Sport DFW
FanSided

Dallas Cowboys Draft: 10 Tight End Prospects and Their Fit

By Adithya Prabakaran

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 17: Jace Sternberger #81 of the Texas A&M Aggies catches a 20 yard pass in the fourth quarter for a touchdown as Mar'Sean Diggs #23 of the UAB Blazers was unable to contain at Kyle Field on November 17, 2018 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 17: Jace Sternberger #81 of the Texas A&M Aggies catches a 20 yard pass in the fourth quarter for a touchdown as Mar'Sean Diggs #23 of the UAB Blazers was unable to contain at Kyle Field on November 17, 2018 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 11
Next
PASADENA, CA – NOVEMBER 24: Bobby Okereke #20 and Malik Antoine #3 of the Stanford Cardinal chase Caleb Wilson #81 of the UCLA Bruins on this 66 yard pass play during the second half of a game at the Rose Bowl on November 24, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – NOVEMBER 24: Bobby Okereke #20 and Malik Antoine #3 of the Stanford Cardinal chase Caleb Wilson #81 of the UCLA Bruins on this 66 yard pass play during the second half of a game at the Rose Bowl on November 24, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Caleb Wilson, UCLA

What’s Good: Route running, Production

What Ain’t Good: Blocking, Initial Quickness, Strength, Play Speed

When you initially watch Wilson play, he won’t wow you. He plays with average speed, he doesn’t get open consistently, and his blocking is a work in progress. Considering all this, it’s amazing how productive he’s been the last two years at UCLA.

Even though he was injured for the good part of 2017, he caught 38 receptions for 490 yards in 5 games. He caught 60 passes for 965 yards this past season. This puts him at the lead for receiving yards amongst tight ends this past season.

I was impressed with how easily he got separation as a route runner. In the crazy UCLA-Texas A&M game from 2 seasons ago, he racked up over 200 yards with ease by running an extremely effective post pattern. No matter who was covering him, he was always beating them to the inside making it Josh Rosen to deliver the pass. Coming into 2018, much was the same.

Ask him to run an out, flag, post, in, curl, or whatever else and he seems to figure out a way to get open.

However, as a route runner he doesn’t display elite short area quickness. That is more problematic when running shorter routes that require instant change of direction. This explains why he was more effective running posts as opposed to a curl or a hitch.

Then comes his blocking. I fail to understand how a school like UCLA can’t recruit above average linemen. Wilson is another by-product of UCLA’s school  below average blocking. His technique is really inconsistent and he can get pushed around by a stronger defender. This applies to defensive backs, not just defensive linemen.

In all, Wilson displays an average skill set even if his tape can look excellent. (2017 vs Texas A&M is the perfect example) He seems to possess above average athleticism according to his combine results but that isn’t apparent when watching his film.

For the Cowboys, Wilson is not an ideal tight end prospect for them. Even though he is from Dallas, he wasn’t invited to Dallas Day. (This should show the lack of interest from the Cowboys for Wilson) In addition, he isn’t proficient as a blocker or receiver. He’s just average at everything.

Home/Cowboys Draft