STRENGTHS
Ben has excellent overall athletic talent. He is a smooth route runner making it easy for him to catch the ball. He has the size needed to be an inline blocker and the athletic talent to block in space. Ben is an excellent pass-catching talent, and inside the red zone can be used in the slot or on the outside.
CONCERNS
The way Ben plays on the field sends a signal to me that he is not passionate about the game in general. He has the talent to block but is not aggressive and in space, he doesn’t finish and move his feet and he drops his head. His route running lacks the speed and quickness he shows in his workouts. There are other issues but I’m not going to continue to pile on. Like I always tell you, it takes more than talent to play in the NFL.
BOTTOM LINE: 4.89
Truth is, I get depressed when I watch a player with this much talent struggle to play up to that talent. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t played that much in the past or is thinking too much when he is playing. Maybe it’s because he is not getting the coaching he should be getting or everyone is telling him how good he is when he can be so much better. Maybe he went to class and actually studied…I don’t know. The first time I noticed Ben it was at the Senior Bowl practices. He stood out to me because of how smooth a route runner he was, and how easily he caught the ball, so I took note. Then I turned on the game film and I just saw a player who lacked the passion to play while the announcers were telling me that Ben is a Swiss army knife and a great player. I’m thinking, I must be crazy, just because he makes a play or two in a game does not constitute suggesting that Ben is god’s gift to the Tight End World. Ben ran a 4.6 forty and plays like he runs a 5.0 forty. His blocking is rudimentary at best. He is not a punishing runner after the catch Tight End. If a team drafts him and can turn the passion key on, Ben could be something special. That being said I just wonder if there is a passion key to be turned on?
