By Jay Skurski
Gavin Escobar
Position: Tight end
School: San Diego State
Measurements: 6-foot-6, 254 pounds
40 time: 4.84 seconds. Vertical: 32 inches. 3-cone drill:
7.07 seconds
2012 stats: 42 catches, 543 yards, 6 TDs
Draft projection: Second-third round
Lowdown: Made the 2012 All-Mountain West first team and was named a semifinalist for the Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top collegiate tight end. … Led the Aztecs in catches, yards and touchdowns. … Former high school basketball player has excellent hand-eye coordination, body control and leaping ability, which makes him a great jump-ball candidate with his height. … Excellent hands, probably the best of any tight end in this draft class. … Fits the role of today’s tight end in that he’s a threat in the seam. … Leaving school a year early.
40 time at the combine will give teams pause, and a reason to go back and watch Escobar’s game tape again. … Didn’t line up much as a traditional tight end, so his blocking technique is poor, so much so that the Aztecs held him out of a full-time starting role in 2011. … Numbers were better in 2011 than in 2012, but part of that can be traced to the fact Escobar’s quarterback in ’11, Ryan Lindley, left for the NFL.
Considered only a two-star recruit coming out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School in California – where he played receiver -- Escobar had only one scholarship offer, to San Diego State. … Played in high school between 205 and 215 pounds, so he’s added 40 pounds of weight in college. … Working toward a degree in public administration. … CBS Sports’ scouting report compares him to current Bills tight end Scott Chandler.
They said it: “Watching him catch a football is like ballet.” – NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock
The Buffalo News is profiling 50 prospects in 50 days leading up to next month’s NFL Draft.
tagged
2013 draft | Gavin Escobar | Road to the Draft
