CFZ Not so silly prediction: The Swiss Army Knife UDFA that makes the 53-man

[_sturt_]

TE is where he's been at OTAs.

One would expect that--it was his primary position with UTK in the end. That's just as one would expect Luepke to start off with the position he's most familiar with. But both were spoke about pre-draft as Juszczyk types that McC might look to incorporate into the 2023 playbook. Both are ticketed to practice squad by virtue of their UDFA status unless one of them proves too good to expose. Luepke will get more opportunity than Fant, no doubt, so Fant has to turn heads almost immediately and keep it up.

 

[quickccc]

... will be... Princeton Fant.

Yeah, I know. All the buzz has been about Hunter Luepke. And I'm not pretending I'm smarter than Dane Brugler or any of the others who had touted Luepke as one of the 2 or 3 best UDFA signings for the Boys.

All I'm saying is what I said... it's not a silly prediction that Fant will actually turn out to be the preferred choice on cut down day.

I say that because physically, they're practically the same guy--eg, same height, wingspan within 1/2 inch, hand size within 1/8 inch--except Fant has about 10 pounds more girth.

If you're going to prefer a guy whose primary asset will be running the ball, Luepke has a clear advantage... 4.5-4.6 range speed as opposed to 4.7-4.8 range speed. Same reason, if you're going to prefer a guy whose primary asset will be special teams coverage.

If you're going to prefer a guy, though, whose primary asset will be blocking and catching passes, Fant is in that conversation. Again, his playing weight has been about 10 lbs thicker, and he has some athleticism that made him an attractive "athlete" recruit out of high school. They've both lined up at FB and TE, and to a lesser extent WR. I'm sure most of us also saw that Fant has a TD pass to his credit.

The key will be whether Fant can learn blocking technique and impress sufficiently over the preseason that was apparently lacking in Knoxville (... but you can learn technique, whereas you cannot learn athleticism, of course).

- Fant is an severely undersized TE at 6’1 .. he’d have to be a sheer Shannon Sharpe type surprise gem in camp and preseason, in which LBs and safeties simply could not cover him ,
simply could not match up with him.
Much like undraftee WR Cole Beasley took camp by storm when no one could cover him and he simply turned coverage guys inside out on a routine basis, Fant would have to
do the same in this camp to make this team.

I read Fant's profile as a former RB that the Vols that had 6 TDs near goal line, but should the club consider him a move to FB, I think he’d have to be prepared as a FB for a year at the NFL level , on the practice squad year

- As far as FB Hunter Luepke,.. as a full back, I want to see his physicality as a blocker ..first.

- The (very few) premiere FBs in the NFL (Juszczyk, Ricard, Ham) are blockers first …. Catchers/ball carriers afterwards.
I’d be more interested in that occasional role player that help makes us a more “ physical “ attack, not a big RB, whereas those touches could go to our better playmakers.

Apparently the biggest knock rap on Hunter Lueke has been his blocking

I keep hearing from those that are saying Hunter can play TE too and that is what makes him a great “ Swiss army knife..etc etc.
but it’s a big difference for someone to “ line up” as a TE .....vs someone that can block like a TE.
And Hunter’s blocking is not the same as a 4th TE, ala Sean McKeon. who several think will be cut in favor of Hunter.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/hunter-luepke/32004c55-4558-2275-a74b-84e7c261086e

" Will need to elevate aggression and play strength as an NFL blocker. "

" While he has soft hands and has shown some route-running savvy, he will need to prove himself as a lead blocker if he is to excite NFL offensive coordinators. "

 

[Pass2Run]

... will be... Princeton Fant.

Yeah, I know. All the buzz has been about Hunter Luepke. And I'm not pretending I'm smarter than Dane Brugler or any of the others who had touted Luepke as one of the 2 or 3 best UDFA signings for the Boys.

All I'm saying is what I said... it's not a silly prediction that Fant will actually turn out to be the preferred choice on cut down day.

I say that because physically, they're practically the same guy--eg, same height, wingspan within 1/2 inch, hand size within 1/8 inch--except Fant has about 10 pounds more girth.

If you're going to prefer a guy whose primary asset will be running the ball, Luepke has a clear advantage... 4.5-4.6 range speed as opposed to 4.7-4.8 range speed. Same reason, if you're going to prefer a guy whose primary asset will be special teams coverage.

If you're going to prefer a guy, though, whose primary asset will be blocking and catching passes, Fant is in that conversation. Again, his playing weight has been about 10 lbs thicker, and he has some athleticism that made him an attractive "athlete" recruit out of high school. They've both lined up at FB and TE, and to a lesser extent WR. I'm sure most of us also saw that Fant has a TD pass to his credit.

The key will be whether Fant can learn blocking technique and impress sufficiently over the preseason that was apparently lacking in Knoxville (... but you can learn technique, whereas you cannot learn athleticism, of course).

I think Fant has a nice shot too.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

... will be... Princeton Fant.

Yeah, I know. All the buzz has been about Hunter Luepke. And I'm not pretending I'm smarter than Dane Brugler or any of the others who had touted Luepke as one of the 2 or 3 best UDFA signings for the Boys.

All I'm saying is what I said... it's not a silly prediction that Fant will actually turn out to be the preferred choice on cut down day.

I say that because physically, they're practically the same guy--eg, same height, wingspan within 1/2 inch, hand size within 1/8 inch--except Fant has about 10 pounds more girth.

If you're going to prefer a guy whose primary asset will be running the ball, Luepke has a clear advantage... 4.5-4.6 range speed as opposed to 4.7-4.8 range speed. Same reason, if you're going to prefer a guy whose primary asset will be special teams coverage.

If you're going to prefer a guy, though, whose primary asset will be blocking and catching passes, Fant is in that conversation. Again, his playing weight has been about 10 lbs thicker, and he has some athleticism that made him an attractive "athlete" recruit out of high school. They've both lined up at FB and TE, and to a lesser extent WR. I'm sure most of us also saw that Fant has a TD pass to his credit.

The key will be whether Fant can learn blocking technique and impress sufficiently over the preseason that was apparently lacking in Knoxville (... but you can learn technique, whereas you cannot learn athleticism, of course).

if we keep 4 TEs, perhaps Fant makes it over McKeon. McKeon doesn't do one thing really well, where Fant is a pretty good blocker. Ferguson, Hendershot and Schoonmaker are pass catching, with some blocking ability.

 

[rambo2]

So why did Fant and Leupke go undrafted?
We get this every year On some players.

I really hope they hit on them. Hopefully it creates some really good competition for those last spots in each position group. That is always great to see.

Why did Tony Romo go undrafted and why did Bill Parcells keep him on the bench when he was his best qb?

 

[jazzcat22]

Why did Tony Romo go undrafted and why did Bill Parcells keep him on the bench when he was his best qb?

It was not a knock against them. But it is a legitimate question. We seen way too many players come in and get hyped up by the fans on here. Only not to do anything r do much when they had their chances.

Well, it was Bill, he had his past 2 QB's he liked. He felt Tony was not ready, until Vinnie and Bledsoe showed he was not that QB anymore.
It was Bill, had nothing to do with Tony or him being an UDFA.

 

[_sturt_]

- Fant is an severely undersized TE at 6’1 .. he’d have to be a sheer Shannon Sharpe type surprise gem in camp and preseason, in which LBs and safeties simply could not cover him ,
simply could not match up with him.
Much like undraftee WR Cole Beasley took camp by storm when no one could cover him and he simply turned coverage guys inside out on a routine basis, Fant would have to
do the same in this camp to make this team.

I read Fant's profile as a former RB that the Vols that had 6 TDs near goal line, but should the club consider him a move to FB, I think he’d have to be prepared as a FB for a year at the NFL level , on the practice squad year

- As far as FB Hunter Luepke,.. as a full back, I want to see his physicality as a blocker ..first.

- The (very few) premiere FBs in the NFL (Juszczyk, Ricard, Ham) are blockers first …. Catchers/ball carriers afterwards.
I’d be more interested in that occasional role player that help makes us a more “ physical “ attack, not a big RB, whereas those touches could go to our better playmakers.

Apparently the biggest knock rap on Hunter Lueke has been his blocking

I keep hearing from those that are saying Hunter can play TE too and that is what makes him a great “ Swiss army knife..etc etc.
but it’s a big difference for someone to “ line up” as a TE .....vs someone that can block like a TE.
And Hunter’s blocking is not the same as a 4th TE, ala Sean McKeon. who several think will be cut in favor of Hunter.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/hunter-luepke/32004c55-4558-2275-a74b-84e7c261086e

" Will need to elevate aggression and play strength as an NFL blocker. "

" While he has soft hands and has shown some route-running savvy, he will need to prove himself as a lead blocker if he is to excite NFL offensive coordinators. "

I can buy all that.

 

[rambo2]

It was not a knock against them. But it is a legitimate question. We seen way too many players come in and get hyped up by the fans on here. Only not to do anything r do much when they had their chances.

Well, it was Bill, he had his past 2 QB's he liked. He felt Tony was not ready, until Vinnie and Bledsoe showed he was not that QB anymore.
It was Bill, had nothing to do with Tony or him being an UDFA.

Bill made a mistake. He kept him on the bench way too long.

 

[_sturt_]

Fant is a pretty good blocker

Most scouting reports seem to indicate he's got some ability, but he's lacking technique and he's inconsistent. I see none that speak of that as an outright strength, and some consider it a weakness.

Schoonmaker are pass catching, with some blocking ability.

My read is the opposite. He's been heralded for his blocking more so than his ability to be a receiving weapon... and supposedly, that's the kind of TE they were wanting to draft anyway.

 

[jazzcat22]

Bill made a mistake. He kept him on the bench way too long.

I agree.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

Sorry I missed all that with all the troll spam but you are correct. I figured with his body type he was TE but it is what it is. He is like the opposite of Deuce when it comes to RB.

Well he only had a handful of carries, he was a TE.

The point is that the role - be it Luepke, Fant or whoever, is for more of an H-back than anything. So for a carry here or there, Fant should be fine.

 

[John813]

Does anyone know if Hunter was strictly the H-back/FB in the camps so far or was he also given some time with the RB's? He was given almost a 100 carries a year in NDSU, so while he wasn't a "bellcow" RB in college he certainly isn't raw running the ball. I think it'll come down to how the RB room shakes out along with carrying opportunities for HL and if he can prove he could be trusted with the ball.

I think this will be a good camp battle.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Most scouting reports seem to indicate he's got some ability, but he's lacking technique and he's inconsistent. I see none that speak of that as an outright strength, and some consider it a weakness.


My read is the opposite. He's been heralded for his blocking more so than his ability to be a receiving weapon... and supposedly, that's the kind of TE they were wanting to draft anyway.

agree on Schoonmaker, but he excels at Blocking and has ability to catch.

I pretty much read the same things about Fant. he is Raw. technique issues.

 

[Jarntt]

24 years old and was in College for 6 years so he must have learned a lot...

 

[quickccc]

Most scouting reports seem to indicate he's got some ability, but he's lacking technique and he's inconsistent. I see none that speak of that as an outright strength, and some consider it a weakness.


My read is the opposite. He's been heralded for his blocking more so than his ability to be a receiving weapon... and supposedly, that's the kind of TE they were wanting to draft anyway.

Ditto here, I get the same impression that Schoon is more noted as a blocker first, with the athletic tools and potential to eventually be a creditable pass catcher at the NFL level.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

I don't know if Fant will make the team. But I guarantee the Big Blue M&M is not going out of Arlington without a FB on his Jonesboys 2023 roster. Everywhere the big M&M has been he has had a FB from the Saints to the Pack. He has also had a QB that ran out of mistakes (literally). Dak will not be told to just stay in the pocket. If he does not dump it to the RB, FB, and TE, which has been missing since Parcells, he is going to run like Brooks, Farve, Rogers, and Smith. Even KC has a FB. I do not know what Garrett and Moore had against the FB? Simple math. FB gives you extra help near the QB and extra blocker in the running game.

They made zeke do it. Then when zeke took the ball.....no lead blocker and 2-3 yards ensued.
If the o line does not shape up....we'll need that fb or else.

 

[eromeopolk]

They made zeke do it. Then when zeke took the ball.....no lead blocker and 2-3 yards ensued.
If the o line does not shape up....we'll need that fb or else.

Every OL needs a FB due to simple math. If you go up against a 3/4 or 4/3 D. That is 7. You have a FB Then that is 5 OL, 1 TE, and 1 FB . That is 7 on 7 anything else is fake it till you make it.

 

[_sturt_]

Yep, yep.