The New England Patriots will have a hard time finding a top-tier tight end in the 2014 draft, according to one NFL evaluator.
This year’s crop of tight ends doesn’t stack up to the 2013 class, an NFC scouting director told The Times of Trenton’s Mark Eckel.
“It’s not good at all,” the “personnel man” told Eckel about the 2014 class. “I wish it was. But it’s not. It’s actually a bad year for tight ends. There’s nobody even close to (2013 Cincinnati Bengals first-round pick Tyler) Eifert. (Philadelphia Eagles 2013 second-rounder Zach) Ertz is better than these guys.”
The scouting director called consensus No. 1 tight end Eric Ebron “a pain in the (butt)” who’s “completely overrated.” He said projected second-round pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins is “more overrated and a bigger pain in the (butt) than (Ebron),” and Texas Tech’s Jace Amaro is “a glorified possession slot receiver. He can catch the ball, but he’s not real tough.”
The executive called Iowa’s C.J. Fiedorowicz, who has drawn heavy interest from the Patriots a “so-so, good No. 2 guy for you, if you have a good starter and you play a lot of two tight-end stuff.”
Eckel also talked to an NFC scout and an AFC executive in personnel who weren’t so down on the class.
