If you’re a talent evaluator, novice or professional, and you are following the proceedings in Mobile at the Senior Bowl, then you are watching OJ Howard. Don’t worry, you don’t need to watch long, his talent is evident from the moment he touches the field. What’s not to love? He may be the most ‘can’t miss’ prospect in this draft. He has ‘star’ written all over him.
He’s the new “Juice” with similar Swiss army knife skills as the USC version of OJ just from the tight end position. Seriously, what can’t he do? If you need someone to:
Split wide: OJ
Align in the slot: OJ
Put their hand in the dirt: OJ
Line up on the wing or in the backfield: OJ
Go in motion: OJ
Throw a jump ball to: OJ
Pick up a first down: OJ
Turn a short pass into a big gain: OJ
Haul in a deep pass: OJ
Block like an offensive lineman: OJ
Block like a fullback: OJ
Block in space: OJ!
The 6’6 250lb physical specimen has Kellen Winslow/Martellus Bennett-type potential and with all due respect to this extremely deep tight end class, Howard is on a different level. At worse he’s an A+ blocker with move-the-chain ability. At best he’s an impossible to cover game-changing playmaker.
He’s already been impressive during practice and according to Football Gameplan’s Emory Hunt, he was a consistent winner in one-on-one drills as well as hauling in a couple spectacular over the shoulder catches. Most of the Twittersphere seemed to agree and it’s not really surprising. If Howard would have declared for the draft last season he would have been a first round pick and the first tight end off the board. This year it’s an inevitability.
Many prospects futures will be discussed and debated this week. They will have their skills dissected and evaluated to decide which system would fit them the best. There will be some who have discussions about prospects that would be better served to change positions. To evaluators and scouts everywhere, OJ Howard simply needs to say you are welcome. Because you won’t have to spend any time deciding where he belongs.
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What makes him a target isn’t difficult to discern. At 6’5” 250 lbs, he’s easy to locate on a field and able to shield defenders like a power forward attacking a rebound. There has been two big differences you see in Roberts from last season to this season. The first is his body. He seems more defined and you can tell he spent a lot of time in the weight room getting prepared to carry a much heavier load as a senior. The second is his catching radius. Because he is catching the ball far more this season with his hands instead of letting it get into his body, he has been able to bring in balls that he may have normally not reached. These two changes allowed his athleticism and natural knack for pass-catching flourish and the results are evident.
What seems to be missed when evaluators try to value Banner is his athleticism. He moves in space extremely well. He consistently gets to the second level in run blocking and has the ability to reach block and pull like a guard. He has calm feet in pass blocking, and in space, which speaks to his basketball background. You rarely catch him off balance because his feet are always in good position. He also seems to take pride in punishing his defender. A little nasty seems to be a separator between those linemen who thrive at the next level and those that end up bouncing from team-to-team trying to stick. In the NFL, Banner could see his draft stock increased because he has abilities that make him valuable as a tackle on both sides and as a guard. With the restriction of roster limits, that versatility is paramount.
