I like Jack Doyle. He had a real nice season last year, catching a lot of passes in a lost cause.
The Colts were pretty much a train wreck from the start, going only 4-12. Only two teams scored fewer points, and only two offenses passed for fewer yards. But Doyle developed into a reliable check-down weapon for them, catching lots of short passes.
Doyle missed one game but still finished with 80 catches, 2nd-most among tight ends. In the last 10 years, only 29 tight ends have caught 80 passes in a season, and Doyle is the only player in this group who originally wasn’t even drafted.
Doyle caught over 28 percent of his team's passes. That's the highest by any tight end in 10 years (Tony Gonzalez, 2008). Pretty impressive.
I’m not promising Doyle will crank out another 70-plus catches in 2018. Let’s see how things transpire in the offseason. Colts likely are getting Andrew Luck back, which is a big plus, but they’re re-working their offense. They could potentially add another viable tight end (Erik Swoope was supposed to be a viable part of the offense last year but missed the season with a knee injury).
I don’t consider Doyle to be a remarkably talented guy. He doesn’t blow you away with his speed or size. He’s not a sticky-fingered monster who’s coming up with lots of contested catches. He averaged only 8.6 yards per catch last year.
But if I were drafting tight ends today in a PPR format, Doyle probably would be one of the first eight or so I would select.
TIGHT ENDS WITH 80-PLUS CATCHES (last 10 years) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Players | No | Yds | Avg | TD |
2012 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 110 | 1039 | 9.4 | 3 |
2009 | Dallas Clark, Ind. | 100 | 1106 | 11.1 | 10 |
2011 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 99 | 1310 | 13.2 | 11 |
2008 | Tony Gonzalez, K.C. | 96 | 1058 | 11.0 | 10 |
2015 | Delanie Walker, Tenn. | 94 | 1088 | 11.6 | 6 |
2009 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 94 | 1030 | 11.0 | 2 |
2010 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 94 | 1002 | 10.7 | 9 |
2012 | Tony Gonzalez, Atl. | 93 | 930 | 10.0 | 8 |
2011 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 90 | 1327 | 14.7 | 17 |
2014 | Martellus Bennett, Chi. | 90 | 916 | 10.2 | 6 |
2015 | Jordan Reed, Wash. | 87 | 952 | 10.9 | 11 |
2013 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 86 | 1215 | 14.1 | 16 |
2016 | Dennis Pitta, Balt. | 86 | 729 | 8.5 | 2 |
2016 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 85 | 1125 | 13.2 | 4 |
2012 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 85 | 982 | 11.6 | 9 |
2014 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 85 | 889 | 10.5 | 10 |
2014 | Greg Olsen, Car. | 84 | 1008 | 12.0 | 6 |
2017 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 83 | 1038 | 12.5 | 8 |
2009 | Tony Gonzalez, Atl. | 83 | 867 | 10.4 | 6 |
2013 | Tony Gonzalez, Atl. | 83 | 859 | 10.3 | 8 |
2008 | Chris Cooley, Wash. | 83 | 849 | 10.2 | 1 |
2016 | Kyle Rudolph, Minn. | 83 | 840 | 10.1 | 7 |
2011 | Brandon Pettigrew, Det. | 83 | 777 | 9.4 | 5 |
2014 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 82 | 1124 | 13.7 | 12 |
2008 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 81 | 952 | 11.8 | 4 |
2016 | Greg Olsen, Car. | 80 | 1073 | 13.4 | 3 |
2013 | Jordan Cameron, Clev. | 80 | 917 | 11.5 | 7 |
2011 | Tony Gonzalez, Atl. | 80 | 875 | 10.9 | 7 |
2017 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 80 | 690 | 8.6 | 4 |
—Ian Allan