Brandon Pettigrew ?

[painekiller]

It seems that a group of people here would love to see the Texans draft Brandon Pettigrew. I admit that he has been listed as a possible player that would be rated around our 1st round pick. And yesterdays posting where for him as a 2nd rounder, but I don't get the love for him.

I look at him and I see a Mark Bruener clone, all block little catch. As a blocker I agree he looks like he could start at LT right now. But that is not what people expecting from him.

His career stats:[qoute]
YEAR REC YDS AVG LNG TD
2005 11 128 11.6 21 1
2006 24 310 12.9 31 4
2007 35 540 15.4 54 4
2008 42 472 11.2 38 0
[/quote]

9 TDs is 4 years, for a man who is 6'6", even on a running team this seems like a low number to me.

First day picks need to be difference makers IMO, and this team is devoid of playmaker on the defense, so why so much love for Pettigrew?

[barrett]

Pettigrew is nothing like Bruener. He is a very natural receiver. Okie state is a running team and when they throw they lock on to Dez (understandably). This led to the lower numbers.

As for drafting him, I don't see much point to it because he does not add a ton for our offense. Any TE we draft in any round should be a big redzone threat since that is really our offense's only glaring need (whether from a RB/WR/TE we need a guy who makes plays on the goalline). Drafting Pettigrew leaves us with 2 good TEs who can't find the endzone and I don't see the point.

Maybe if Gresham had come out, but I see no TE that makes us much better. I would be shocked if we draft one.

[sinnister]

Originally Posted by barrett

As for drafting him, I don't see much point to it because he does not add a ton for our offense. Any TE we draft in any round should be a big redzone threat since that is really our offense's only glaring need (whether from a RB/WR/TE we need a guy who makes plays on the goalline). Drafting Pettigrew leaves us with 2 good TEs who can't find the endzone and I don't see the point.

I am not sure how much of his lack of TDs were him and not the team. They run a lot, and as you say, they look for Dez a lot as well. I would be curious to know how many opportunities he had in the red zone. If you remember, Keith Jackson was similar as far as production worries. He hardly ever caught a pass, but everyone knew he would be a great NFL TE. Now, I am not comparing the 2, just pointing out about how little Keith Jackson produced at the collegiate level.

I am in favor of adding a TE, but not this high. I think Kubes or Kyle could do a lot of innovative things with 2 tight end sets; however, the defense is in dire need of help.

[barrett]

I'm not saying that Pettigrew isn't good. Quite the opposite, I think he is a great TE prospect who both blocks and catches well. It is dumb to talk about moving him to LT, because he is a very natural pass catcher with solid speed and every tool a TE could need.

I just think for us to draft any TE (or a WR or RB) on the first day, that the player would need to be a big time red zone guy. Either a great short yardage back or a WR/TE who uses their size on the goalline to bully defenders and catch TDs. Pettigrew does not appear to be that guy. He looks much more like an Owen Daniels type of move the chains TE with better blocking ability.

[painekiller]

Originally Posted by barrett

It is dumb to talk about moving him to LT, because he is a very natural pass catcher with solid speed and every tool a TE could need.

I am the only one who mentioned LT, and I know that is only done with a TE who is not a high draft pick. But did you see him manhandle the DEs at the senior bowl? The man can block better then most LT prospects.

[nero THE zero]

I like Pettigrew as a player, and if our team had less holes I think he'd be a great fit for us. But, our defensive deficiencies are simply too great to spend a pick on a relative non-need.

FWIW, LZ addressed Pettigrew in his blog as well and I though his take was interesting.

Pettigrew is similar to Daniel Graham coming out of college in my opinion. A "combo" tight end as a first rounder is a classic football theory 400 level course. Football people who value a blocking TE who can catch passes will tell you that having an extra blocker on the line of scrimmage is invaluable to the running game. I can't tell you how many times over the last two seasons I've seen Heath Miller open up a lane for a Steelers RB. If you are going to be on the line of scrimmage, you want to be able to do your part and Pettigrew does his part. Now if the guy can catch passes too, then he becomes even more valuable on the backside with bootlegs where he blocks down and then can release. Also, as a bigger target, he can be a huge threat on third downs. And to take it a step further, if you already have a guy like Owen Daniels, you can play Pettigrew on the line and Daniels on the slot which can open up mismatch problems on Daniels or even formation problems for defenses as it pertains to stopping the run. Now you have a TE blocking from the slot against a safety or LB and a good run blocking tight end on the opposite side of the formation. The Colts have used this formation to their advantage for a few years now and it puts enormous pressure on defenses as they have to worry about big targets AND the ability to run the ball to other side.