Who the hell will they draft 2008: Kentucky TE Jacob Tamme

by BigBlueShoe on Mar 17, 2008 4:31 PM EDT in Who the hell will they draft

"When the night is warm,
Soft and warm,
I long for his charms
I'd sing like a violin
If I were in his arms

Wish I knew if he knew
What I'm dreaming of
Tammy ... Tammy ... Tammy's in love"

That's for all you Debbie Reynolds fans out there (all three of you still living). For my generation, we only know Debbie Reynolds because she sired Princess Leia, who is forever burned into my mind wearing that Jabba the Hutt metal bikini. Say what you want about Jabba (fat slug who was evil and enjoyed feeding strippers to his pet), he did know how to dress da ladies. I also cite the "Tammy" song because this Colts draft profile will focus on Kentucky TE Jacob Tamme. Yep, you guessed it. His last name is pronounced "Tammy." Pretty swift, aren't I?

Tamme has excellent body control, allowing him to snatch passes from the air and land with both feet in.

With Ben Utecht likely departing for the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts have some depth issues at TE. And, while TE is not necessarily a position of need, the loss of Utecht forces the Colts to address the position. Incorporating this new priority into the needs theme, a player like Tamme could add depth to the TE position and provide a very good special teams player; maybe even an ace.

Tamme is an intriguing prospect in that many think his upside could be similar to Dallas Clark's. His main deficiency is blocking. If Tamme could block, he'd be a first round pick. His strengths are impressive:

Has very soft hands and can pluck the ball away from his frame...Superb body control and ball skills...Runs well after the catch...Versatile with a lot of experience lining up in the slot and out wide...Smart...A hard worker..Has special teams value as a holder / long-snapper.

In terms of catching and route running, Tamme is perfect for the Colts system. He worked in a pass happy offense at Kentucky, and was a leader there as their QB Andre Woodson set all kinds of team records. Tamme caught 6 TDs and averaged 11 yards a catch his Senior year; damn impressive for a college TE. Like Dallas Clark, he can lineup outside or in the slot, and his impressive speed (4.58) and quickness could make him a match-up nightmare for LBers, safeties, and nickel corners. He reads coverages very well, and seems to have a high football IQ. The main thing that's surprising about him is his ability to produce the all important YAC!

Field Vision: Does a surprisingly good job after the catch for a player of his size. Is adept at finding a hole in the zone and making himself available to the quarterback.

Again, his weakness is blocking. He just isn't very physical, and his lack of technique will hurt him in this draft.

Isn't even a passable blocker for a tight end. Because of his lack of size, he's going to have to work on technique more than anything to become adequate in the NFL. Gives good effort in space but still lacks in this area.

The lack of blocking and physical play is not a reflection of his toughness though. Tamme plays through pain and is not known as "soft." It seems like he just isn't comfortable blocking because he's done so little of it. He's more like an H-Back, like what Ken Dilger once was for the Colts early in Manning's career. With Tamme, there will be some adjustment to playing more of a TE role, as he struggles a bit out of a three-point stance. Despite these weaknesses, Tamme's pass catching and route running skills make him a very appealing prospect. Also, his ability to long snap and play special teams could provide the Colts with two needs: Depth at TE and on special teams.

Tamme is projected to go in the fourth or fifth round, and with his skills and high character, the Colts could very well snatch him there if he is still on the board.

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Players on the roster..

What about the players we already have on our roster? I think Fletcher might be back for a low tender, and we have Mike Seidman, Gijon Robinson, and I hear rumors that Roy Hall might move to TE. I don't know much about any of them except Fletch. Anyone have any inside track on these guys? It seems like they might see if Seidman is serviceable to replace Utecht, or have Seidman, Robinson, and Hall fight it out for the second starting TE spot.

That having been said, I think Tamme would fit into the offense to spell Clark, but we are obviously looking for a larger guy with better pass-protection and run-blocking skills to replace Utecht. Gijon seems like a guy for that more than anyone. 6'1" 255, 4.7 40. Good in-line blocker. But I am sticking to my pick, Brad Cottam from Tennessee. I can't see them passing on a 6'7" TE that is also a Volunteer, and he ran a 4.63 while being that tall and 271 lbs. That just says mismatch all day long(Adding to his height a 33" vertical too). And he would be a late round value.

by Bullard47 on Mar 17, 2008 8:32 PM EDT 0 recs