Gator Time or Duncan for the Phins?
If Eric Ebron the TE from North Carolina is on the board when the Dolphins pick in the first round, it is going to be very very hard to pass him up, even if Zack Martin or Taylor Lewan is still on the board. Many football gambling fans are betting that Ebron is going to be the second coming of Jimmy Graham. Since the Dolphins already passed on Jimmy 3 times before, they may not want to let another TE phenom slip by them again. However, more than likely another team will pounce on Ebron before the Dolphins even get a chance to, so the Phins will most likely be drafting a TE later in the draft. Two very late round intriguing TE prospects are Joe Don Duncan from Dixie State and Gator Hoskins (great name) from Marshall.
Duncan is 6’3”, weighs 268 pounds, ran a 4.75 40 time and he impressed NFL evaluators so much that he was invited to the Senior Bowl even though he played in Division II. Unfortunately he was a little too banged up to participate, but has since been completely medically cleared. In 2013 he caught 71 passes for 1,045 yards and 13 touchdowns, and his career totals were 135 receptions for 1,994 yards and 22 touchdowns. He didn’t run at the combine but he was the strongest tight end there with 35 reps on the bench press. For his size, he has tremendous athletic ability and for a late 5th or 6th round pick, he presents tremendous upside value.
Another late round or even free agent option if he goes un-drafted is Gator Hoskins. He is 6’1”, weighs 244 pounds and ran a 4.62 40 time. He is another TE with very good hands and would be a much welcomed receiving weapon in the passing game. Last season he had 50 catches for 821 yards and 15 touchdowns. When you break down these numbers even further, he becomes even more impressive. He averaged over 16 yards per catch, which was slightly higher the Eric Ebron last season, and he scored a touchdown on average of every 3.3 catches that he made. Plain and simple this guy is a play-maker when he gets his hands on the ball.
Either one of these two TE’s would be a high value pick late in the draft at a position that we could definitely use some more depth in behind Charles Clay.
The only position I would select in the first round ahead of a RT would be a great TE who can be relied on to block – thereby helping strengthen the OL/passing game conundrum anyway – and would be a big target in the red zone, in short yardage situations, and in the middle. Ebron would be great in that role. I am glad that Clay has emerged but he is a twiner and is not guaranteed to maintain his improvement and extend it.
Yeah I would love Ebron, but there is a good chance he might get scooped up before the Dolphins even draft