Ian Allan
I have interest in Alge Crumpler, who’s signed with the Titans. He’s one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the league, and he should see a lot more passes in Tennessee’s offense than he saw in Atlanta last year. The Falcons changed their offense and definitely underused him last year.
Crumpler was a Pro Bowler in each of the four previous seasons. In three seasons prior to last year, he averaged 53 receiving yards per game, with 19 TDs in 46 games.
The Titans are bringing back Mike Heimerdinger as their offensive coordinator, and he made nice use of Frank Wycheck in his early years with Tennessee.
My No. 1 concern with Crumpler is his age. He’s 30, and he’s had a lot of knee issues in recent years. The tight end position isn’t like wide receiver; guys are getting physically pounded on every play, and they don’t tend to play at a high level until their 34, 35 like at the wide receiver position.
It got me wondering: which wears out first, a tight end or a running back? Where do we set that expiration date?
After looking at it further, I think tight ends last slightly longer than running backs. Consider the following numbers:
In the last 15 years, 62 tight ends have had at least 700 receiving yards in a season, and 11 of those guys were at least 30 years old. More than a sixth, which isn’t bad.
Compare that to running backs. I took the top 62 guys of the last 15 years – players who’ve run for over 1,400 yards. Of that group, only four were 30-plus years old. That may not be a complete, entirely scientific study, but I believe tight ends last a little longer than running backs.
Now different guys age differently. Crumpler is 30, but he may be what I call a “quick ager”. He’s got the history of knee problems. But my hunch is that he’s going to be a pretty good player. I’m projecting him to start 15 games – fewer than most of the top tight end prospects – and I expect him to wind up about No. 8 at that position on my board.
—Ian Allan
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