The Ravens traded up to select Maxx Williams at pick 55 last week. Dennis Pitta's NFL future is uncertain after hip surgery, and the team lost Owen Daniels in free agency. The Ravens also have 2014 third-rounder Crockett Gillmore, but he's also unproven. So there's some thought that Williams will start putting up good receiving numbers right away.
But the learning curve is be steep for rookies coming out of college, with plenty of players needing a year or two under their belt before making much of an impact. At skill positions, that appears to be particularly true at the tight end position.
Way back in 2002, Jeremy Shockey went for 894 yards as a rookie with the Giants. Since that time, only one rookie tight end has put up even 600 yards. Think of the best tight ends to come out of college over the past decade, current stars like Antonio Gates, Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham. Neither one reached that yardage total in their rookie seasons.
With that in mind, don't give up on rookie disappointments like Eric Ebron and Jace Amaro. Quiet first seasons don't mean a player can't go on to have a strong career. But you shouldn't expect much from Williams this season.
Rookie performances from tight ends since 2002, sorted by yardage, are presented below. The 2014 rookies are in bold.
ROOKIE TIGHT ENDS, 2002-2014 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Rd | Pck | Player | College | NFL | Rec | Yds | TD |
2002 | 1 | 14 | Jeremy Shockey | Miami | NYG | 74 | 894 | 2 |
2008 | 2 | 38 | John Carlson | Notre Dame | Sea. | 55 | 627 | 5 |
2013 | U | - | Tim Wright | Rutgers | T.B. | 54 | 571 | 5 |
2010 | 4 | 113 | Aaron Hernandez | Florida | N.E. | 45 | 563 | 6 |
2010 | 3 | 93 | Tony Moeaki | Iowa | K.C. | 47 | 556 | 3 |
2010 | 2 | 42 | Rob Gronkowski | Arizona | N.E. | 42 | 546 | 10 |
2008 | 1 | 30 | Dustin Keller | Purdue | NYJ | 48 | 535 | 3 |
2012 | 3 | 64 | Dwayne Allen | Clemson | Ind. | 45 | 521 | 3 |
2013 | 3 | 85 | Jordan Reed | Florida | Wash. | 45 | 499 | 3 |
2002 | 4 | 114 | Randy McMichael | Georgia | Mia. | 39 | 485 | 4 |
2010 | 1 | 21 | Jermaine Gresham | Oklahoma | Cin. | 52 | 471 | 4 |
2013 | 2 | 35 | Zach Ertz | Stanford | Phil. | 36 | 469 | 4 |
2005 | 1 | 30 | Heath Miller | Virginia | Pitt. | 39 | 459 | 6 |
2013 | 1 | 21 | Tyler Eifert | Notre Dame | Cin. | 39 | 445 | 2 |
2007 | 2 | 38 | Zach Miller | Arizona State | Oak. | 44 | 444 | 3 |
2002 | 2 | 55 | Doug Jolley | Brigham Young | Oak. | 32 | 409 | 2 |
2013 | 6 | 184 | Mychal Rivera | Tennessee | Oak. | 38 | 407 | 4 |
2007 | 1 | 31 | Greg Olsen | Miami | Chi. | 39 | 391 | 2 |
2003 | U | - | Antonio Gates | Kent State | S.D. | 24 | 389 | 2 |
2005 | 3 | 71 | Alex Smith | Stanford | T.B. | 41 | 367 | 2 |
2010 | 3 | 95 | Jimmy Graham | Miami | N.O. | 31 | 356 | 5 |
2011 | 2 | 47 | Lance Kendricks | Wisconsin | St.L. | 28 | 352 | 0 |
2006 | 4 | 98 | Owen Daniels | Wisconsin | Hou. | 34 | 352 | 5 |
2003 | 3 | 69 | Jason Witten | Tennessee | Dall. | 35 | 347 | 1 |
2009 | 1 | 20 | Brandon Pettigrew | Oklahoma State | Det. | 30 | 346 | 2 |
2014 | 2 | 49 | Jace Amaro | Texas Tech | NYJ | 38 | 345 | 2 |
2003 | 1 | 24 | Dallas Clark | Iowa | Ind. | 29 | 340 | 1 |
2004 | 2 | 40 | Ben Troupe | Florida | Tenn. | 33 | 329 | 1 |
2003 | 2 | 61 | L.J. Smith | Rutgers | Phil. | 27 | 321 | 1 |
2004 | 3 | 81 | Chris Cooley | Utah State | Wash. | 37 | 314 | 6 |
2006 | 2 | 61 | Tony Scheffler | Western Michigan | Den. | 18 | 286 | 4 |
2008 | 2 | 61 | Martellus Bennett | Texas A&M | Dall. | 20 | 283 | 4 |
2012 | 2 | 34 | Coby Fleener | Stanford | Ind. | 26 | 281 | 2 |
2005 | 6 | 179 | Bo Scaife | Texas | Tenn. | 37 | 273 | 2 |
2013 | 5 | 158 | Luke Willson | Rice | Sea. | 20 | 272 | 1 |
2006 | 1 | 6 | Vernon Davis | Maryland | S.F. | 20 | 265 | 3 |
2002 | 1 | 28 | Jerramy Stevens | Washington | Sea. | 26 | 252 | 3 |
2011 | 2 | 43 | Kyle Rudolph | Notre Dame | Minn. | 26 | 249 | 3 |
2014 | 1 | 10 | Eric Ebron | North Carolina | Det. | 25 | 248 | 1 |
2011 | 6 | 174 | Charles Clay | Tulsa | Mia. | 16 | 233 | 3 |
2006 | 2 | 46 | Joe Klopfenstein | Colorado | St.L. | 20 | 226 | 1 |
2014 | 3 | 98 | Richard Rodgers | California | G.B. | 20 | 225 | 2 |
2014 | 2 | 38 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins | Washington | T.B. | 21 | 221 | 2 |
2002 | 3 | 67 | Matt Schobel | Texas Christian | Cin. | 27 | 212 | 2 |
--Andy Richardson