Gavin

Escobar

Escobar was “one of two rock climbers found dead on Wednesday near Idyllwild, Calif., according to the Riverside (Calif.) County Coroner.” The five-year NFL veteran had just become a firefighter with the Long Beach, California Fire Department earlier this year. An absolute tragedy. Our thoughts are with Escobar’s family.

“As practice has gone on, I feel like I’ve got a chance to get on the field quite a bit,” Hanna said. The Cowboys are expected to use more two-tight end sets this season, but Escobar should be the primary beneficiary opposite Jason Witten provided he doesn’t flop in camp.

A long, deliberate-moving, upright tight end prospect out of San Diego State, No. 47 overall pick Escobar will compete with James Hanna in training camp to be Jason Witten’s top backup. Hanna has the early edge because he’s a more quick-twitch athlete and better blocker. Escobar won’t have 2013 fantasy value, and we’re not especially enamored by his long-term outlook, either.

“He’s a guy that some coaches and scouts are comparing to a Tony Gonzalez type,” said Mayock. “That kind of skill set.” Escobar weighed in at 6-foot-6, 254 pounds at the Combine, and has lengthy, 33 5/8-inch arms. He played a ton of slot and wide receiver at SDSU and is a sleeper to be a top-40 draft selection.

His “official” forty was later revealed at 4.84. The times are disappointing, but NFL Network’s Mike Mayock noted that Escobar plays faster on tape. Mayock alluded to a catch Escobar made down the seam versus TCU that looked “like Gronkowski.” Along with Rice’s Vance McDonald, Escobar is in the mix as the No. 3 tight end prospect behind Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz.

A towering 6-foot-6, 254 pounds, Escobar has drawn loose comparisons to Rob Gronkowski and Tony Gonzalez, but ran an underwhelming 4.84 40-yard dash at the Combine. He caught 122 passes in three years in the Mountain West. Whether it’s Escobar or someone else, the Dolphins figure to draft another tight end after whiffing badly on Michael Egnew last year.

Jones said the Cowboys tried multiple tight end sets with Martellus Bennett, but they “just couldn’t get it done” with him. “We had packages we worked on for weeks out here just to get packages in, and he didn’t show. That sounds negative toward him, but he didn’t show,” said Jones.

Escobar (6-foot-5 7/8, 254) was a highly productive receiver in SDSU’s pro-style attack, catching 93 balls for 1,323 yards (14.2 YPR) and 13 TDs over his final two seasons. He checked in with 33 5/8-inch arms at the Combine and ran 4.84 with a 32-inch vertical. Escobar can’t block a lick and is strength-deficient (12 reps of 225), but consistently secures passes with soft hands away from his body and projects a catch-first NFL tight end with fluid movement skills. He’s going to create mismatches.

Obviously, Gavin Escobar wasn’t selected 47th overall to immediately replace the 31-year-old Witten. The San Diego State product is expected to help the Cowboys follow the league-wide trend of creating mismatches in the passing game through their tight ends. “I think that’s a big part of where we’re seeing our football team go,” Witten said. “I think, more than anything else, I looked at it and said it’s showing there’s a commitment to this package and growing that.”

It was Escobar’s first career touchdown. The second-rounder saw two targets on the days and now has just three catches for 40 yards and the score after three games. He’s not on the re-draft radar, and we’re not in love with his dynasty prospects.