Let’s add Michael Roberts to the sleeper list. Detroit needs a new starting tight end, and it looks like he’ll probably be the guy. I could see him catching 6 TDs.
Roberts, recall, is the tight end the Lions selected in the fourth round last year. Played his college ball at Toledo. He caught 45 passes and 16 touchdowns in his final season there, making him the answer to a fun trivia question. (Kareem Hunt also played on that team, scoring 5 fewer touchdowns in their final season together.)
Roberts didn’t play much as a rookie, with the Lions tending to go with Eric Ebron and Darren Fells. Roberts caught only 4 passes. They deactivated him for their final game when he was either late or missed a Saturday walk-through, I think. But he apparently did some good things as blocker late in the year.
Roberts doesn’t have much speed. He ran a 4.86 at the combine. No getting around that.
If you’re into hand size, this is your guy. Rob Gronkowski and Kyle Rudolph, let the record show, have some of the largest mitts in the league. Both measure at 10.75 inches, and they’ve both been good at pulling down contested balls, especially in red zone situations. When they measured Roberts’ hands at the combine, they came in even a notch bigger than those guys – 11.5 inches.
There’s an article on Roberts in the The Detroit News, poking around the idea he might be headed for a breakout year. The only other players they have at the position are both lesser veterans, Luke Willson and Levine Toilolo. The Falcons released Toilolo, while Willson signed a one-year deal worth only $2.5 million.
“He’s very athletic, working hard, very focused in, I’m excited for him,” Willson says. “The sky is the limit for him and he’s been a great part of the room.”
The article says that Pro Football Focus grades indicate Roberts was the best run-blocking tight end on the roster last year.
The talent runs out pretty quickly at tight end this year, but you can be sure some guys will emerge. There will be players who aren’t even drafted in fantasy leagues who will put up decent numbers at that position. Roberts looks like he could be one of those guys.
If I were walking into a draft today, Roberts would be a guy I would be thinking about with my final draft pick as second tight end. Bring him in and observe during training camp. He might develop into something.
Roberts didn’t do much as a rookie, but that’s pretty typical for tight ends. In this century, 35 tight ends have put up at least 30 more fantasy points of production in their second season. That’s using standard scoring – 6 for touchdowns and 1 for every 10 yards.
| MOST IMPROVED ROOKIE TIGHT ENDS SINCE 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Player | 1st (No-Yd-TD) | 2nd (No-Yd-TD) | Improve |
| 2010 | Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 31-356-5 | 99-1310-11 | 131.4 |
| 2003 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 24-389-2 | 81-964-13 | 123.5 |
| 2010 | Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 42-546-10 | 90-1327-17 | 120.1 |
| 2013 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 0-0-0 | 67-862-5 | 116.2 |
| 2003 | Jason Witten , Dall. | 35-347-1 | 87-980-6 | 93.3 |
| 2001 | Todd Heap, Balt. | 16-206-1 | 68-836-6 | 93.0 |
| 2008 | Fred Davis, Wash. | 3-27-0 | 48-509-6 | 84.2 |
| 2008 | Jermichael Finley, G.B. | 6-74-1 | 55-676-5 | 84.2 |
| 2004 | Benjamin Watson, N.E. | 2-16-0 | 29-441-4 | 66.5 |
| 2014 | Richard Rodgers, G.B. | 20-225-2 | 58-510-8 | 64.5 |
| 2010 | Ed Dickson, Balt. | 11-152-1 | 54-528-5 | 61.6 |
| 2011 | Kyle Rudolph, Minn. | 26-249-3 | 53-493-9 | 60.4 |
| 2010 | Dennis Pitta, Balt. | 1-1-0 | 40-405-3 | 58.4 |
| 2014 | Eric Ebron, Det. | 25-248-1 | 47-537-5 | 52.9 |
| 2004 | Chris Cooley, Wash. | 37-314-6 | 71-774-7 | 52.0 |
| 2007 | Kevin Boss, NYG | 9-118-2 | 33-384-6 | 50.6 |
| 2012 | Ladarius Green, S.D. | 4-56-0 | 17-376-3 | 50.0 |
| 2009 | Brandon Pettigrew, Det. | 30-346-2 | 71-722-4 | 49.6 |
| 2014 | Crockett Gillmore, Balt. | 10-121-1 | 33-412-4 | 47.1 |
| 2014 | Cameron Brate, T.B. | 1-17-0 | 23-288-3 | 45.1 |
| 2012 | Coby Fleener, Ind. | 26-281-2 | 52-608-4 | 44.7 |
| 2002 | Daniel Graham, N.E. | 15-150-1 | 38-409-4 | 43.9 |
| 2000 | Bubba Franks, G.B. | 34-363-1 | 36-322-9 | 43.9 |
| 2011 | Lance Kendricks, St.L. | 28-352-0 | 42-519-4 | 40.7 |
| 2010 | Aaron Hernandez, N.E. | 45-563-6 | 79-910-7 | 40.7 |
| 2015 | Jesse James, Pitt. | 8-56-1 | 39-338-3 | 40.2 |
| 2004 | Ben Troupe, Tenn. | 33-329-1 | 55-530-4 | 38.1 |
| 2007 | Greg Olsen, Chi. | 39-391-2 | 54-574-5 | 36.3 |
| 2000 | Anthony Becht, NYJ | 16-144-2 | 36-321-5 | 35.7 |
| 2009 | Jared Cook, Tenn. | 9-74-0 | 29-361-1 | 34.7 |
| 2006 | Marcedes Lewis, Jac. | 13-126-1 | 37-391-2 | 32.5 |
| 2006 | Tony Scheffler, Den. | 18-286-4 | 49-549-5 | 32.3 |
| 2003 | Dallas Clark, Ind. | 29-340-1 | 25-423-5 | 32.3 |
| 2013 | Dion Sims , Mia. | 6-32-1 | 24-284-2 | 31.2 |
| 2006 | Vernon Davis, S.F. | 20-265-3 | 52-509-4 | 30.4 |
—Ian Allan