Buchsbaum's top 10
(as of March 10)

1. Bubba Franks
2. Anthony Becht
3. Erron Kinney
4. Jay Tant
5. James Whalen
6. Dave Stachelski
7. Jason Gavadza
8. John Jones
9. Austin Wheatley
10. Terrence McCaskey

Positives: Excellent size. Very smart. Has improved every year. Has gotten a lot tougher and become a stronger and more physical blocker who is starting to show some signs of dominance in the run game at times. Big target. Catches the ball well. Has developed a good release off the line and is tough to tie up. Shows some run after the catch.

Negatives: Is above average to very good in a lot of areas but is not exceptional in any. Still is not a consistently dominating blocker and has some trouble sustaining and finishing. Hands are soft, but not pillow soft, and he will drop a few. Has stopwatch speed but is not that quick and sudden and doesn’t always play to his timed speed.

Summary: Has a chance to be a solid NFL starter for a number of years. Is probably the second-best all-around tight end in this year’s draft.

Positives: Excellent size. Big target. Can be a physical blocker, receiver and runner after the catch. Good hands and large hands. Makes one-handed, circus-type catches. Very good athletic ability and coordination. Agile for his size. Smooth route runner. Has no trouble catching the ball outside the frame of his body and does a nice job of adjusting to the poorly thrown pass. Powerful player and runner with very good balance. Can get down the field to catch the ball and is tough to jam at the line.

Negatives: Is not superquick or sudden. Lacks quick twitch. Does not have great deep speed. At a workout right after the Combine in early March, ran poorly and did not appear to be in very good shape. Is generally more of a finesse than a physical blocker.

Summary: Is potentially the most complete and best tight end in this draft. May have hurt himself with his early March workout, unless he can come back and run and do much better at a later date.

Positives: Quick, fast and mobile. Above-average to good athlete. Has the speed to get down the field. Generally will catch the ball pretty well.

Negatives: Finesse-type player who lacks playing strength. Does not drive anyone off the ball when he blocks. Has to be an H-back.

Summary: Could catch on as a pass-catching type of H-back for the right team.

Positives: Good size and tremendous speed. Can catch balls outside the frame of his body. Runs well after the catch. Seemed to come on late in ’99.

Negatives: Somewhat shaky background and troubled childhood. Spent time at a special school before college and had some problems at Pittsburgh. Is not a physical or dominating blocker. Drops too many passes due to a lack of concentration.

Summary: Has the athletic ability to become a player if he really dedicates himself and gets his life squared away off the field.

Positives: Great size and size potential. Long arms and large hands. Athletic for size. Has played some college basketball. Catches the ball well and can catch with his hands. Smooth runner. Caught the ball very well in the rain vs. Georgia. Has the size and build to become a much better blocker than he is. Improved a lot in ’99.

Negatives: Gives good effort but is not very tough, mean or naturally aggressive. Does not break down well. Lacks real quick twitch and does not show much explosiveness in his hips or feet. Has some trouble running routes and getting into and out of his breaks.

Summary: Has developed into a prospect but must become a more driven, tenacious and mean player, as well as improve his blocking and work on trying to become a little more explosive.

Positives: Great size. Long arms. Big wingspan. A good athlete who is agile for his size. Moves OK once he gets going. Has potential as both a blocker and receiver.

Negatives: Limited playing time and limited production. Has not been exposed that much to the passing game and started to drop the ball in ’99. Is not a physical blocker for a big man. Lacks quickness and needs time to get rolling.

Summary: Developmental type who could come on.

Positives: Former workout guy who showed signs of becoming a football player in ’99. Showed dramatic improvement on the field and looked like he belonged at the East-West Shrine game, where he caught the ball well. Had team’s best vertical jump and strength-speed index back in ’98. Has vertical-jumped 38 inches and is a 400-pound-plus bench-presser and 600-pound-plus squat guy. Above-average size and has the speed to get down the field. Pass-catching has improved.

Negatives: Still very raw around the edges. Looks a little stiff, mechanical and robotic. Has some trouble catching passes thrown away from his body which he needs to reach up and pluck. Does not play to weight-room strength when blocking or running with the ball after the catch. Will need to show he can beat the jam and get a clean release on the next level.

Summary: Much improved in ’99 but still has a way to go. Started the year well in the East-West Shrine game.

Positives: Fine competitor. Very good all- around athlete with very good hand-eye coordination and body quickness. Catches the ball well. Can extend and reach. Runs good pass routes for a tight end. Adjusts to the ball well. Willing blocker who is tenacious and will stay after people. Extremely quick into his blocks and has initial explosiveness, which helps him compensate for a lack of bulk strength and power. Blocks well down the field. Has enough speed to get deep and stretch the defense in a different type of offense and can run after the catch. Opened some eyes in Senior Bowl practices, where he got a chance to show all he could do.

Negatives: Is not as big as you would like. Underutilized in the passing game in college because he never had a quarterback who could consistently get him the ball. Looks a little bit stiff at times. Lacks brute strength and power as a blocker. Cannot drive a big man off the line to make the strong-side running game go. May be more of an H-back type.

Summary: Could be a better pro than college player if he is in the right offense. Lacks some size and power, but he is athletic, tenacious and can catch the ball.

Positives: Extremely productive pass catcher. Excellent hands and concentration. Has a great feel for reading coverages and finding the soft spot. Quarterback’s safety-valve receiver who makes lots of clutch catches. Is not afraid to catch in traffic over the middle. Turns upfield quickly after the catch and will not go down without a fight. Gives a good effort when blocking and shows tenacity. Top competitor with an exceptional work ethic.

Negatives: Lacks size. May never be big enough to be an effective in-line blocker. Is not that fast or athletic. System he was in makes him look better than he is. Is coming off a broken elbow.

Summary: Could be a productive receiver in the right system, provided his elbow is OK. Tremendous college football player in ’99.

Positives: Looks the part. Very athletic and mobile for a tight end. Can really run and get down the field. Well-built and muscular.

Negatives: Better athlete than player. Is not very instinctive. Lacks functional football power for blocking in-line. Inconsistent catcher.

Summary: Intriguing because he is so athletic and runs so well. Should be looked at as an H-back. Needs to catch 500 passes a day and work on really developing his power for blocking and route-running skills.