Tyler Higbee creates believers he can be exceptional

Tyler Higbee creates believers he can be exceptional

By RYAN KARTJE / STAFF WRITER

[www.ocregister.com]

IRVINE – Take one look at Tyler Higbee as he settles into the slot, his hulking, 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame towering over 5-foot-8 nickel corner LaMarcus Joyner, and you’ll have at least some notion as to why a fourth-round rookie tight end from Western Kentucky has already become the most buzzed-about non-quarterback at Rams training camp, with a path already paved to a potential breakout rookie campaign.

Because with Higbee, it all starts with that first, infallible observation: He is gargantuan – to a point even his on-paper measurables don’t seem to grasp. Catcher’s-mitt-sized hands yank passes authoritatively out of midair. Tatted arms extend out from supernaturally broad shoulders, as if he were designed to create mismatches by scientists in a lab. “Little Baby Gronk,” Todd Gurley recently dubbed him.

Even Rams coach Jeff Fisher admitted to gawking when he first saw Higbee walk off the bus at OTAs. And as you watch him leap over unsuspecting safeties in the red zone or collide headlong into linebackers at the second level, it’s hard not be swept away in that hyperbole, envisioning a Gronkian nightmare dominating the seam for the foreseeable future.

“Tyler has the potential to play very, very early for us and be a big-time part of our offense,” Fisher said at practice last week.

But before riding this tide of hopeful preseason promise any further, let’s tether our expectations to what we know about rookie tight ends. Turns out, given recent history, those expectations are likely too high.

Over the last 20 seasons, 116 tight ends have tallied at least 100 receiving yards in their debut year, according to Pro Football Reference. But just one managed to surpass 700 yards – Jeremy Shockey, who reeled in 74 catches and 894 yards for the Giants in 2002. Only two others – Cam Cleeland of the Saints, and John Carlson of the Seahawks – even cracked the 600-yard mark.

In the red zone, rookie tight ends have been slightly more successful, but not by much. Of the 89 who scored as rookies, 11 finished the season with at least five touchdowns – a total that would have tied for the Rams’ team lead last season. But only two, Patriots All-Pro Rob Gronkowski and former Lions tight end Joe Fauria (a UCLA product who did it on 13 catches), have scored more than six.

The success rate is even lower for tight ends drafted as late as Higbee. Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez and undrafted free agents Tim Wright (Buccaneers) and Will Tye (Giants) are the only players in NFL history selected in the fourth round or later that caught 40 or more passes as rookies. Last season, 23 tight ends had that many receptions.

“It’s such a hard position to learn,” explains Lance Kendricks, the tight end ahead of Higbee on the depth chart. “You have to know the run game, the pass game, and you have to know about protections, and then, on top of that, you have to get stronger to block bigger guys, while staying fast enough to run routes. There’s a lot going on.”

A former two-star receiver recruit, Higbee was converted to tight end after his redshirt freshman season at Western Kentucky. In all, he played just 20 games at the position, as he battled injuries during his three seasons. But over those 20 games, Higbee evolved into a force, catching 66 passes for 962 yards and 13 touchdowns – good for a jaw-dropping 20 percent touchdown rate – before a knee injury derailed what was shaping up to be a standout final season.

“For us, he was the guy that, in between the hashes, he owned,” Western Kentucky coach Jeff Brohm said. “He had no fear.”

That’s certainly been evident through two weeks of Rams camp, as he’s quickly made his presence felt with both the first- and second-team offense. But for Rams coaches, the biggest concern with Higbee – and any rookie tight end, for that matter – remains the same.

“The hardest adjustment, from their standpoint, is blocking,” Fisher said. “Most of them are going to line up against the defensive end. And I’m not talking about pass protection, I’m talking about run game – and that’s not an easy thing to do. You don’t just come to the National Football League and dominate the line of scrimmage, so it takes time.”

Watch Higbee closely, as offensive coordinator Rob Boras purposefully positions him across from behemoth starting defensive end William Hayes, and you can understand what Fisher is getting at. Higbee is a willing and enthusiastic blocker, but by no means is he polished in his protection. That’s why the Rams have put him in uncomfortable situations early on, even asking him, at times, to shift to the backfield and block as a fullback.

Ask Higbee himself, and he’ll shrug off these concerns. Though, even he acknowledged last week, just as his camp stock began its sharp rise, that “some of the things, technique-wise, are a little new to me.”

From Brohm’s point of view, Higbee’s blocking is a secondary issue – “He’s definitely adequate,” he says. The more pressing concern, Brohm says, is Higbee’s health.

“He goes extremely hard, and for a couple years, he probably didn’t take care of his body the way he should have,” Brohm said. “If he does that, he’s going to have a great career.”

As for his rookie season? History tells us that Higbee will almost certainly struggle, especially early – though, few tight ends in the past 20 years stepped into a situation with such a dearth of offensive playmakers. If he stays healthy, the Rams seem determined to let him operate as the second tight end in their base two-tight end set. When it comes to developing a rapport with his quarterback, Higbee also happens to have an advantage: He and No. 1 pick Jared Goff are already roommates.

And then, of course, there’s that tantalizingly monstrous frame, bursting into the seam past backpedaling linebackers and hypnotizing the doubters into wondering if maybe, just maybe, he be the exception to an unforgiving rule about rookie tight ends – one that even tripped up future Hall of Famers like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates.

Along the sidelines of Rams training camp, you’ll find plenty of believers.

“Once he polishes himself up,” Kendricks said, “he’s going to be a very good tight end. He’s really what we’ve been looking for.”

CATCHING ON SLOWLY

Here are the rookie receiving stats for selected NFL tight ends:

Year

Draft round

Rec.

Yds.

TDs

Yds./rec.

Jeremy Shockey, Giants

2002

1st (14th)

74

894

2

12.08

Cam Cleeland, Saints

1998

2nd

54

684

6

12.67

John Carlson, Seahawks

2008

2nd

55

627

5

11.4

Tony Moeaki, Chiefs

2010

3rd

47

556

3

11.83

Rob Gronkowski, Patriots

2010

2nd

42

546

10

13

Dwayne Allen, Colts

2012

3rd

45

521

3

11.58

Jordan Reed, Redskins

2013

3rd

45

499

3

11.09

Greg Olsen, Panthers

2007

1st (31st)

39

391

2

10.03

Antonio Gates, Chargers

2003

UDFA

24

389

2

16.21

Jimmy Graham, Saints

2010

3rd

44

356

5

11.48