There are a lot of players who came out of this draft that will have a chance at instant relevance in the NFL. To read about my instant impact QB’s click here or about instant impact RB’s click here and instant impact WR’s here. The Tight Ends who should have an impact during this 2014 season include…
Eric Ebron (Lions): He was the first TE taken in the draft going to the pass happy Lions team. Now although this situation is great, it usually takes TE’s a few seasons to adjust to the NFL before they make a real impact. On top of that Ebron joins a semi crowded TE group in Detroit where Brandon Pettigrew and Joseph Fauria still have roles. So there seems to be a lot going against Ebron right? Wrong, he was the tenth overall pick in the NFL draft meaning he was drafted as an instant impact guy in this offense. Ebron has carried comparisons to Vernon Davis so I highly expect him to beat out butter fingers Pettigrew for the starting TE job. Fauria still lurks as a vulture for touchdowns but he’s still a very situational player and will be a small hurdle for Ebron. I expect him to finish as the number one overall rookie TE in terms of catches and yards and be a top-5 TE for the next ten years.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (Buccaneers): Another basketball player turned tight end you can assume how Seferian-Jenkins career will likely turn out. Similar to Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham who were also basketball players turned tight ends; Seferian-Jenkins has height and speed combined with great hands. He joins another crowded TE group in Tampa where they already Tim Wright and Brandon Myers. But again like Ebron I highly expect his skill to beat out all those other TE’s for the starting spot and once he does he will be a major red zone target for Josh McCown. He will be the number one rookie TE in terms of touchdowns and will challenge all rookies for the number one spot in touchdowns scored.
Jace Amaro (Jets): The reason I placed Amaro on this list is not based completely off his skill as he’s nowhere close to Ebron and Seferian-Jenkins skill level but rather because of the team he ended up on. No the Jets aren’t known for creating star TE’s but instead Amaro will make an impact this season because he is competing with nobody for the starting TE position. Besides Amaro and Eric Decker there’s no other big target as the rest of the Jets receivers are small slot guys. So I expect Amaro to have plenty of opportunities to make an impact this season but with the Jets it’s always hard to predict great seasons out of their offensive players.
