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They all eyed the lanky kid with the close-cropped red hair closely, uncertain of what to make of his presence at the NFL combine. Jimmy Graham sensed as much as he stepped onto the scale for his official weighing and again when he waited for his chance to bench-press with the other tight end prospects. Studs like Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Jermaine Gresham had been following each other's careers since their high school days. Graham, on the other hand, was just a former basketball player at the University of Miami, a raw talent hoping to turn one season of college football into an instant lottery ticket.



That was before the players started on-field testing at Lucas Oil Stadium. It wasn't just that Graham -- 6-foot-6, and 260 pounds -- soared 38.5 inches on his vertical jump or raced to a 4.56-second time in the 40-yard dash despite a sprained ankle. It also wasn't the tenacity he displayed while sprinting through the pass-catching drill known as "The Gauntlet," a test that required him to run sideline to sideline while snagging balls from quarterbacks. It was Graham's relentlessness that turned heads. Gresham was so impressed that he pulled Graham aside at one point and asked, "Where did you come from?"

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham is second in the NFL with 80 receptions and has eight touchdowns.
That question is still being raised two years later -- and not just about Graham. Sure, he's one the hottest tight ends in the business now that he plays for the New Orleans Saints, but he's also the face of an unprecedented revolution. Call it the golden age for a position that has put only eight players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Players like Graham no longer are treated like the third- or fourth-best options in the passing game. In today's NFL, you don't have a complete offense without a playmaking tight end.
The numbers alone are staggering. Graham ranks second in the NFL with 80 receptions to go along with 1,101 yards. Gronkowski just set a league record for touchdown catches by a tight end (15), and he has combined with Hernandez to produce 130 receptions through 13 games in New England. Overall, 18 tight ends are on pace to have at least 50 catches, and seven are leading their teams in receiving.



NFL - Young tight ends at forefront of an offensive revolution - ESPN

SAINTstunna

Jimmy Gram iz a BEAST!!! HE WILL ONLY GET BETTR!!!
CHECK OUT MY WEEK 15 NFL PIX, I WENT 15-1 LAST WEEK AND I ALSO INCLUDED A 5 GAME PARLAY!!! BE SURE TO LIKE THE CHANNEL AND SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE FUTURE NOTIFICATIONS AND UPDATES

homerj07

I read that the other day. Looks like 2010 may be the best year for TEs EVER