Coby

Fleener

In a league where every team is searching for the next Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski, Fleener is the first tight end off the board after a surprising zero were taken on day one. It’s a dream landing spot, as he’ll be reunited with college teammate Andrew Luck, with whom he hooked up for 62 catches, 1,107 yards and 17 touchdowns the past two seasons. A pure pass catcher, Fleener may never develop into an asset as a blocker, but has the potential to emerge as one of the league’s top receiving tight ends in relatively short order. There’s a new Peyton Manning/Dallas Clark connection in Indy.

Fleener (ankle) only bench pressed at the Combine, but he’s 6-foot-6, 247 and is expected to run in the 4.5s or low 4.6s at Stanford’s March 22 Pro Day. “He’s like Graham and those guys,” the scouting director said. “He’s going to be the hot item. Smart kid, passes all the interview stuff. Excellent hands.”

“Ability wise, he’s a second-rounder,” says Mayock, who expects Fleener to be an impact NFL pass catcher. It’s in other areas that Fleener struggles, however. “This kid is not a trained killer,” said Mayock. “He’s not a great blocker.” We do expect Fleener to be a late first-round pick because so many teams are looking for Jimmy Graham and Aaron Hernandez types at tight end.

Fleener has been popularly mocked to the Super Bowl champions, but the Star-Ledger is in agreement with SI’s Peter King, who “doesn’t see” Fleener landing in New York. Although Fleener’s stock has taken some hits of late, he won’t last long on day two if he slides past the G-Men.

The time is unofficial and every team will go by their own stopwatches, but for a 6'6/247 pound tight end that is outstanding. Fleener is still recovering from a high-ankle sprain suffered in Stanford’s Fiesta Bowl but posted a 37" vertical jump. With the tight end position generating plenty of mismatches in the NFL, Fleener is locked in as a first-round selection. He is an excellent receiver but will need to work on his blocking inline.

“It is a matchup nightmare,” Pagano said. “I just think you see [it] more and more with the fullback position kind of dying out in college football, everybody is in the spread.” Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, the next two players drafted after Andrew Luck, will both see plenty of action as rookies after the Colts ran the fourth-fewest two-tight end sets in 2011. Fleener will be the one to target as an upside TE2 in fantasy drafts.

It sounds like Fleener is targeting Stanford’s March 23 Pro Day instead. CBS Sports’ Rob Rang reports that Fleener suffered the injury during the Fiesta Bowl in January. Fleener has reportedly recovered “sufficiently” to train ahead of the draft, but has not fully prepared for Combine workouts. He will still travel to Indianapolis to go through interviews and medical testing.

Fleener sat out all athletic testing and drills due to a high ankle sprain, but will complete his workout at Stanford’s March 22 Pro Day. Fleener has 33 3/8-inch arms, which are long for a tight end and make his effort on the bench that much more impressive. It’s likely a two-horse race to be the first tight end drafted, between Fleener and Georgia’s Orson Charles.

“He wasn’t even the best tight end on their team,” the scout said. “No. 11 (sophomore Levine Toilolo), that’s the real deal. (Fleener) might be the most overrated guy in the draft. He’s awful as a blocker. Despite his workout numbers he’s really not a quick-twitch, dynamic-moving guy. He’s a straight-line, build-up player.” The scout may be being overly critical of Fleener, but his first-round buzz seems to have died down in recent weeks.

However, “despite (their) affection” for Andrew Luck’s college teammate, King ultimately sees the Colts going a different direction on day two. King’s report is most noteworthy for the fact that it suggests there’s a real chance the draft’s top tight end slides out of the first round. An anonymous NFL scout recently told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that Fleener “might be the most overrated guy in the draft.” If Fleener doesn’t go in the first, no tight end will.