RADIO
BALLER MOVE: Target in 6th or 7th Round as TE1
CURRENT ADP: 97 STD, 85 PPR
ANALYSIS: Zach Ertz was one of many tight ends who failed to break out in 2014, partially as a result of a lack of playing time.
Ertz is a huge target, listed at 6’5 and 250 pounds, and possesses above-average speed and athleticism. He ran a 4.62 forty and posted a 35 ½’ vertical leap. While his blocking is still suspect, his receiving skills are borderline unmatched at the position.
In his only year as a starter at Stanford, Ertz caught 69 passes for 898 receiving yards, the most among Division I-A tight ends. As a rookie with the Eagles in 2013, he finished with a promising line of 36-469-4, despite only seeing the field for roughly 40% of snaps. In 2014, that number rose to just above 50%, and Ertz managed a 58-702-3 line.
In the offseason, the Eagles replaced LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin with DeMarco Murray and rookie Nelson Agholor. The loss of Maclin is good news for Ertz, especially in the red zone.
If Ertz can win snaps by improving his blocking, he should be able to crack the top 10 for tight ends. With added snaps, I’d expect his line to hover in the 75-950-7 area.
Ertz is currently going as the number seven TE in fantasy drafts, which is probably in line with where he should be right now. Owners should be more than confident taking him in the seventh round, if not the late sixth, while also drafting a tight end in the later rounds as potential insurance.
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