A look at the tight ends at the Senior Bowl, should the Falcons want one
MOBILE, Ala. — Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski was a highly regarded tight ends coach with the Vikings from 2014-15 before eventually becoming an offensive coordinator and then a head coach.
“I wouldn’t say whisperer, I’ll say aficionado,” Stefanski said when in a question a reporter called him a tight ends ‘whisperer.’
“How about that? I love the position. I coached it. It was my first position to coach on the offensive staff, was tight ends there with the Vikings under coach (Mike) Zimmer.”
The Falcons have a decision to make with tight end Kyle Pitts, who’s set to become a free agent in March. There are several players working among the tight ends at the Senior Bowl, which will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama.
“I love the position because of the versatility that it provides an offense,” Stefanski said. “And you’ve seen it around the league. This is nothing new or earth-shattering, but tight ends that can line up all over make life hard on a defense.”
Last season, the Browns selected tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in the third round (67th overall) out of Bowling Green after a fine showing at the Senior Bowl. He caught 72 passes for 731 yards and six touchdowns last season and was named to the Pro Football Writers of America all-rookie team.
“Whether you can line them up outside, in the backfield, in line, you name it, we love versatility at that position,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, Kyle’s somebody that we’ll talk at length more about when it comes to those types of roster conversations, but the position itself is something that we feel really very strongly about.”
N.C. State tight end Justin Joly, who started his career at Connecticut, is having a strong Senior Bowl week.
“There isn’t anything that I can’t do,” Joly said. “Just be consistent. A consistent tight end is someone you can trust. Some of that trust, you can put that on the field.”
Joly played in 49 games in college and finished with 166 catches for 1,978 yards and 15 touchdowns.
“Honestly, it speaks to the versatility that I have as a player,” Joly said of his traits. “You don’t worry about if you’re like on the left side or the right side or in the backfield. Just knowing that I’m going to be able to execute is something that will help out the team.”
Joly measured 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds at the Senior Bowl. He believes that he has grown as a blocker along the line.
“That’s something that I (concentrated) on my senior year,” Joly said. “With that, I’ve been able to get stronger. That’s also helped me get open on some routes. Being able to stay on the screen blocks.”
Joly showed his toughness in a game against Pittsburgh last season. He scored on a 59-yard pass play. He caught the ball at the Panthers’ 40-yard line. At the 25, his left hamstring gave out and he hopped and hobbled his way into the end zone.
“Honestly, it just shows finish,” Joly said. “I’m like, if I’m going to go down and not play the rest of the game, let me get in the end zone and get the game closer. Be able to help my teammates win this game, gives them a better probability. I can just go be that guy for the team.”
Joly is aware of Pitts’ work with the Falcons over the past five seasons.
He also mentioned Dawson Knox, Sam LaPorta, George Kittle and Travis Kelce as modern-era NFL tight ends who he likes to watch.
“Then in the old days, there’s Jeremy Shockey,” Joly said. “Antonio Gates, Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzalez.”
He wants to make his own mark.
“There isn’t a certain player that I try to pull from, there are certain attributes that they have, and I just combine them with myself,” Joly said. “Make myself my own player … just trying to be versatile and be the best tight end that I can be.”
Here are the tight ends at the Senior Bowl:
- Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M
- Joshua Cuevas, Alabama
- John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming
- Matthew Hibner, SMU
- Justin Joly, NC State
- Tanner Koziol, Houston
- DJ Rogers, TCU
- Sam Roush, Stanford
- Dan Villari, Syracuse
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
