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Martellus Bennett
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 259 | 40-Time: 4.68
Official Bio
Strengths:
Excellent size with long arms and a huge frame...Outstanding athleticism...Has big reliable hands and can pluck the ball away from his body...Real tough, strong and physical...Terrific ball skills and body control...Decent route runner..Above average blocker with the potential to get even better..Probably has a considerable upside.
Weaknesses:
Lacks elite timed speed...Not real quick or explosive...Not a vertical threat who will stretch the field...Could stand to bulk up...Needs to get stronger...Is still raw from a technique standpoint...Not very elusive and won't do much after the catch...May still be a tad bit immature...Does he truly love the game and is he dedicated to it?
Notes:
Is also an outstanding basketball player who saw action on the hardwood for the Aggies...Actually entered the NBA Draft out of high school before withdrawing his name...Gave up basketball in January 2007 to focus on football..Was underutilized in the Aggies run-orientated offense..Talented player with a unique set of physical tools who could be a very good all-around tight end at the next level...The type of prospect who could turn out to be even better in the pros than he was in college.
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
Analysis
Analysis
Positives: Has a tall, thick frame with a V-shaped torso, long limbs, large hands, big bubble, wide hips, thick thighs and calves and room to carry more bulk without impacting his overall quickness...Uses his hands with force to escape press coverage and shows excellent boundary awareness...Has adequate speed, but runs with a normal stride (needs to stay in his patterns tighter) and is best when used on the move, whether coming off the line or working in the slot...Not a sudden mover, but has adequate change-of-direction agility for his position...Likes to block and plays with good aggression...Will not hesitate to go vertical and compete for the off-target throws...Works hard to sustain his blocks and plays with consistent effort...Does well in school and has no problem taking plays from the chalkboard to the playing field...Does not show suddenness getting into his routes, but moves his feet to sustain and gains advantage to hook a "nine" technique...Has the strength to power through the hold up and avoids under-coverage on the route stem...Can swim over or fight through the jam with force...Raw pattern runner who needs more reps, but has good awareness to zone coverage...Finds his marks and gets his head turned around in time to look the ball in, but will round and gather his cuts...Has the hand strength and physical nature to get off the press and settle underneath on short routes, knowing that he presents the quarterback with a big target on the move...Makes proper body adjustments extending his arms to haul in the high pass...Shows intent as a blocker and has the base to effectively hold his ground at the point of attack (will get walked back when he gets too upright in his stance, though)...Will get into trouble when he body catches, but he has the reach and extension to get to the ball with hands properly extended...While he lacks suddenness, he shows good body lean and weight transfer that allows him to snap off his breaks and separate...Physical receiver with the raw power to fight the defender for the ball (will sometimes lose concentration, as he can be distracted by the sounds of a defender's feet)...Runs over the middle with authority and shows the flexibility in his hands and arms extending to catch outside of the framework...Lacks a burst heading upfield, but has the strength to power through tackles (runs hard, but is not a burner)...Shows good positioning blocking on the edge, as he is adept in sliding his feet back and moving laterally to pick up the blitz....When he keeps his pad level down, he is much more efficient generating a strong hand punch, but must remain patient, as he tends to overextend on reach blocks...Good stalker for cut blocks at the second level, showing intent to punish the linebackers...Active with his feet in attempts to leverage when blocking on the move.
Negatives: Needs route refinement, as he takes soft-angle cuts too often and will drift quite a bit when having to go long distances...Needs to show more explosion coming out of his stance and accelerate quicker in the open field, as he does not always live up to his timed speed...Showed improvement extending for the ball outside his frame as a senior, but he will revert to body catching and drops too many...Must be more alert to second-level defenders as he is prone to running into spots rather than trying to find the soft areas to settle under...Much more effective on hooks and curls, as he does not show the suddenness or hip wiggle to elude after the catch...Because of his size, he tends to get a little upright in his stance, which allows defenders to get their hands into his chest...Needs to stand more flat-footed coming off the snap to maintain balance and leg drive when pulling....While he shows good intent as a blocker, he needs to show better angle awareness, as he will fall off blocks and overextends...Looks mechanical in his routes, lacking fluid moves...Needs to concentrate every snap and had multiple false-start penalties.
Compares To: KEVIN BOSS-New York Giants...Like Boss, Bennett is a rare-sized tight end whose basketball experience allows him to get to passes most shorter tight ends cannot. He is a more consistent blocker than Boss, but will lose balance and overextend when he can't sink his pads to anchor. He has the long reach to haul in the pass at its high point, but despite good timed speed, he is a marginal route runner who will take unneeded steps in his route progression. Still, based on the talent here, he is the most "complete" tight end in the 2008 draft class.
Injury Report
Missed close to two quarters of action vs. Texas Tech (10/13) and sat out the following week vs. Nebraska (10/20) with high ankle sprains (both legs).
Martellus Bennett
Selected by: Dallas Cowboys
Round: 2
Pick (Overall): 30(61)TE | (6'6", 259, 4.679) | TEXAS A&M
Overall: Bennett started five of the 11 games he appeared in during his true freshman season in 2005. He started all 13 games of the 2006 season recording 38 catches, 497 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Bennett started 12 games during the 2007 season recording 49 receptions, 587 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Bennett lacks explosiveness and strength elite of an elite prospect, but he has the frame, toughness, and hands to develop into a starting tight end in the NFL. He also is a smooth athlete with adequate speed for his size. Bennett projects as a third-round pick
Bear's take-- I was surprised when the Boys traded Anthony Fasano, a bit miffed that they didn't get any more for him, but I was quite stunned when they turned around and drafted Bennett this early... however, as I think about it, this pick makes more and more sense to me; Bennett is the most intriguing, all-around TE that was available in this draft... now, the Boys have a fallback position if (God forbid) Jason Witten was to get hurt...
Height: 6-6 | Weight: 259 | 40-Time: 4.68
Official Bio
Strengths:
Excellent size with long arms and a huge frame...Outstanding athleticism...Has big reliable hands and can pluck the ball away from his body...Real tough, strong and physical...Terrific ball skills and body control...Decent route runner..Above average blocker with the potential to get even better..Probably has a considerable upside.
Weaknesses:
Lacks elite timed speed...Not real quick or explosive...Not a vertical threat who will stretch the field...Could stand to bulk up...Needs to get stronger...Is still raw from a technique standpoint...Not very elusive and won't do much after the catch...May still be a tad bit immature...Does he truly love the game and is he dedicated to it?
Notes:
Is also an outstanding basketball player who saw action on the hardwood for the Aggies...Actually entered the NBA Draft out of high school before withdrawing his name...Gave up basketball in January 2007 to focus on football..Was underutilized in the Aggies run-orientated offense..Talented player with a unique set of physical tools who could be a very good all-around tight end at the next level...The type of prospect who could turn out to be even better in the pros than he was in college.
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
Analysis
Analysis
Positives: Has a tall, thick frame with a V-shaped torso, long limbs, large hands, big bubble, wide hips, thick thighs and calves and room to carry more bulk without impacting his overall quickness...Uses his hands with force to escape press coverage and shows excellent boundary awareness...Has adequate speed, but runs with a normal stride (needs to stay in his patterns tighter) and is best when used on the move, whether coming off the line or working in the slot...Not a sudden mover, but has adequate change-of-direction agility for his position...Likes to block and plays with good aggression...Will not hesitate to go vertical and compete for the off-target throws...Works hard to sustain his blocks and plays with consistent effort...Does well in school and has no problem taking plays from the chalkboard to the playing field...Does not show suddenness getting into his routes, but moves his feet to sustain and gains advantage to hook a "nine" technique...Has the strength to power through the hold up and avoids under-coverage on the route stem...Can swim over or fight through the jam with force...Raw pattern runner who needs more reps, but has good awareness to zone coverage...Finds his marks and gets his head turned around in time to look the ball in, but will round and gather his cuts...Has the hand strength and physical nature to get off the press and settle underneath on short routes, knowing that he presents the quarterback with a big target on the move...Makes proper body adjustments extending his arms to haul in the high pass...Shows intent as a blocker and has the base to effectively hold his ground at the point of attack (will get walked back when he gets too upright in his stance, though)...Will get into trouble when he body catches, but he has the reach and extension to get to the ball with hands properly extended...While he lacks suddenness, he shows good body lean and weight transfer that allows him to snap off his breaks and separate...Physical receiver with the raw power to fight the defender for the ball (will sometimes lose concentration, as he can be distracted by the sounds of a defender's feet)...Runs over the middle with authority and shows the flexibility in his hands and arms extending to catch outside of the framework...Lacks a burst heading upfield, but has the strength to power through tackles (runs hard, but is not a burner)...Shows good positioning blocking on the edge, as he is adept in sliding his feet back and moving laterally to pick up the blitz....When he keeps his pad level down, he is much more efficient generating a strong hand punch, but must remain patient, as he tends to overextend on reach blocks...Good stalker for cut blocks at the second level, showing intent to punish the linebackers...Active with his feet in attempts to leverage when blocking on the move.
Negatives: Needs route refinement, as he takes soft-angle cuts too often and will drift quite a bit when having to go long distances...Needs to show more explosion coming out of his stance and accelerate quicker in the open field, as he does not always live up to his timed speed...Showed improvement extending for the ball outside his frame as a senior, but he will revert to body catching and drops too many...Must be more alert to second-level defenders as he is prone to running into spots rather than trying to find the soft areas to settle under...Much more effective on hooks and curls, as he does not show the suddenness or hip wiggle to elude after the catch...Because of his size, he tends to get a little upright in his stance, which allows defenders to get their hands into his chest...Needs to stand more flat-footed coming off the snap to maintain balance and leg drive when pulling....While he shows good intent as a blocker, he needs to show better angle awareness, as he will fall off blocks and overextends...Looks mechanical in his routes, lacking fluid moves...Needs to concentrate every snap and had multiple false-start penalties.
Compares To: KEVIN BOSS-New York Giants...Like Boss, Bennett is a rare-sized tight end whose basketball experience allows him to get to passes most shorter tight ends cannot. He is a more consistent blocker than Boss, but will lose balance and overextend when he can't sink his pads to anchor. He has the long reach to haul in the pass at its high point, but despite good timed speed, he is a marginal route runner who will take unneeded steps in his route progression. Still, based on the talent here, he is the most "complete" tight end in the 2008 draft class.
Injury Report
Missed close to two quarters of action vs. Texas Tech (10/13) and sat out the following week vs. Nebraska (10/20) with high ankle sprains (both legs).
Martellus Bennett
Selected by: Dallas Cowboys
Round: 2
Pick (Overall): 30(61)TE | (6'6", 259, 4.679) | TEXAS A&M
Overall: Bennett started five of the 11 games he appeared in during his true freshman season in 2005. He started all 13 games of the 2006 season recording 38 catches, 497 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Bennett started 12 games during the 2007 season recording 49 receptions, 587 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Bennett lacks explosiveness and strength elite of an elite prospect, but he has the frame, toughness, and hands to develop into a starting tight end in the NFL. He also is a smooth athlete with adequate speed for his size. Bennett projects as a third-round pick
Bear's take-- I was surprised when the Boys traded Anthony Fasano, a bit miffed that they didn't get any more for him, but I was quite stunned when they turned around and drafted Bennett this early... however, as I think about it, this pick makes more and more sense to me; Bennett is the most intriguing, all-around TE that was available in this draft... now, the Boys have a fallback position if (God forbid) Jason Witten was to get hurt...