Escobar is a former 2nd Rd Pick that had high expectations
Escobar was once a darling of Mike Mayock… but today, not so much
Most expect the Dolphins to draft a Tight End with their 2nd or 3rd RD pick. Tight End is one of the Phins greatest needs going into the 2018 Season. Conventional wisdom would be for them to use one of their top picks to fill the hole.
Mike Gesicki, Penn State, Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State, and Hayden Hurst, South Carolina are near-unanimously considered the top 3 prospects at the position in the 2018 Draft…
…But all this hype doesn’t mean that these players will ever match these expectations when they face the pros.
The Dolphins newly acquired TE Gavin Eosbar is a perfect example of draft predictions and evaluations not equalling the pro career.
Escobar had good numbers in college and all the physical tools
This isn’t to say he hasn’t flashed. He has… although it’s been quite briefly. In 2013 he had 9 catches for 139 yards with a 14.9 avg. and 2 TDs. In 2014 he had 9 catches for 101 yard with 11.7 Avg. and 4 Tds. There’s an excellent film study of Escobar here.
But after 2014 his production plummeted… and pay per head services have now all but been labeled Escobar a bust after 3 teams tried to unlock his talent and failed to do so.
Escobar highlights the obstacles that the Dolphins face in this coming draft.
A 2nd RD pick is extremely valuable, especially to a regime that’s in a sink or swim moment. Miami can’t waste such a valuable pick… and they also can’t enter this season with just the TEs currently on the roster.
But selecting the right player is far more complicated than simply tallying up stats from college and the combine. It’s key to remember that most players don’t ever live up to the expectations of the teams drafting them.
This will put great pressure on the Dolphins to nail their TE pick.
Omar Kelly has rightly pointed out that this pick will be more complicated because the vast majority of TEs in this draft can’t inline-block. Miami needs a three-down TE because they don’t have on on the roster. Escobar, Darby, and Duarte aren’t exceptional blockers. Gray can block fairly well, but he isn’t a threat down the seam.
Miami must ‘Go Fish’ and reel in a winner
This puts them in a bit of a pickle. Not only do they need to find a player that can succeed on the pro level, but they must find a complete TE in a draft full of hybrids. Not an easy task… but it may just be the pick that could make or break the Phins draft.
This should eliminate Mike Gesicki who is a horrendous blocker and move the Phins sights on Hayden Hurst, who did a nice job blocking. Since there’s no guarantee that Hurst will be there at #42, Miami will likely wait for their 2nd pick with fingers crossed… unless they have another, later round, TE in mind. Whatever their plans are, they’d better nail the pick, find one post-draft, or unlock the potential of the players they have. It will definitely be interesting to see how and if they resolve this issue. It could go a long way towards saving this regime… if they do. Go Phins!!!