NFL Draft Sleeper Comparison: Tight End
By Chase Petersen
We are back with the sleepers, folks. This time it’s about our favorite oversized wide receivers and undersized offensive linemen. Virginia TE Jelani Woods, and SMU TE Grant Calcaterra will be the players getting covered today. So here are the pros, cons, and breakdowns of these players:
Jelani Woods, Virginia
Pros:
- Absolutely Huge
- Can win as an in-line blocker
- Reliable Hands
- Too strong for CBs/S at the catch point
- Good enough long speed
- Manages to lower his pads to TRUCKSTICK defenders
Cons:
- Super high cut, affects his ability to get low on blocks and sink in and out of routes
- Only one year of production
- Not elusive after the catch
- Stiff and slow off the ball from in-line
To start with Jelani Woods’ pros, the first one is obvious. He walks around at the size of a large NBA power forward. 6’7” 265 pounds. This size gives him an advantage over every single secondary player in the entire NFL. His size gives him a chance to be an elite redzone target fot a long time
Next, his size plays into this pro as well. Woods gives all out effort when asked to block. Being that he is so high cut, he can struggle to sink his hips to drive defenders back, but that definitely doesn’t stop him from trying. If he can improve his technique, mixed with his size, he could become a great blocker on the next level.
After those the next thing that sticks out is his strength at the catchpoint, and his probably massive and soft hands. Secondary players cannot compete with Woods when the ball is in the air. He continually overpowered guys when the ball would arrive to make a tough catch. As for his hands, there’s no complaints. His ball skills, especially for a former QB, are great.
As for the last pros, Woods is VERY powerful after the catch. He scored a TD against Virginia Tech where 2 defenders at the goal line literally refused to hit him. Woods has that type of stature and power after the catch that is intimidating to small secondary players. Pittsburgh’s Brandon Hill can tell you all about it. If you want to take Woods down one-on-one, you better get him before he gets a head of steam.
As for his cons, he only had one year of great production. After spending 3 years at Oklahoma State, he transferred to Virginia for his senior year. He had more catches, yards, and TDs at UV than he did in 3 years at OSU. He was recruited as a pro-style QB out of high school, so not being productive right away at TE makes sense. However, his breakout came at a perfect time, and that’s why we can talk about him right now.
Him being just so massive does lead to a couple of poor traits. First, he does struggle a bit to sink his hips and explode out of cuts when running routes. It appears on his release from an in-line alignment. This stiffness also shows after the catch. He wins after the catch with strength, not elusivity. He isn’t going to juke guys, rather just go right through them.
My Grade: 3rd-5th Round
Current Draft Stock: 5th-7th Round
Grant Calcaterra, SMU
Pros:
- Smooth route runner
- Great hands
- NFL average TE speed
- Great ball skills
Cons:
- Has already retired once (concussions)
- Rarely in-line
- Short
- Play strength
When Grant Calcaterra started his career at OU, he looked like the next in line to be a top TE draft prospect. At least I thought so after he murdered my Texas Longhorns in 2018. However, things didn’t play out that way, and that’s why he’s a sleeper for me.
Calcaterra is a phenomenal route runner. Being that he is shorter he is able to sink and make impressive breaks in and out of cuts to get himself open. He ran a variety of routes throughout his long career too, so there shouldn’t be much of a learning curve in that aspect.
Combine his ability to get open, with his amazing ball skills, and it’s easy to see why I am high on him. Calcaterra showed a fantastic ability to get up and snatch the ball out of the air with ease. He is a WR in this aspect, he just attacks the ball so beautifully.
As for his speed, it’s good, not great. He is fast enough to where you have to respect him running up the seam, but isn’t fast enough to where he will completely torch you over the top. It’s more of his savviness and football IQ that he wins with, more so than his athleticism.
On to the cons, there is one MAJOR red flag that could realistically keep Calcaterra off of some team’s board completely. He has once already retired from football due to head injuries, so of course that is an insane risk to take. However, after taking a whole year off of football, he was able to come back and have his most productive season yet.
Next, after playing in two offenses that spread it out and sling it, Calcaterra was rarely used in-line. He was too good of a pass catcher to keep him in to pass protect. He was mainly used in the slot. Blocking will be his biggest on-field question mark.
Lastly, Calcaterra is on the shorter side of TE’s. Listed at a tick under 6’4” it will be tougher for him to dominate opponents in the secondary. Luckily, that wasn’t how he won at the college level, or this would be an even bigger knock.
My Grade: 5th-6th Round (I want to put him higher, but the head injuries scare me. The kid can flat out play)
Current Draft Stock: 5th-6th Round
The Verdict
To round it out, who is the best sleeper TE this year? I believe Grant Calcaterra is the better player between the two, and if he is able to avoid concussions could be a starting TE in the league. Although, the head injury retirement happened, and that’s about the largest red flag possible. For that, I want Jelani Woods. His size, mixed with ball skills, plus not having a history of head injuries gives him the edge.
2022 Best Sleeper TE: Jelani Woods, Virginia
CHASE PETERSEN
NFL DRaft ANALYST
From just outside Kansas City Missouri, Chase has been obsessed with the NFL Draft for as long as he can remember. An avid Minnesota Vikings and Texas Longhorns fan, connect with Chase on Twitter @SportsTalkCenter