After being tested all year, Rams’ TE depth looks strong in 2022

[BonifayRam]

After being tested all year, Rams’ TE depth looks STRONG in 2022​

Cameron DaSilva
Wed, February 23, 2022

After being tested all year, Rams’ TE depth looks strong in 2022

The Rams' depth at tight end was tested all year, but it looks strong heading into 2022 with Kendall Blanton and Brycen Hopkins emerging

sports.yahoo.com

Tyler Higbee missed two games during the regular season, yet he still played 81.1% of the snaps on offense. The Rams used a good amount of two-tight end sets when Johnny Mundt was healthy, but after Mundt tore his ACL, Higbee was relied upon even more heavily than he was early in the year. He played every snap in six of his 18 games, including the postseason, and also had eight other games with at least 90% of the snaps played.

That’s why Higbee missing two games in Weeks 14 and 15 due to COVID-19 was initially seen as such a significant blow to the offense, not only because of his value as a receiver and blocker, but because of the lack of depth behind him without Mundt available.

Higbee’s absence in those two games, as well as the Super Bowl, did show that the Rams might be deeper at tight end than first thought. Kendall Blanton and Brycen Hopkins both showed promise to close out the year, combining for nine catches and 104 yards in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LVI when Higbee was out.

Blanton played a big role in the NFC title game with five catches for 57 yards – and he also scored a touchdown the week prior against the Bucs. Hopkins came out of nowhere in the Super Bowl, catching four passes for 47 yards, picking up three first downs.

Heading into the offseason, the Rams should feel pretty good about their tight end room. Higbee will be back next season as the starter, but Blanton and Hopkins both showed promise as backups and are more than capable of stepping up as the No. 2 tight end if Mundt leaves in free agency.

Hopkins, in particular, is an X-factor behind Higbee. He’s got plenty of size at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, but there were concerns about his development after essentially being a healthy scratch for two seasons before getting a bigger opportunity in the Super Bowl.

The Rams have been bringing him along as an all-around tight end after he was previously seen as more of a receiving threat, molding him into a player somewhat similar to Higbee. Blanton has improved as a blocker, too, and with his 6-foot-6 frame, he brings value as a threat down the seam and in the red zone.

Bringing back Mundt on an affordable contract should be a priority for the Rams, but if he opts to sign elsewhere, they should feel confident in Blanton and Hopkins behind Higbee.

Hopkins

Dude deserves a thread. Came in and contributed when almost all of us counted him out. CHEERS TO HOPKINS!

ramsondemand.com

 

[RamsOfCastamere]

Blanton and Hopkins need to be more physical blockers. Maybe Blanton was already hurt when I noticed him whiffing on blocks.

 

[BonifayRam]

Blanton and Hopkins need to be more physical blockers. Maybe Blanton was already hurt when I noticed him whiffing on blocks.

Agreed

Rams did sign a primary blocking TE in Kyle Markway who is a very good blocker. The resigning of UFA TE Johnny Mundt will add to the blocking ability of this TE unit.

This offense should have a number of pass-catchers returning to this team that missed the SB or parts of.....in Robert Woods, OBJ, Tyler Higbee, Johnny Mundt, TuTu Atwell, Kendal Blanton & Jacob Harris.

So this 2022 Ram team is NOT depleted of valid NFL caliber receivers however, the blocking of the TE unit is highly questionable at this time. This area needs to be vastly improved by whoever is assigned as our new TE coach.

 

[MachS]

This draft is insane on TE talent. Not a ton of elite guys at the top, but it's been said there will be numerous NFL starters found in rounds 3-5 of this draft. I like our depth currently but would love to see us draft a stronger blocking type TE with upside who can replace Mundt.

 

[den-the-coach]

Have to admit I might let Mundt walk with the talent in the draft this year, but Mundt is still young an excellent blocker and extraordinary on special teams so maybe they keep him. I want to see more of Hopkins understanding his blocking is a work in progress, but he was very good at exploiting the zone and getting open and God knows his hands are better than Skowronek's.

 

[Merlin]

I think Mundt is the type of guy that you can't afford to pay in FA if you use our template. And I wouldn't use the word strong for the group either, just my take there.

Higs is above average and an all rounder. But if you stack our group vs the league it's long on potential.

Blanton got hurt quickly once he started being used. May have something to him but it's risky to rely on him. Hopkins looks good catching the ball but neither him nor Blanton are consistent at all in blocking. Both in fact looked forgettable late in playoffs in run blocking other than Blanton strangely blocking pretty well vs SF.

So it seems to me like a draft pick would be great to add to this group. I'm ok with younguns since we run so much 11 btw, so that's part of it. But also I just don't know if any TE we would sign would offer enough usage to warrant being brought in FA with that higher cost. Teams get after the big guys with hands quickly in FA too. Fucking Green Bay for example. So with say Njoku man you'd better be on that dude quick and pay a little which would probably be more than Higs makes since they got him at a bargain. At least I think Higs is a bargain at $8M given what he does for us.

 

[Memento]

The depth is okay. The high-end talent is not. If Higbee goes down for any length of time, we're simply screwed. Blanton and Hopkins would make a fantastic 3rd string tight end battle, but we need to draft someone with a lot of potential if we can't find one in free agency (and no, I don't see Njoku as an answer because he'll simply cost far too much; he's young, has oodles of potential, etc.)

My choices are Otton or Wydermyer. Both of them aren't available at the moment (they're late second/high third picks, and that's not counting the Combine where both of them will be there), but they're weapons that I would trade for. Why? Because I don't see Higbee on this team after the 2022-2023 season. He'll be thirty years old with a lengthy injury history.

Either way, an elite tight end is something we'll absolutely need.

 

[BuffaloRam]

The depth is okay. The high-end talent is not. If Higbee goes down for any length of time, we're simply screwed. Blanton and Hopkins would make a fantastic 3rd string tight end battle, but we need to draft someone with a lot of potential if we can't find one in free agency (and no, I don't see Njoku as an answer because he'll simply cost far too much; he's young, has oodles of potential, etc.)

My choices are Otton or Wydermyer. Both of them aren't available at the moment (they're late second/high third picks, and that's not counting the Combine where both of them will be there), but they're weapons that I would trade for. Why? Because I don't see Higbee on this team after the 2022-2023 season. He'll be thirty years old with a lengthy injury history.

Either way, an elite tight end is something we'll absolutely need.

Do you see any high upside TEs that could go in the 6th or 7th round (forever known as the Snead zone)?

 

[Riverumbbq]

Another DaSilva fluff piece. Counting on Hopkins or Blanton as 2022's TE2 with the little amount of experience they have, and the Rams looking at another Super Bowl march, this article leaves me wanting. Hopkins & Blanton have had a combined total of 209 career NFL snaps, most of them not delivering much, Higbee had 883 in just 15 games last season. So some say we draft a later round developmental TE, but who is trusted at TE1 if Higbee is injured, or even at #2 for that matter ? While Blanton & Hopkins had a couple of moments during the play-offs, are we really prepared for a Super Bowl caliber team to hand the keys over at such an important position to what are essentially 2 late blooming and perhaps another later round developmental player ?
jmo.

 

[Memento]

Do you see any high upside TEs that could go in the 6th or 7th round (forever known as the Snead zone)?

@jrry32 mentioned a guy from the University of Virginia: Jelani Woods. I like his film, but no way he lasts too long. Greg Dulcich was rated low, and @Riverumbbq likes him, but he's gone in the 5th. Charlie Kolar (Iowa State) and James Mitchell (Virginia Tech) are also interesting receiving prospects.

However, the guy I'd recommend if we're going later rounds (fourth/fifth) is Chigoziem Okonkwo (Maryland). Not the biggest (6'2", 242 lbs.), needs to work on his blocking technique (even though he's quite willing), is quite raw when it comes to alignments, but my holy fate, is he a threat with the ball in his hands, arguably even more so than Otton and Wydermyer. He's what Gerald Everett was supposed to be: a serious YAC threat, vice grips for hands, able to go into the backfield, inline, flex outside or in the slot. He's probably the most violent tight end runner in this class.

 

[BuffaloRam]

@jrry32 mentioned a guy from the University of Virginia: Jelani Woods. I like his film, but no way he lasts too long. Greg Dulcich was rated low, and @Riverumbbq likes him, but he's gone in the 5th. Charlie Kolar (Iowa State) and James Mitchell (Virginia Tech) are also interesting receiving prospects.

However, the guy I'd recommend if we're going later rounds (fourth/fifth) is Chigoziem Okonkwo (Maryland). Not the biggest (6'2", 242 lbs.), needs to work on his blocking technique (even though he's quite willing), is quite raw when it comes to alignments, but my holy fate, is he a threat with the ball in his hands, arguably even more so than Otton and Wydermyer. He's what Gerald Everett was supposed to be: a serious YAC threat, vice grips for hands, able to go into the backfield, inline, flex outside or in the slot. He's probably the most violent tight end runner in this class.

Awesome insights - thanks!

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

This draft is insane on TE talent. Not a ton of elite guys at the top, but it's been said there will be numerous NFL starters found in rounds 3-5 of this draft. I like our depth currently but would love to see us draft a stronger blocking type TE with upside who can replace Mundt.

The entire TE room of the Rams could be upgraded. No offense to Higbee but he’s not a top tier TE. I don’t recall Higs nickname but I think I’d call him ‘crash’. The rest are all replaceable.

I agree that I’d like to see a TE picked in this draft but I’d like an all around TE. Consider that many tight ends are picked in rounds 3-5.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

The depth is okay. The high-end talent is not. If Higbee goes down for any length of time, we're simply screwed. Blanton and Hopkins would make a fantastic 3rd string tight end battle, but we need to draft someone with a lot of potential if we can't find one in free agency (and no, I don't see Njoku as an answer because he'll simply cost far too much; he's young, has oodles of potential, etc.)

My choices are Otton or Wydermyer. Both of them aren't available at the moment (they're late second/high third picks, and that's not counting the Combine where both of them will be there), but they're weapons that I would trade for. Why? Because I don't see Higbee on this team after the 2022-2023 season. He'll be thirty years old with a lengthy injury history.

Either way, an elite tight end is something we'll absolutely need.

What about the guy you mocked to the Rams?

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I think Mundt is the type of guy that you can't afford to pay in FA if you use our template. And I wouldn't use the word strong for the group either, just my take there.

Higs is above average and an all rounder. But if you stack our group vs the league it's long on potential.

Blanton got hurt quickly once he started being used. May have something to him but it's risky to rely on him. Hopkins looks good catching the ball but neither him nor Blanton are consistent at all in blocking. Both in fact looked forgettable late in playoffs in run blocking other than Blanton strangely blocking pretty well vs SF.

So it seems to me like a draft pick would be great to add to this group. I'm ok with younguns since we run so much 11 btw, so that's part of it. But also I just don't know if any TE we would sign would offer enough usage to warrant being brought in FA with that higher cost. Teams get after the big guys with hands quickly in FA too. Fucking Green Bay for example. So with say Njoku man you'd better be on that dude quick and pay a little which would probably be more than Higs makes since they got him at a bargain. At least I think Higs is a bargain at $8M given what he does for us.

I think you said it well in a previous post. Something like - “Lets not kid ourselves, the Rams are not awash in tight end talent”

 

[Riverumbbq]

Do you see any high upside TEs that could go in the 6th or 7th round (forever known as the Snead zone)?

Probably best to wait a week as the Combine will likely show a lot of movement for some of these players.
I had UCLA's Greg Dulcich as a very late round pick prior to the Senior Bowl, then he had a great couple of days that boosted his stock quite a bit, it will be interesting to see whether he can sustain his recent progress at the Combine.

 

[Memento]

What about the guy you mocked to the Rams?

That would be Cade Otton. I still love him, but he may go higher than where we pick. Same with Jalen Wydermyer. Okonkwo is my third option.

 

[dieterbrock]

Another DaSilva fluff piece. Counting on Hopkins or Blanton as 2022's TE2 with the little amount of experience they have, and the Rams looking at another Super Bowl march, this article leaves me wanting. Hopkins & Blanton have had a combined total of 209 career NFL snaps, most of them not delivering much, Higbee had 883 in just 15 games last season. So some say we draft a later round developmental TE, but who is trusted at TE1 if Higbee is injured, or even at #2 for that matter ? While Blanton & Hopkins had a couple of moments during the play-offs, are we really prepared for a Super Bowl caliber team to hand the keys over at such an important position to what are essentially 2 late blooming and perhaps another later round developmental player ?
jmo.

Blanton and Hopkins run blocking make Gerald Everett look like Mike Ditka
Mundt is a glorified JAG and if the Rams want to run the ball, this may be more of a concern than LT

 

[Ram65]

The TE room could use a boost. Higs is very good but, he is taking a bit of a beating with the number of snaps he gets. I don't think Mundt is the answer. The jury is still out on Blanton and Hopkins. I've seen Blanton make some good blocks at the point of attack. He had a rough SB but, was injured. Hopkins has the catch-and-run ability. I'm not why he hasn't gotten more PT. Does he have trouble with the playbook or is a very bad liability with his blocking or both. The lower draft picks the Rams have make it harder to land a solid #2 to go along with Higs. Free-agent options may be the lower-cost players they like. We have to wait and see what they decide.

 

[FarNorth]

... I want to see more of Hopkins understanding his blocking is a work in progress, but he was very good at exploiting the zone and getting open and God knows his hands are better than Skowronek's.

I'm a big fan of WRs and TEs who can actually catch the ball.

Hopkins was open and caught every pass thrown at him in the last drive. Also had 3 third down conversions. Also threw a key block on Kupp's 4th down conversion sweep.

In my book this was a big time showing by Hopkins. If you can do that stuff in the Super Bowl, you can play. And McVay now knows you can play.

Blanton also stepped up. Imo we are going to see both play more but especially a lot more of Hopkins who imo looked really good as a receiver.

 

[Ramon Ram]

Interesting take on Higbees cap number. I think our offense is better with him in it but at that number?

Higbee's 2022 cap number: $8,050,000

Higbee's dead cap number: $2,850,000

Rams' estimated cap space: -$21,623,914



My models love later-round tight ends in this draft class. Not to say any of them should be expected to immediately replicate Higbee's production, but again, we're not just thinking of the one-for-one tradeoff here. This is about the big picture, how everything affects the broader roster and spending. Higbee carries the eighth-highest cap hit at the tight end position, while the Rams currently have the fourth-worst cap situation, at more than $21 million in the red. According to Next Gen Stats, Higbee just posted a career-low 5.3 air yards per target in 2021, down from 7.5 in 2016-2020.