Rudy Sylvan: Late round TE to keep an eye on

[BlainThePain]

http://www.draftdaddy.com/blog/blog.cfm

Ohio University tight end Rudy Sylvan's Pro Day numbers were very impressive. At almost 6' 4" and 282 pounds he ran a 4.77, put up 33 reps on the bench press, broad jumped 9-8 and displayed a 34.5" vertical leap. That's explosion, even by Pat Kirwan's standards: vertical + broadjump + bench > 70.

I speak with a lot of folks in the industry and I crunch a lot of athleticism numbers. Sylvan was a prospect I identified a while ago as a possible offensive line convert. He's a devastating run blocker, tough as nails and strong as an ox. He's capable of making a few explosive plays down the field, but he's not really a natural pass catcher.

Will he get drafted high? No. Will he be drafted at all? Maybe in the 7th round, based on those tremendously explosive numbers. But make no mistake about it, he's a fascinating long term prospect.

[derekshank]

I think we've already got a bigger version of him in Stacy Andrews. He gets put in at the TE spot from time to time. But if we're looking for a true TE and he's there in the 7th... I won't complain.

[Bobcat Bengal]

Ohio University?

Niiiiice!

[fattyjay]

What is the obsession with the TE position that everyone seems to have with the Bengals? Not once since Brat has been the OC have they felt that it was a position of great need. With four of them on the roster (not counting the longsnapper) why would they look at another late round/college FA TE? All of their focus should be on defense. That has been the area of great unrest since Marvin has come in. Constant roster turnover, injuries, year long suspension, losses through FA, etc. They shouldn't even think offense unless they are looking at lineman.

[BlainThePain]

What is the obsession with the TE position that everyone seems to have with the Bengals? Not once since Brat has been the OC have they felt that it was a position of great need. With four of them on the roster (not counting the longsnapper) why would they look at another late round/college FA TE? All of their focus should be on defense. That has been the area of great unrest since Marvin has come in. Constant roster turnover, injuries, year long suspension, losses through FA, etc. They shouldn't even think offense unless they are looking at lineman.

Since we only have one tightend on the roster, it's one of the biggest needs on the team. TE is also very key to the running game. If we don't find a suitable backup like this guy and Reggie Kelly goes down with injury, the running game will suffer and the defense will be even worse because of it.

[fattyjay]

What is the obsession with the TE position that everyone seems to have with the Bengals? Not once since Brat has been the OC have they felt that it was a position of great need. With four of them on the roster (not counting the longsnapper) why would they look at another late round/college FA TE? All of their focus should be on defense. That has been the area of great unrest since Marvin has come in. Constant roster turnover, injuries, year long suspension, losses through FA, etc. They shouldn't even think offense unless they are looking at lineman.

Since we only have one tightend on the roster, it's one of the biggest needs on the team. TE is also very key to the running game. If we don't find a suitable backup like this guy and Reggie Kelly goes down with injury, the running game will suffer and the defense will be even worse because of it.

As per "The Site" they have four not counting St. Louis. Those four would be Kelly, Day, Ghent, and Guenther. Unproven, yes but four none the less. I agree that they are vitale to the running game, but at least that position has depth. Look at safety, LB, DT, and corner. All positions with little to no depth.

[derekshank]

What is the obsession with the TE position that everyone seems to have with the Bengals? Not once since Brat has been the OC have they felt that it was a position of great need. With four of them on the roster (not counting the longsnapper) why would they look at another late round/college FA TE? All of their focus should be on defense. That has been the area of great unrest since Marvin has come in. Constant roster turnover, injuries, year long suspension, losses through FA, etc. They shouldn't even think offense unless they are looking at lineman.

Since we only have one tightend on the roster, it's one of the biggest needs on the team. TE is also very key to the running game. If we don't find a suitable backup like this guy and Reggie Kelly goes down with injury, the running game will suffer and the defense will be even worse because of it.

As per "The Site" they have four not counting St. Louis. Those four would be Kelly, Day, Ghent, and Guenther. Unproven, yes but four none the less. I agree that they are vitale to the running game, but at least that position has depth. Look at safety, LB, DT, and corner. All positions with little to no depth.

That's merely because they aren't forced to have a practice squad right now. 2 of those 3 guys were on the practice squad last year, and Guenther was on another teams PS. In other words... a late round TE draft pick might be worth consdiering.

At the same time, Stewart shouldn't be too hard to replace, so if we just roll with one of those guys currently listed, that'll be just fine with me.

[Stripes]

I'd be pretty surprised if the Bengals draft a tight end this year, in any round. I think one of the three practice squad guys will be able to earn the spot, and I believe the Bengals have kept them around anticipating the loss of either Kelly or Stewart.

If the Bengals take an offensive player in the late rounds, I expect offensive line depth, a running back, or maybe even another one of Marvin's beloved ST receivers.

[hrod382]

I'd be pretty surprised if the Bengals draft a tight end this year, in any round.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. The media/people who don't know our team and the role of the TE just don't understand... They look on paper and see the lack of recieving numbers and think Kelly sucks when in reality he's perfect for us.

A good pass catching TE would be a luxury, a luxury that we can't afford at this point. Plus with TJ/CJ/Henry/C. Perry/T. Perry we have plenty of guys that can catch on 3rd down.