Positives: Is a well-built, thick, muscular player who has large, soft, powerful hands (perhaps the best on the team) that let him snatch the ball when it is thrown away from the frame of his body. Catches over the middle and can run with power after the catch. Does a very nice job of using his big body and butt to keep the defender away from the ball. Has good body control and can adjust to the off-line pass.

Negatives: Has a receiver’s mentality when it comes to blocking and is generally content to do the minimum. Gets in the way but rarely knocks anyone off the line or works to finish. Lacks playing speed as a receiver and may have a hard time getting separation. Is not sudden or a real quick-twitch-type athlete. Does not play the game with a sense of urgency until he gets the ball. Looks lackadaisical.

Summary: A bigger pass-catching tight end who has the size to become a good blocker, but he thinks of himself as a receiver first. Needs to play with a greater sense of urgency and to realize blocking is a big part of his job.

Positives:Very good athlete. Smooth and fluid and runs well. Natural receiver who catches the ball like an extra wide receiver. Does a nice job of adjusting to the poorly thrown pass and can extend and catch away from the frame of his body. Has long arms and big hands and does not drop many. Can make the tough catches and will catch in heavy traffic. Does a nice job of positioning body and shielding defensive back away from the ball. Runs hard after the catch and breaks tackles. Improving blocker who gets into his blocks quickly, works his feet and works to sustain his blocks. Was the best all-around tight-end in college football. Improved dramatically every year in college.

Negatives: Lacks great size. Is not going to be an overpowering in-line blocker you can match up with a defensive end. Is not a real deep threat. Lacks an explosive burst of speed and does not play to timed (4.6) speed.

Summary: A top-flight tight end who should be an early draft pick and instant contributor.

Positives: Above-average size and excellent speed for position. Fluid. Good athlete. Natural receiver. Catches the ball very well. Can snatch and pluck the ball and adjust to the poorly thrown pass. Will reach for and catch passes outside the frame of his body. Jumps well and times his jumps well. Improving blocker and player. Made great strides the past two years.

Negatives: Position and wall-off blocker who can get in the way, but he is not going to dominate or block a defensive end. More of an H-back type than a true tight end. Does not stand out running after the catch.

Summary: A really good pass-catching tight end who will probably have to be an H-back. Has really improved.

Positives: Good size. Big frame, long arms and big hands. Willing blocker. Gets good position and knows how to work his body to get good fits. Has soft hands and catches the ball nicely. Can be tough to tackle after the catch. Determined and competive. Very good intangibles.

Negatives: Lacks deep speed. Is not a really powerful, explosive blocker. Does not have good hip roll and explosion. Will struggle to adjust back for some balls thrown behind him.

Summary: A solid but not super player who should be a pleasure to coach.

Positives: Very good athlete who catches the ball nicely. Has soft, natural hands and a feel for the passing game. Is athletic and can adjust to the poorly thrown pass. At times, can be an effective, but not overpowering, blocker when he gets into blocks quickly, keeps his feet moving and generally stays on his feet.

Negatives: Is not that big, strong or fast and does not like to block. Will lose his concentration and drop some passes. Lacks great run-after-the-catch ability. Did not break a long one last year.

Summary: Pass-catching tight end/H-back who can make a team and contribute.

Positives: Has gotten bigger, stronger and a lot faster. Is quick off the ball. Catches the ball well. Can reach for and then pluck the ball. Will catch in a crowd and take the ball away from the defender. Uses size well to shield the defender off the ball. Reads coverages well. Is on the same page with his quarterback. Disciplined and dependable. Understands the position. Can get into his blocks very quickly. Is a good position blocker who really tries to stay on his block and generally stays between the defender and the man with the ball. Was a fine high school linebacker who could tackle and could help on special teams.

Negatives: Does not have much sell and con in his routes. Position blocker who is not overpowering. Is not an explosive athlete.

Summary: Should be able to play for a team that uses a West Coast offense and probably will be a starter if he continues to improve.

Positives: Excellent size-speed ratio. Good-plus athlete. Catches the ball well and looks like a natural catcher. Can extend for the ball and snatch it with his hands. Has held for placements. Improving blocker. Gets into blocks quickly and can work his feet. Versatile. Can play H-back or tight end, fill in as a big wide receiver or fullback and throw the ball.

Negatives: Has not started or played that much. Has had some injury problems. Is more of a position and finesse type of blocker than a power blocker. Could be more physical at times.

Summary: Will have a bright future if he can continue to improve and avoid injury. May be a first-day pick if he works out well.

Positives: Has nice size and uses his size well to shield defenders away from the ball. Outstanding all-around athlete. Natural receiver who runs very good routes and catches the ball like a wide receiver. Has soft, natural hands and wants the ball in the clutch. Can adjust to the poorly thrown pass and make the acrobatic and athletic catches. Is very quick into and out of his breaks for a tight end and runs routes like a wide receiver. Tries as a blocker.

Negatives: Has a thin lower body and is cut high. Lacks the big butt and legs scouts look for in a blocker. Lacks pop and power as a blocker. Does not get very good fits in the running game.

Summary: Excellent pass-catching tight end who also could play H-back but will never be a top blocking tight end. Best-suited for a West Coast offense and could be a Pro Bowl regular if used in the right system.

Positives: A great, big target with his size and wingspan. Does a nice job of using his size to shield the defender away from the ball. Seems to catch the ball with ease for a big man and can extend and snatch it. A strong runner after the catch. Is not a power blocker but can stick to his man and be hard to shed when he wants to block.

Negatives: Has had a lot of off-the-field problems. In June 1998, had two counts of assault dropped to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault, but then had to spend three weeks in jail later in ’98 after testing positive for marijuana under terms of his his fourth-degree assault case. In 2000, he was accused of sexual assault, but the charges were never filed due to insufficient evidence. In ’01, Stevens pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of hit-and-run property damage and was sentenced to probation and community service after he drove his truck into the Merrill Gardens retirement home. Nobody was injured, but Stevens crashed the truck into a room where a 92-year-old woman was sleeping. Immature and has a hard time staying out of trouble off the field. Likes the glamour part of the game and does not like doing the dirty work. Will let up when blocking at times and gets lazy about his routes when he does not think he will get the ball. Lacks lower-body strength and drive-blocking ability and has not worked as hard on his blocking as he should. Does not bend his knees and is too upright when blocking. Lacks quickness and suddenness as a receiver. Does not get much separation as a receiver.

Summary: King-sized tight end who can catch a lot of passes in the right type of offense. However, he needs to get his act together, grow up and learn that doing the dirty work on the field and staying out of trouble off the field are parts of the job.

Notes: Younger brother of the Rams’ standout DRE Grant Wistrom and has the same great work ethic, intangibles and intensity. Played football, basketball and baseball in high school and showed good hand-eye coordination in all three sports. Did not even weigh 200 pounds when he enrolled in 1997, but he has worked tirelessly to gain weight. Goal is to get to 250, and he may do it, but he does not have a very big or broad frame for a tight end. Was too small and redshirted in ’97. Played in every game and started once in ’98, when he caught two passes for 84 yards and one touchdown. Played in the first 11 games (three starts) in ’99 and then missed the Big 12 championship game and the team’s bowl game with a partial tear of the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee, which was suffered in practice. Finished the season catching 16-429-2 (26.8-yard average) and with All-Big 12 honors. Caught 19-314-5 (16.5-yard average) in 2000 and won All-Conference honors for the second year in a row. Missed one game and was slowed for the second half of the ’01 season with a knee injury. Still caught a career-best 21-323-2. Was a second-team All-Big 12 pick and an Academic All-American who received an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship award.

Positives: Great intangibles and work ethic. Very similar to his brother in that regard. Tall, fairly athletic tight end with good hands and hand-eye coordination. Can snatch the ball with his hands and adjust to the off-line throw. Pretty effective position blocker because he gets into his blocks and keeps his feet moving. Has sneaky playing speed and averaged just under 20 yards per catch in his college career.

Negatives: Lack of bulk strength is a big problem when it comes to driving bigger people off the line, and it can be somewhat of a problem when a big linebacker plays over him and tries to keep him from going out on his pass routes. Will never have the type of blocking base and lower strength you are looking for in a true, in-line, blocking tight end because of his body build. Does not look that fast, elusive, fluid or shifty as a runner after the catch. Ran a very disappointing 40-yard-dash time at the Combine.

Summary: A great achiever who will maximize his talent and never make the same mistake twice. Supercompetitive and driven to play up to and beyond his potential. Should also contribute on special teams. In many ways, he will remind you of former Penn State TE Mickey Shuler, who played 14 years (1978 to ’91) with the Jets and Eagles. Shuler, taken by the Jets in ’78, started for most of his career, despite not having great size or ability. However, Shuler did have much better functional football strength.