Factoid
Tight end Heath Miller doesn't catch a lot of passes (at least he hasn't so far), but he is a big part of Pittsburgh's red zone offense. He's scored 6, 5 and 7 TDs in his first three years in the pros.
That gives Miller 18 TDs in his first three seasons. That's more than any tight end selected in the first round since Kellen Winslow - the original Kellen Winslow - was selected by San Diego back in 1979.
The below chart shows the 32 tight ends selected with first-round picks since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, with total TDs scored in their first three seasons.
TD Player (Year) Team
21 Kellen Winslow (1979) Chargers
18 Heath Miller (2005) Steelers
17 Bubba Franks (2000) Packers
16 Rickey Dudley (1996) Raiders
16 Ozzie Newsome (1978) Browns
15 Tony Gonzalez (1997) Chiefs
15 Eric Green (1990) Steelers
15 Keith Jackson (1988) Eagles
13 Junior Miller (1980) Falcons
12 Daniel Graham (2002) Patriots
12 Anthony Becht (2000) Jets
11 David LaFleur (1997) Cowboys
11 Johnny Mitchell (1992) Jets
11 Reese McCall (1978) Colts
10 Dallas Clark (2003) Colts
10 Jeremy Shockey (2002) Giants
10 Todd Heap (2001) Ravens
9 Mark Bruener (1995) Steelers
9 Tony Hunter (1983) Bills
8 Irv Smith (1993) Saints
8 Willie Scott (1981) Chiefs
7 Vernon Davis (2006) 49ers
7 Ben Watson (2004) Patriots
7 David Lewis (1984) Lions
6 Jerramy Stevens (2002) Seahawks
5 Kyle Brady (1995) Jets
5 Ken MacAfee (1978) 49ers
3 Marcedes Lewis (2006) Jaguars
3 Kellen Winslow (2004) Browns
3 Rod Bernstine (1987) Chargers
2 Greg Olsen (2007) Bears
0 Derek Brown (1992) Giants
-Ian Allan
- Comments [2]
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Posted by Jacob Wilson | Aug. 18 at 08:55 AM
The only thing gayer than 37% of readers wanting Michael Phelps to be "their tight end" is... wait, there's NOTHING gayer!
Posted by IAN ALLAN | Aug. 18 at 09:53 AM
I should have worded the question differently. I'm not sure if a big group of the readers had little interest in Bolt (which was covered by the same option) or if they actually think Phelps has some NFL potential. I actually would have substantial interest in Bolt as an NFL guy --not only is he a lot faster than anyone, but he's 6-foot-5 and has a lot of muscle on him. No way would I let that kind of ability slip to the third round of an NFL draft.