Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - There isn't a more natural pass-catcher at the position than Escobar. He has super-long arms and big hands, and he consistently plucks the ball away from his frame. He is a graceful athlete with a long stride, and his future is bright because of his ability to stretch the field and go up to get the ball. He has surprising quickness and can quickly separate from defensive backs as he gets out of his break. Escobar has deceptive ability to run away from defenders and is a very polished route runner, using his head and shoulders to sell fakes.

WEAKNESSES - Escobar is not a great blocker who is going to overpower defenders in the in-line blocking game. He does a better job using his body to wall off a defender, but it is an area where he needs to improve if he is going to help his teammates. He might end up being a good blocker with some time in an NFL strength and training program, as he lacks the strength to line up and push players around the field.

SUMMARY - Gavin Escobar comes into the NFL at a perfect time for his set of skills. Teams are using the hybrid tight end to stretch the field with their length, long arms and ability to wall off defenders because of the size of their bodies. Escobar brings all of these skills to the NFL table and more as he has great hands and catches everything that is thrown at him. He consistently catches the ball away from his body, making it more difficult for defenses to cover him. He shows explosion in and out of his breaks, and he eats up cushion quickly when lined up from the slot. Linebackers can't stay with him because of his movement ability, and cornerbacks can't stay with him because of his size. His ability to run after the catch is truly underrated because he can move laterally and avoid the tackler, and then run into open space. He consistently can locate the ball, make an adjustment with his body and make the catch. This might be Escobar's best trait, and his biggest asset going forward. He makes tough catches look easy and will make a quarterback more accurate with his huge catching radius. He has incredible hands, and makes contested catches all over the field. Escobar is going to present significant challenges to NFL defenses because of his ability to play jump ball in the red zone and down the seam. If he can improve in the blocking area, he will be the complete package and a rock star in the NFL. He warrants consideration in the middle of Round 1, and should be in consideration to be the first tight end off the board in April.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Zach Ertz is an excellent athlete who has the ability to run past LB's in the middle of the field. He is a build-up speed type of player with a long stride. Ertz can create mismatches because of his size/speed combination, and is effective enough while blocking that he should not come off of the field. He shows very soft, natural hands and looks comfortable making catches while adjusting to the ball, and he will fight for the ball when contested. Ertz is a solid route runner who gets open using his big body to box out defenders. He is big enough to run through arm tackles and is a weapon to gain yards physically. He is an efficient route runner with no wasted motion. He gets off the line quickly and finds soft spots in zone coverage to sit in. He looks at his best running the slant from the outside receiver position. Stanford lines him up everywhere on offense to create mismatches. He is a willing blocker and needs help from NFL coaching to improve in this area. Ertz is a tough, competitive football player who plays a gritty brand of football.

WEAKNESSES - Ertz is not a sudden athlete who can change direction easily, and he isn't explosive athletically. He is a one speed athlete who needs a few steps to build up his speed. While he catches the ball naturally, he needs to find more consistency as he will drop the ball here and there. Ertz lacks elite short area quickness but has enough to find ways to get open. He isn't a home run hitter, lacking long speed and the elusiveness to make defenders miss in the open field. He looks like a plodding pass catcher without any elite traits. NFL teams will have to be creative with him on offense as he looks better releasing uncovered because he can struggle with a jam at the line of scrimmage. While willing, Ertz is not technically sound as a blocker and gives up his man too often. He uses his big body to his advantage by walling off defenders, but he isn't a physical blocker and needs to improve if teams are to use him as an in-line blocking TE.

SUMMARY - Stanford's Zach Ertz is a natural pass catching tight end that possesses good athletic traits, but there isn't anything that is elite from an athletic perspective. He has good speed, but he needs a few steps to build up to it, and he lacks a second gear. Ertz is a very good route runner as he finds a way to get open, but he lacks short area quickness to separate from defenders. He is a very smart route runner who understands the system he plays in, and exploits defenses with his understanding of soft areas in zone coverage and route concepts. He tracks and locates the ball well, and will fight for it when it is challenged. He displays soft hands and is a fairly reliable pass catcher. While he doesn't possess great speed, he will gain yards after the catch because of his willingness to run through contact and is a player who will be tough to bring down. Ertz is not elusive and will most likely be a very good tight end that will move the chains in the NFL. He is not a strong blocker as his size would indicate, as he doesn't stick to his blocking assignments long enough, but he does an average job of making defenders run around him to get to the ball carrier. He is a willing blocker and could improve dramatically in this area with good NFL coaching. He is highly competitive and plays a tough brand of football. Ertz has been lined up all over the field in the Stanford offense, from split out wide to fullback, and he has very good versatility from a position perspective. He is a very productive tight end without elite athletic tools, flashing generally average speed and big play ability. However, he has proven to be a reliable pass catcher who makes plays with his intelligence and system awareness. He warrants consideration starting right away in the third-round because of his high level of production at Stanford.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Reed is a smooth, fluid athlete capable of making tight cuts when given a free release on his breaks. He displays good acceleration and burst off the LOS, which allows him to consistently beat LBs vertically. He plucks the ball naturally away from his body, and shows the ability to high point balls in traffic as well as adjust to off target throws. After the catch, he is extremely competitive, and flashes not only the power to run through tackles but the foot quicks to elude defenders in space. He is also a competitive blocker, as he fights to the whistle despite strength limitations and poor technique. While he clearly needs to add weight to his frame he is solidly built and should be able to pack on another 15-20 lbs.

WEAKNESSES - Reed is a classic tweener that lacks the speed to play WR and the natural power and strength to be an in-line TE. When blocking he tends to bend at the waist and get overextended, causing him to fall off blocks early. His poor strength at the POA is also a concern when blocking, but is even more evident when facing physical coverage, as he struggles to get clean releases off jams. He must learn to better use his hands to set defenders and protect his frame against press coverage, and fight harder to get out of his breaks and stay on his line.

SUMMARY - Jordan Reed was a difficult player to evaluate because he does not have a natural position at the next level. He does not have the power to block in-line and consistently falls off blocks early because of poor base and leverage. Although he is a highly effective receiver when he isn't challenged off the LOS, he lacks the speed needed to play on the outside and is not likely to transition to WR. All this being said, he is a smooth route runner with excellent burst when given a free release, and he is a highly competitive runner after the catch. He also displays outstanding hands, as he consistently plucks the ball away from his body, and has the leaping ability and body control to go get off target throws. He is likely to have a role at the next level similar to that of fellow former Gator Aaron Hernandez, as he is most effective when allowed to play in space away from the jam and away from in-line blocking assignments. Because today's NFL is so predicated on creating mismatches in the passing game, Reed is worth a day two selection for a team willing to line him up off the LOS.

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - While not a big tight end, Rivera has still been a productive side/angle blocker on in-line run blocks. He is quick to get off the ball and fires into inside shaded defender to pin him inside on outside runs. The same quickness off the ball he shows on in-line blocks, helps Rivera to get in routes quickly and to the second level with ease on blocks in space. It looks easy for Rivera to lock on and maintain blocks on linebackers on the second level because he can bend knees to block with good base and has natural balance to keep feet. Experience lining up as an in-line tight end, move H-back, fullback and split out in the slot shows Rivera's versatility and football smarts. Rivera has deceptive speed running routes, is sharp out of his cuts and does an excellent job of getting his head and hands around quickly to catch passes that get on top of him fast. Good body control, coordination and soft hands are what have allowed Rivera to make tough catches seem routine. He is quick to get started up the field after the catch and is a competitive runner who fights for every last yard. Even though he does not break many tackles, he does run through a number of attempted grab tackles and hits to gain yards after contact.

WEAKNESSES - Despite his college production and effort making good side/angle blocks in college, his lack of bulk/weight will hinder his ability to carry this production over in the NFL. Additionally, he has always been less effective blocking head-up defenders and will have even more trouble blocking the bigger and stronger defensive ends in the NFL. "Tweener" is an apt description of Rivera as he lacks the size to be a true in-line tight end and the explosiveness and top end speed to be an impact receiving tight end that is so "in" now. Occasionally, Rivera gets upright when running routes and is much less effective getting in and out of his cuts when he does.

SUMMARY - A good college tight end, Rivera will find it hard to be as productive in the NFL. While I believe that Rivera will have a hard time becoming an impact player in the NFL, I am confident that his receiving skills combined with his ability to block well in space and his positional versatility should allow him to carve out a role as a versatile backup player. If he were to go to a team with an offensive coach who is creative he could be used in a variety of roles to take advantage of his ability make plays catching passes and blocking effectively out in space. When I watch Rivera play I see some similarities to current Texans' backup tight end James Casey and the Broncos Joel Dressen. Overall, I doubt Rivera will be a high draft pick, but somewhere in the fourth or fifth round a team like San Diego, New England or Philadelphia may take a gamble on him as he has many of the tools to be a versatile, contributing team member who can be used like a chess piece and aligned in many different spots. .

Scouting Report:
STRENGTHS - Toilolo is a huge target for a quarterback as a receiver in the red zone due to his tremendous height. He shows soft hands and the ability to track and locate the ball and fight for it in traffic. At 6'8" tall, he has a natural advantage to go up and get the ball. He has enough speed to threaten the middle of the field and stretch the seam, and some quickness to gain separation from linebackers. He shows good footwork and hand usage to get off the line of scrimmage and into his routes and does a nice job settling into open pockets of the zone. Toilolo shows a nice burst when given a free release and can really eat up cushion with the long strides. He is an excellent blocker, using his long arms to create space and keep defenders at bay.

WEAKNESSES - Toilolo isn't an elite athlete with the natural speed to run away from a defense. He is a versatile player who can be an impact blocker as an in-line tight end, or a nice possession type tight end lined up out of the slot. He will have the occasional drop and concentration and focus needs to be improved. At times, he looks robotic while catching the ball and he needs to become more natural in this area. He has a very long stride and needs a step or two to get up to speed, but it doesn't hurt him as a route runner. He doesn't have great explosion out of his breaks and isn't going to wow with his ability to get open, but he is so big that he can "block out the sun" and keep defenders away from the ball with his long arms. There is no real elusiveness to his game as he is a straight-line runner with very little lateral agility. Teams like to jam him, trying to get him restarted because it takes a little time to get going again. He tore his ACL in 2010 but appears fully recovered from the injury.

SUMMARY - Toilolo has some very interesting potential going forward. He is a huge target with a massive catching radius which makes him an instant red zone threat. He was outperformed by Coby Fleener in 2012 and again in 2013 by Zach Ertz, but the former might be as over rated as Tolilolo is under rated. He can make plays down the seam and in the red zone with his route running abilities. For such a large player, he does a nice job of separating to get open in soft areas of the zone. He presents a mismatch problem for defensive backs because of the sheer size and again for linebackers because of his quickness. If he can improve his ability to catch the ball, he could be a real nice asset in the NFL for an offense looking for a player who can move the chains and bring a threat in the red zone. He is a very good blocker and can help immediately as an in-line blocker, using his long arms and core strength to wall off defenders. There isn't much elusiveness in his game as he is a straight-line runner once he has the ball in his hands, but he can help in a variety of ways. Toilolo is an under rated tight end prospect coming out of the pro-style offense that Stanford runs, and with a little seasoning he could develop into a nice player in the NFL. He warrants fourth-round consideration for a team looking for a massive target that can impact an offense in several ways.