I've done a couple of slow, best-ball drafts lately. Twenty-eight rounds, and they're tight end premium -- that position gets a point and a half per catch. So you might think there'd be some interest in Jimmy Graham, who the Bears signed to a two-year, $16 million contract. But no.
In one league, he was drafted in the 21st round, after 31 other tight ends had been selected. In the other he was drafted in the 22nd, after 33 other players at the position. And he was an autopick by an owner who timed out! Ouch.
Graham was one of the league's very best tight ends with the Saints five years ago. It was a little surprising when they traded him to Seattle for center Max Unger. But history suggests the Saints moved him at just the right time. In Seattle and Green Bay, he wasn't close to the player he was the first half of his career in New Orleans. That probably won't change in Chicago.
In each of his first five seasons, he was a difference-making weapon in the red zone. He turned at least 1 out of every 10 catches into a touchdown in each of those years.
In his last five seasons, he's done that exactly once. In three of the other four, including the last two with the Packers, he's turned fewer than 8 percent of his catches into scores.
| JIMMY GRAHAM TOUCHDOWN RATES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Tgt | No | Yds | TD | TD% |
| 2010 | N.O. | 44 | 31 | 356 | 5 | 16.1% |
| 2011 | N.O. | 149 | 99 | 1310 | 11 | 11.1% |
| 2012 | N.O. | 135 | 85 | 982 | 9 | 10.6% |
| 2013 | N.O. | 142 | 86 | 1215 | 16 | 18.6% |
| 2014 | N.O. | 125 | 85 | 889 | 10 | 11.8% |
| 2015 | Sea. | 74 | 48 | 605 | 2 | 4.2% |
| 2016 | Sea. | 95 | 65 | 923 | 6 | 9.2% |
| 2017 | Sea. | 96 | 57 | 520 | 10 | 17.5% |
| 2018 | G.B. | 89 | 55 | 636 | 2 | 3.6% |
| 2019 | G.B. | 60 | 38 | 447 | 3 | 7.9% |
The Bears have a lot of other tight ends, including second-rounder Cole Kmet and a few holdovers. But with the money Graham is slated to make, he's the starter. Several months after signing, though, the deal still doesn't make any sense.
Graham is 33 years old. We've seen some great tight ends play at far older than that, including Antonio Gates and Benjamin Watson in recent years. But his difference-making days are over (and have been for a while).
--Andy Richardson