only four top tight ends in this draft, the two previously mentioned Egnew and Orson Charles. Egnew had a bad senior year, was that because of the quarterback play or a deterioratin in his play? He doesn’t have reliable hands, but he has good hands, has enough size and is a nice potential receiving threat. He’s likely to be drafted in the 3rd or 4th round and is good value there.

One Dud

Orson Chalres, TE, Georgia

I don’t dislike Orson Charles, but there are some concerns with him. He’s a potential matchup nightmare if he gets it figured out. Recently got a DUI. He’s shorter, but strong and has been falling on draft boards. My concern is that I’m guessing he gets drafted early third round which means that he ends up with a team without a great quarterback which isn’t going to help him. I’ll let you know if I like where Charles ended up after the draft.

Two Sleepers

I usually do two duds and one sleeper, but the fact that there might not even be four tight ends drafted before the end of day two means it’s kind of hard to call any day three picks duds.

Kevin Koger, TE, Michigan

I’m a big supporter of Koger the TE out of Michigan. He seems most likely to be the Jake Ballard type player out of this class. He played in an offense that didn’t feature his abilities at all, but when you watch him play he has some really nice parts to his game. Koger is likely to be drafted late on day three, but I’d be comfortable taking him in the 5th round.

Adrien Robinson, TE, Cincinnati

Robinson is a very good athlete who wowed at his proday. He measured in at 6’4 264 pounds and ran a 4.56 forty yard dash, with a 39.5″: vertical jump and a pretty good 1.61 10 yard split. Tha’s impressive physical ability and he has a shine to develop into a pretty good TE with the right coaching.

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Orson Charles is the early favorite to be the first TE selected in 2012 if he declares

Updated January 2012:

1. Dwayne Allen, Clemson
2. Coby Fleener, Stanford
3. Orson Charles, Georgia
4. Michael Egnew, Missouri
5. Ladarius Green, Louisiana-Lafayette
6. David Paulson, Oregon
7. Kevin Koger, Michigan
8. DeAngelo Peterson, LSU
9. Rhett Ellison, USC
10. George Bryan, North Carolina State
11. Brian Linthicum, Michigan State
12. Chase Ford, Miami
13. Josh Chichester, Louisville
14. Anthony Miller, Cal
15. Nick Provo, Syracuse
16. Brad Herman, Iowa
17. Josh Chichester, Louisville
18. Tyler Urban, West Virginia
19. Beau Reliford, Florida State
20.Brad Smelley, Alabama
21. Emil Igwenagu, Massachusetts

Updated: 11/28/2011

The season is just about over and there has been some big changes in the tight end rankings, the biggest riser is Tyler Eifert who is still young and inexperienced but has been the most impressive tight end in this class, second now is Dwayne Allen, a player I like a lot as a pretty complete tight end. The  other huge riser is the inexperienced TE Joseph Faruia, he’s not polished yet and should probably return for another season, but if he does he’s an extremely intriguing tight end prospect.

Tyler Eifert, Norte Dame

Dwayne Allen, Clemson

Coby Fleener, Stanford

Orson Charles, Georgia

Joseph Fauria, UCLA (potential, not there yet)

Michael Egnew Missouri

Ladarius Green, Louisiana Lafyette

Jake Stoneburner, Ohio State

George Bryan, NC State

David Paulson, Oregon

Rhett Ellison, USC

Philip Lutzencracken, Auburn

D.C. Jefferson Rutgers

Josh Chicheter, Louisville

Michael Williams, Alabama

Brian Linthicium, Michigan State

Deangleo Patterson,

Kevin Kroger, Michigan

1. Orson Charles, Georgia, 6’3″ 242 (Junior)

Very young, raw tight end prospect with plenty of room for growth, but perhaps some of the best natural ability of any tight end in the next couple of classes. Charles was a hotly sought after recruit in 2009 when he chose Georgia over USC, and he has been named a 1st Team All SEC selection by Athlon Sports for the 2011 season. As a receiver, Charles is one of the best tight ends in the country, and wasted no time making an impact at Georgia. Caught 23 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman two years ago, and had 26 receptions for 422 yards and two scores last year as a sophomore. Third team All-American selection by Athlon Sports for the 2011 pre-season, and will be on the pre-season watch list for the John Mackey award. Charles is basically a big wide receiver out there on the field, so he is still adjusting to the tight end position in terms of blocking. Should be able to create mismatches in the passing game, and with AJ Green gone to the NFL, he could emerge as the top target in the Georgia passing game overall. If he has a big season, look for him to consider putting his name in the 2012 NFL Draft.

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Top 5 Tight Ends

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Thoughts:

The 2011 TE class is one of the most complete in recent memory.  It was very difficult to stop the list at 5.  Most people will argue that Notre Dame Kyle Rudolph should top this list, but Lance Kendricks takes it.  He has the ability to stretch the field and create matchup problems all over the field.  Kendricks blocking is by far his best trait.  Kyle Rudolph is the best receiving TE on this list, but his blocking is nowhere near Kendricks.  Rudolph is a great redzone target as well.  DJ Williams is the wildcard on the list.  He has the ability to be the best TE on this list, or fall off it completely.  He needs to work on his conditioning and drop a few pounds before I move him up.  DJ is a very capable blocker and has excellent hands, but his lack of speed is a concern.  Luke Stocker is a big time target.  At 6-6 he has the ability to be a great redzone target, and his blocking is well suited for a run first team.  Weslye Saunders is a mammoth TE at 6-5 and near 275 lbs, he is a huge target.  Saunders runs surprisingly well for a man his size.  This group should be drafted before the end of the 3rd round as they all have great qualities.