Tagging along with yesterday’s “Scout’s Notes” that discussed the future of the tight end position, the next question will be…How do defense’s defend those tight ends? Teams will likely begin to ask and hopefully answer that question sooner rather than later, likely starting in this draft.
But how can it be done? It’s going to have to be a combination of scheming, pre-snap positioning, and having the right type of athletes.
Well, to defend the new tight end position, a player needs the length to combat and not be out-matched vertically, the fluidity to adjust in coverage and stay tight as the tight end cuts, and the coverage technique to be able to get deep and feel comfortable both in the seam and in the redzone.
That’s much easier said than done, however. Generally, cornerbacks are too small to not be consistently outpositioned for the ball. Generally, linebackers can’t flip their hips well enough to turn and run in good position with these type of tight ends. And generally, safeties struggle to play close to a receiver/tight end and match-up man to man.
That’s why athletes that have these skills are both rare and should be in high demand. A few prospects in this draft fit that mold. At cornerback, only junior Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama has the length (around 6’3) and strength (strong in press coverage, around 200 pounds) to contain a tight end if he splits out wide. At safety, Winston Guy of Kentucky and Duke Ihenacho of San Jose State have the strength to be physical inside in the same as well as in the box as short area flat and hitch protectors. Also, two juniors that will be returning to college, Kenny Tate of Maryland and Ray Ray Armstrong of Miami, may both be the two ideal tight end stoppers in this draft or the next.
And at linebacker, Zach Brown of North Carolina, Tank Carder of TCU, and Audie Cole of NC State have the ability to potentially protect the inside and sink into coverage against tight ends. Zach Brown and Tank Carder are two of the more well-built, great coverage linebackers in the past few drafts, while Audie Cole at around 6’4 has the length to cloud the seam and stay in the mix if he matches up man to man.
The conclusion? It’s going to take a defensive coordinators more creative to protect the middle of the field from the tight end as well as a mix of the utilization of a safety who has the physicality/a linebacker who has the fluidity/the cornerback to match-up when a tight end splits out. It won’t be easy, but NFL teams NEED to improve their match-up ability before tight ends such as Antonio Gates, Jermichael Finley, Jimmy Graham, Jermaine Graham, and Rob Gronkowski aren’t just the norm, but are in multiples for each team.
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