UCLA Football: Grading the 2017 UCLA Football tight ends

Nov 26, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears cornerback Josh Drayden (20) tackles UCLA Bruins tight end Caleb Wilson (81) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium the California Golden Bears defeated the UCLA Bruins 36 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears cornerback Josh Drayden (20) tackles UCLA Bruins tight end Caleb Wilson (81) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium the California Golden Bears defeated the UCLA Bruins 36 to 10. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
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If there was a bright spot on this UCLA Football offense in 2016 it could have been the tight end position. As the Bruins move into their second year under TE coach Rip Scherer there is plenty of room for improvement.

I won’t try and hide this from you folks. I love tight ends. I think if you come out in a four wideout set, two of those guys should be tight ends. The last big name at the position for the UCLA Football team was Thomas Duarte. However he wasn’t built or used in the traditional TE mold.

The last guy that UCLA Football had who could do everything you want a TE to do was Joseph Fauria. He could kill you from an inline position, flexed out wide or pancake block you into the ground.

I’ll be honest I was excited thinking about what Nate Iese was going to bring to the group last year with his size and athleticism. He had an okay year for the 2016 UCLA Football team catching the ball but his 25 catches for 400 yards and four touchdowns didn’t blow anyone out of the water.

As a whole this group managed 56 catches for 881 yards and five scores. Those are numbers one dominant TE can have. Despite losing their receiving leader I actually have higher expectations for his group in 2017.

Related Story: UCLA Football: Grading the 2017 Bruin Starting WRs

A big reason for that is new offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch who spent last year as the passing game coordinator for the University of Michigan. He had the chance to work with stud TE and Denver Bronco rookie, Jake Butt in 2016. Last year Butt was a focal point of the offense despite having plenty of talent around him and he went 46-456-4 before being injured in his bowl game.

Much of his work was done on shallow crosses, drag routes and the occasional out route. Michigan made the intermediate area his by using receivers to clear out the underneath space with more vertical routes.

With the stage set for a big 2017 for these tight ends, let’s get started with their grades.

Grading the Tight Ends

While UCLA Football head coach Jim Mora doesn’t really release depth charts, red shirt sophomore Caleb Wilson should be at the top. His size, speed and catching radius make him a fast rising play maker for the Bruins.

While he doesn’t have a start under his belt, Wilson saw action in twelve games last year and made catches in eight of those contests. He had his best game on one of the biggest stages against USC. In that game Wilson notched four catches for 38 yards.

Not mind blowing stats but let’s dive deeper. Wilson is complete TE. He can line up in line, detached or fully split out wide. He is also a willing blocker who will only improve in that respect but demonstrates sound technique.

The Bruins should look to feature more two tight end sets but the focus has to be getting the ball to Wilson.

2017 has all the makings of a TE explosion for this UCLA Football team and he should be the brightest star at the position.

Wilson gets a B+ from me.

Should the Bruins decided to go with two TE sets Austin Roberts will likely be the the second starter. Roberts came to this UCLA Football program as a wide receiver but was seldom used early on in his career. After bulking up Roberts was moved to the tight end position mostly because the Bruins were desperate to build some depth.

Despite being an emergency option early last season, Roberts seemed to be a natural fit at TE with his pass catching ability but leaves some to be desired as a blocker. Still he gives good effort and I’d rather have effort over talent and no effort.

Look for Roberts to be used more as an H-back or a move tight end. Fischer was able to get plenty out of his tight ends last season by lining them up as move tight ends. With his previous history as a WR, Roberts becomes an immediate matchup nightmare especially with teams focusing on Caleb Wilson.

I give Roberts a C grade. (This is purely because I don’t see Roberts inline effectively)

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