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Jelani Woods

Colts could be sitting on the next big thing at tight end

I think Jelani Woods is my favorite long-term sleeper of the 2022 draft. He’s an unusual physical specimen, with the potential to turn into something special if the Colts can get him dialed in.

He stands out on the field, looking like a high-school kid who snuck into a peewee game. He’s just a lot bigger than anyone else. They’ve got him listed at 6-foot-7 and 259 pounds, but he looks even bigger. If I didn’t have the numbers, I would guess he were 6-foot-8 and 290. His arms and his wingspan are 2-3 inches longer than the other tight end prospects.

Rob Gronkowski has some of that size mismatch thing going on. Eric Green had it in the early ‘90s. I get some of that same vibe with Woods.

With tight ends, more so than other positions, traits are key. That’s why we see teams looking at converting basketball players – Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham. And Woods jumps out as looking like a lottery ticket who might turn into one of those guys.

He’ll need substantial work. I’m not sure if he’ll get on the field much at all this year. But I want to see how things unfold. And he’s not as raw as some of the other tight ends of this ilk. He caught 44 passes for 598 yards and 8 TDs last year at Virginia.

Admittedly, we’re talking about a roll-of-the-dice type guy here. A fourth-round pick. But as I look at the stats of the last 20 years, I see plenty of cases of lightly regarded tight end prospects becoming really good players.

In the 32-team era (since 2002), 79 different tight ends have put together a top-10 season using PPR scoring. (That number may seem low, but there have been 200 such seasons in the last 20 years, and many tight ends have cracked the top 10 more than once.) Of the 79 players, 30 of them (more than a third) were authored by players who originally weren’t selected in the first three rounds of the draft.

I can’t promise that Woods will be one of those guys, but I think it’s possible.

For the Colts, I’m guessing both Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson (a fourth-round pick last year) will be more productive in 2022, but I think I would select Woods before either of them in a dynasty league. If I were in a dynasty league, I think Woods would make a lot of sense as a third tight end.

In the chart below, you’re looking at the best seasons (one per player) of tight ends selected after the first three rounds. Active players tagged with black dots (most notably, Darren Waller, George Kittle and Dalton Schultz).

LIGHTLY REGARDED TIGHT ENDS
YearPlayerRdRecYdsTDPPRRk
2006Antonio Gates, S.D.FA719249217.41
2020• Darren Waller, L.V.61071,1969282.62
2003Shannon Sharpe, Den.7627708187.02
2015Delanie Walker, Ten.6941,0886244.43
2019• George Kittle, S.F.5851,0535222.53
2011Aaron Hernandez, N.E.4799107216.53
2013Julius Thomas, Den.46578812215.83
2021• Dalton Schultz, Dall.4788088208.83
2015Gary Barnidge, Cle.5791,0439237.34
2009Brent Celek, Phil.5769718221.14
2004Randy McMichael, Mia.4737914178.14
2020• Logan Thomas, Was.4726706176.94
2013Jordan Cameron, Cle.4809177213.75
2020• Robert Tonyan, G.B.FA5258611176.65
2004Eric Johnson, S.F.7828252176.55
2012Brandon Myers, Oak.6798064183.66
2017Jack Doyle, Ind.FA806904173.06
2008Owen Daniels, Hou.4708622168.26
2004Jermaine Wiggins, Min.FA717054165.56
2002Billy Miller, Hou.7516133130.36
2003Itula Mili, Sea.6464924119.26
2016• Cameron Brate, T.B.FA576608171.07
2002Marcus Pollard, Ind.FA434786128.87
2013Charles Clay, Mia.6697596188.48
2016Dennis Pitta, Balt.4867292170.98
2019• Tyler Higbee, LAR4697343160.48
2018Trey Burton, Chi.FA545696149.18
2003Boo Williams, N.O.FA414365114.68
2007Donald Lee, G.B.5485756141.59
2006Desmond Clark, Chi.6456266143.610

—Ian Allan

Fantasy Index