Tampa Bay Buccaneers select O.J. Howard
With the 19th-overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected O.J. Howard out of the University of Alabama.
Howard is one of the best tight end prospects to come out in a long time. While his blocking is average — and the only point that could be remotely considered a weak spot of his game — Howard is going to be dynamite in the passing scheme. At 6-foot-6 and 251 pounds, Howard has the size of a tight end buts runs like a wide receiver, providing a devastating mismatch in the secondary.
Look for Howard to be involved right away, running a ton of routes both down the seam and to the corner. He should be able to beat any linebackers who trails in coverage and has the size to dominate a safety on anything in the air.
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 251
40-time: 4.51
Bench: 22 reps
Vertical: 30”
Broad: 121”
3-cone: 6.85
Howard was a perplexing case study at Alabama if you simply look at the stats. He only went over 600 yards once and had seen touchdowns in four years with the Crimson Tide. However, the film shows a player who saw his stats kept down by a run-first offense and a lack of quarterback play.
This is clearly a case of drafting what a player could and should be, rather than what he showed at the college level. Once he is involved to the level his talent warrants, Howard has the talent to be a Jordan Reed type of impact player.
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With the weapons already on the Buccaneers, this is simply icing on the cake. Teams are going to be having nightmares trying to figure out how to stop Howard, DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans.