cowboyjoe
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Anatomy of a prospect: Syracuse FB Tony Fiammetta
11:00 AM Tue, Apr 07, 2009 | Permalink
Rick Gosselin E-mail News tips
The best quarterback in an NFL draft goes in the first round. So does the best pass rusher, pass catcher and pass blocker. Ditto the best ball carrier and cover cornerback. But not the best fullback.
Tony Fiammetta of Syracuse is the best fullback in the 2009 draft but an NFL team won't call out his name until the middle rounds. In the nine drafts this decade, the top fullback has been selected in the third round twice, the fourth round four times and the fifth round three times. Jacob Hester, the top fullback in the 2008 draft, went in the third round to the San Diego Chargers.
The fullback position has become a bit of a dinosaur in college football with the explosion of spread offenses. The same trend is emerging in the NFL -- offenses want to spread the field, and you do that by removing a player from the backfield. That's the fullback. So fewer NFL teams are looking for fullbacks ... and the college game is developing fewer of them.
Fiammetta is a three-down fullback. He can block on first down, run for short yardage on second down and catch it on third down. He has the size (6-0, 245) and speed (4.58 40-yard dash) to excel at the position. Now all he needs is an NFL team to draft him and give him that chance.
11:00 AM Tue, Apr 07, 2009 | Permalink
Rick Gosselin E-mail News tips
The best quarterback in an NFL draft goes in the first round. So does the best pass rusher, pass catcher and pass blocker. Ditto the best ball carrier and cover cornerback. But not the best fullback.
Tony Fiammetta of Syracuse is the best fullback in the 2009 draft but an NFL team won't call out his name until the middle rounds. In the nine drafts this decade, the top fullback has been selected in the third round twice, the fourth round four times and the fifth round three times. Jacob Hester, the top fullback in the 2008 draft, went in the third round to the San Diego Chargers.
The fullback position has become a bit of a dinosaur in college football with the explosion of spread offenses. The same trend is emerging in the NFL -- offenses want to spread the field, and you do that by removing a player from the backfield. That's the fullback. So fewer NFL teams are looking for fullbacks ... and the college game is developing fewer of them.
Fiammetta is a three-down fullback. He can block on first down, run for short yardage on second down and catch it on third down. He has the size (6-0, 245) and speed (4.58 40-yard dash) to excel at the position. Now all he needs is an NFL team to draft him and give him that chance.
DAL @ GB
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