Flex End ~ Maxx Williams ~ Minnesota Golden Gophers ~ 6040/250
The Prototype would be about 6050/260 or so.
The "Tight Ends" whose Frames are better suited to be deployed in running Routes from all over the Formation, and who aren't especially renowned for their Blocking ~ though many are adept Chippers ~ I refer to as Flex Ends.
The Prototype would be about 6030/245 or so.
Those of either type who present legitimate Dual Threats ~ who can make a genuine Impact either as a Blocker or as a Receiver ~ are impossible to predict from Snap to Snap, and this renders them extraordinarily dangerous.
Conceivably even more dangerous and dynamic than either of these two types is one of my pet Positions: The WingBacks. I employ this ancient FootBall Term, one still in active use in many High Schools and Colleges, to refer to a Role so ethereal as to be almost imaginary: an Hybrid FullBack & Flex End ~ a Super Hybrid, if you will.
The Prototyped would be about 6000/250 or so.
The WingBack, optimally, would be a guy capable of Lead Blocking in the Run Game, Pass Blocking in the Passing Game, or splitting out and running Pass Patterns from SlotBack, Slot End, Split End, or Flanker. He could line up at any of those spots, or on either Wing, on the Line, or in the BackField. He could even go In Motion or run the Ball!!
Such a versatile, dynamic Player could have an explosive Impact on the Competitive LandScape.
The Game has reached a point in its Tactical History that is perfect for such a Player.
It awaits only for the NFL to realize the Opportunity.
***
Because Flex Ends operate as an Hybrid's Hybrid ~ part Tight End and part WideOut, with Blocking ~ the occasional Chip ~ being but a tertiary part of their Game ~ I break down their Attributes pretty much like I would those of a WideOut:
Separation: Getting Open. This encompasses Combat Skills & Fluidity to beat Press, Acceleration out'f the Blocks, Fluidity and Ricochet in navigating Traffic, Route Running Precision, the capacity to deceive Defenders, and Field Vision for Timing Seems and Open Zones. All other Aspects of a WideOut's Job Description are dwarfed by this one.
Catch Point Capacity: In Transit or Contested: Hands, WingSpan, Vertical Agility, Combat Skills, and Timing.
Navigation: How well he Navigates the Field after the Catch: Power, Agility, Acceleration, Long Speed, and Field Vision.
Broken down into SubCategories, it'd go something like this:
Separation
* Combat Skills
* Fluidity
* Acceleration
* Ricochet
* Routing
* Deception
* Field Vision
Catch Point Capacity
Catch Point Capacity
* Timing
* Combat Skills
* Vertical Agility
* Hands
* WingSpan
Navigation
* Power
* Fluidity
* Ricochet
* Acceleration
* Long Speed
* Field Vision
Catch Point Capacity: Phenomenal. Yeah, here's where he makes'is Money. Williams displays mediocre Combat Skills at The Point of Attack, but his WingSpan, his Focus, his Timing, his Hands, and his Vertical Agility are sensational.
Navigation: Competitive. If you haven't seen the Double Hurdle against Missouri, I highly recommend it. On the whole, though, I perceive only Competitive levels of Field Vision and Power, and mediocre Fluidity and Ricochet..
That's the only thing I have to say in'is Favor, mind you.
But Domination ~ yes: Domination ~ at The Point of Attack moves Chains and wins Championships.
I'm not crazy about the guy ~ my God, his Blocking sucks ~ but he projects, in my eyes, to become a virtually immediate Weapon in Chain Moving Matters, and if he learns how to Block, he could become integral to an Offense.
There's some UpSide, there.
Even so, I believe that this Year's dearth of Flex End Talent has driven'is Stock up far beyond its Intrinsic Value.
...And that spectacular Hurdle in the Citrus Bowl might've had something to do with it, as well.
Grateful Thanks, as always, for the crucial Work done by the folks at Draft BreakDown!!
1st/2nd Round Market Value | Yankee Grade 3rd/4th Round |
None of this is even remotely a Complaint, mind you, but rather a Warning!! Caveat Emptor!!