Let’s add Austin Seferian-Jenkins to the sleeper/watch list. I don’t think we can logically stick him on a roster just yet. He plays the wrong position and is stuck on a bad team. But we can at least add him into the discussion.
Seferian-Jenkins, recall, was selected early in the second round by the Bucs in 2014. He washed out there, dropping too many passes, blowing too many routes and partying too much. They cut him after a DUI arrest in September. A few months earlier, Dirk Koetter called him out at a practice for not knowing the plays.
But an article at NJ.com suggests Seferian-Jenkins has turned his life around. He admits he’s had a problem with drinking too much (with an addition DUI arrest when he was at the University of Washington). But he’s tackled that issue through rehab and is four months sober.
He’s also eating healthier, helping him drop 24 pounds.
Seferian-Jenkins is only 24, and he’s apparently ready now to start being a pro football player. If he’s dialed in and working at it, I expect he’ll start for the Jets. They also drafted Jordan Leggett, but it’s a complex position, with rookies tending to struggle. Seferian-Jenkins is supposedly performing well at the OTAs, and he looks like the favorite for that starting job.
It would be nice if he were on a more viable roster. The Jets look pretty bad (with maybe the league’s worst offense). They’ll probably be shuffling through Josh McCown, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty at quarterback.
But at least New York is implementing a more tight end friendly system. They have virtually ignored their tight ends for the last two years, putting up the worst numbers at that position by any team in 20 years. But John Morton is the offensive coordinator now, and his intention is to bring the tight ends back into the fold.
If you’re in a dynasty league or a league where tight ends get 1.5 points for receptions, Seferian-Jenkins might be worth a last-round pick as a second or third tight end who could develop into something more.
While Seferian-Jenkins generally underachieved in Tampa Bay, he at least showed some ability to get downfield. In 2015 he averaged 16.1 yards per catch. In the last 10 years, only nine other tight ends have caught 20-plus passes and averaged more yards per catch.
| TIGHT ENDS / 15 YARDS PER CATCH | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | No | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2016 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 25 | 540 | 21.6 | 3 |
| 2014 | Jordan Cameron, Clev. | 24 | 424 | 17.7 | 2 |
| 2014 | Luke Willson, Sea. | 22 | 362 | 16.5 | 3 |
| 2012 | Delanie Walker, S.F. | 21 | 344 | 16.4 | 3 |
| 2015 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 72 | 1176 | 16.3 | 11 |
| 2016 | Vance McDonald, S.F. | 24 | 391 | 16.3 | 4 |
| 2013 | Vernon Davis, S.F. | 52 | 850 | 16.3 | 13 |
| 2010 | Vernon Davis, S.F. | 56 | 914 | 16.3 | 7 |
| 2009 | Marcedes Lewis, Jac. | 32 | 518 | 16.2 | 2 |
| 2015 | Austin Seferian-Jenkins, T.B. | 21 | 338 | 16.1 | 4 |
| 2008 | Tony Scheffler, Den. | 40 | 645 | 16.1 | 3 |
| 2011 | Jake Ballard, NYG | 38 | 604 | 15.9 | 4 |
| 2013 | Brent Celek, Phil. | 32 | 502 | 15.7 | 6 |
| 2010 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 50 | 782 | 15.6 | 10 |
| 2011 | Jared Cook, Tenn. | 49 | 759 | 15.5 | 3 |
| 2013 | Jeff Cumberland, NYJ | 26 | 398 | 15.3 | 4 |
| 2014 | Coby Fleener, Ind. | 51 | 774 | 15.2 | 8 |
| 2013 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 39 | 592 | 15.2 | 4 |
| 2010 | Kevin Boss, NYG | 35 | 531 | 15.2 | 5 |
| 2010 | Todd Heap, Balt. | 40 | 599 | 15.0 | 5 |
| 2010 | Fred Davis, Wash. | 21 | 316 | 15.0 | 3 |
He’ll need to catch the ball better. Over the last three years, he’s dropped 13 percent of the passes thrown his way. Over the last three years, 49 other tight ends have caught at least 50 passes, and only one has a worse drop rate.
But Seferian-Jenkins is supposedly new and improved now, so the drop issue potentially could go away.
| TIGHT END DROPS (2014-2016) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Drops | Pct |
| Zach Miller | 81 | 0 | .0% |
| Cameron Brate | 80 | 0 | .0% |
| Jason Witten | 210 | 3 | 1.4% |
| Jordan Reed | 203 | 3 | 1.5% |
| Jordan Cameron | 67 | 1 | 1.5% |
| Jacob Tamme | 95 | 2 | 2.1% |
| Dennis Pitta | 86 | 2 | 2.3% |
| Greg Olsen | 241 | 6 | 2.4% |
| Brent Celek | 73 | 2 | 2.7% |
| Dion Sims | 68 | 2 | 2.9% |
| Jack Doyle | 89 | 3 | 3.3% |
| Anthony Fasano | 59 | 2 | 3.3% |
| Richard Rodgers | 108 | 4 | 3.6% |
| Zach Ertz | 211 | 8 | 3.7% |
| Antonio Gates | 178 | 7 | 3.8% |
| Heath Miller | 126 | 5 | 3.8% |
| Rob Gronkowski | 179 | 8 | 4.3% |
| Delanie Walker | 222 | 10 | 4.3% |
| Larry Donnell | 107 | 5 | 4.5% |
| Jermaine Gresham | 117 | 6 | 4.9% |
| Ladarius Green | 74 | 4 | 5.1% |
| Gary Barnidge | 147 | 8 | 5.2% |
| Marcedes Lewis | 54 | 3 | 5.3% |
| Martellus Bennett | 198 | 11 | 5.3% |
| Kyle Rudolph | 156 | 9 | 5.5% |
| Crockett Gillmore | 51 | 3 | 5.6% |
| Charles Clay | 166 | 10 | 5.7% |
| Ryan Griffin | 80 | 5 | 5.9% |
| Clive Walford | 61 | 4 | 6.2% |
| Jimmy Graham | 198 | 13 | 6.2% |
| Will Tye | 90 | 6 | 6.3% |
| Travis Kelce | 224 | 15 | 6.3% |
| Coby Fleener | 155 | 11 | 6.6% |
| Mychal Rivera | 108 | 8 | 6.9% |
| Benjamin Watson | 94 | 7 | 6.9% |
| C.J. Fiedorowicz | 75 | 6 | 7.4% |
| Tyler Eifert | 84 | 7 | 7.7% |
| Owen Daniels | 94 | 8 | 7.8% |
| Scott Chandler | 70 | 6 | 7.9% |
| Jared Cook | 121 | 11 | 8.3% |
| Julius Thomas | 119 | 11 | 8.5% |
| Vernon Davis | 108 | 10 | 8.5% |
| Levine Toilolo | 51 | 5 | 8.9% |
| Lance Kendricks | 102 | 10 | 8.9% |
| Garrett Celek | 50 | 5 | 9.1% |
| Luke Willson | 54 | 6 | 10.0% |
| Dwayne Allen | 80 | 9 | 10.1% |
| Eric Ebron | 133 | 16 | 10.7% |
| Austin Seferian-Jenkins | 55 | 8 | 12.7% |
| Vance McDonald | 56 | 12 | 17.6% |
—Ian Allan