PackerReport.com
INDIANAPOLIS - With spread offenses taking over the college game, quarterback isn't the only position that has changed over the last handful of years. Another position is tight end.
Once a position dominated by goliaths who were only slightly smaller and slightly more athletic than a typical offensive lineman, many of today's tight ends are only slightly bigger and slightly less athletic than a typical wide receiver.
They're game-breakers and mismatches, with size to ward off defensive backs and speed to run past linebackers.
A perfect example is Green Bay's Jermichael Finley, who's more comfortable flanked out wide than lined up over a 290-pound defensive end.
While he's not quite as explosive as Finley, Wisconsin's Lance Kendricks is considered one of the top three or four tight ends in this draft and a Day 2 prospect. The Badgers run anything but a spread offense but he was a perfect complement in their traditionally run-first attack.
"I think me being able to move around in the backfield and do things on the line of scrimmage helps a lot, as well as me being able to play all four special teams because I played all four in college," Kendricks said of his strengths on Friday at the Scouting Combine. "I think all that together helps me be a more valuable player."
Kendricks was voted a first- or second-team All-American by most organizations as a senior. He led the Badgers with 43 receptions, 663 yards and five receiving touchdowns. His production in the passing game wasn't a major surprise from a player who was rated the second-best player in Wisconsin when he starred as a wide receiver at Milwaukee's Rufus King High School.
He moved to tight end as a sophomore, and his career blossomed in 2009 as he replaced another athletic, pass-catching tight end: Travis Beckum.
"I kind of had this tunnel vision of this is what I'm going to do," Kendricks recalled of his time at receiver. "It kind of hit me that I was going to change to tight end, so putting on weight and lifting a little bit more and learning the playbook and blocking, that was all new to me. So, I had to take a year or two to become accustomed to those things and get adjusted. I think I did a pretty good job at it."
The 6-foot-3 Kendricks weighed 240 pounds at the Senior Bowl and has added 3 pounds for the Scouting Combine. He hopes to get to 245. Wherever he lands, that team will have a playmaker who's at least willing to do the dirty work.
"Blocking's essential to our offense," he said of his career with the Badgers. "Before you touch the field, you have to know how to block. They make that known right away, right when you hit the locker room in Day 1. I think it's essential for us to know how to block."
Bill Huber is publisher of PackerReport.com and Packer Report Magazine. PackerReport.com is the only all-Packers Web site that publishes stories and features 365 days a year. The 64-page, full-color magazine was founded by Ray Nitschke in 1973 and is published 10 times a year. Click here for subscription information.
