Tight Ends
1- Matt Spaeth, Senior, Minnesota
2- Scott Chandler, Senior, Iowa
3- Tyler Ecker, Senior, Michigan
4- Dustin Keller, Junior, Purdue
5- Marcel Frost, Junior, Ohio State
6- Rory Nicol, Sophomore, Ohio State
7- Kellen Davis, Junior, Michigan State
8- Patrick Hall, Senior, Penn State
9- Tony Moeaki, Sophomore, Iowa
10-Erryn Cobb, Senior, Northwestern
Also Watch For
Mike Massey, Michigan
Sean Lewis, Wisconsin
Andy Crooks, Wisconsin
Jordan Lyons, Penn State
Dwayne Holmes, Michigan State
This was a tough call at the top, but I’ll go with Minnesota’s
Matt Spaeth at number one. Iowa’s Scott Chandler’s receiving stats
are impressive (47 rec., 552 yards, 2 TDs) but he is no where near the blocker
Spaeth is. I would go as far as to say the Golden Gopher senior is the finest
blocking tight end in the country. He isn’t a bad receiver either (26
rec, 333 yards, 4 TDs). With the loss of Jared Ellerson and Jakari Wallace,
expect Spaeth to be incorporated more into the passing game. He’s only
a decent athlete, but at 6-6, 270 with a large wingspan and soft hands, he is
a tough match-up for any defender.
Chandler is another really tough match-up. He’s 6-7 and is a better athlete
than Spaeth. If he can improve his inline blocking, he'll jump to the top of
this list.
When you factor in Michigan’s Tyler Ecker at number three, it becomes
really clear how good this crop of tight ends is. Ecker has dedicated himself
more this off season and is ready to take over the tight end job full time.
He is a good athlete with nice size at 6-6, has reliable hands, and has knack
for finding the open areas against the zone. Expect him to be a key target for
Chad Henne this year.
A potential breakout player is Purdue’s Dustin Keller. He’s a tad
undersized, but in the Boilermakers spread system, they don't mind trading that
for his athletic ability. With a nice array of targets at receiver, Keller will
be able to work the middle of the field and be a fine compliment to the passing
game.
Two Buckeyes come in at numbers five and six, and based on pure talent, Marcel
Frost and Rory Nicol would start for most Big Ten teams. Nicol sat out last
year with an injury but many feel he could take the starting job. Meanwhile,
Frost was the only productive tight end for the Buckeyes had last year do to
all the injuries. He moves well for a big man and performed well in the bowl
game against Notre Dame. He is listed as the starter coming out of the spring
but this should be one of the more hotly contested battles during Ohio State's
fall camp.
Michigan States Kellen Davis will take over full time at tight end for the
Spartans this season. He has excellent size and catches the ball very well.
The coaches in East Lansing are pleased with the progress he made in the spring.
Patrick Hall is the favorite to replace Isaac Smolko at tight end for the Nittany
Lions. He isn’t a standout receiver but he doesn’t have to be. Despite
being undersized, he is still a solid blocker.
Iowa’s Tony Moeaki is one of the best young tight ends in the conference
and should contribute this season. The Hawkeyes will incorporate him in some
two tight end sets and continue to develop him into a promising player for the
future.
Northwestern’s Erryn Cobb is a returning starter but doesn’t fit
your conventional tight end mold. At 6’1, 255 he is undersized like a
number of other tight ends on this list, but the Wildcats like to use him in
an up-back role. They motion him around to help block, which is what he does
best.