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| John Froschauer / Associated Press |
| Jermaine Gresham decided to stay at Oklahoma for his senior season and likely will be a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. |
(Editor's note: This is the fourth in a weekly series detailing the top senior prospects, by position, for the 2010 NFL Draft.)
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San Diego's Antonio Gatesis one of two current NFL tight ends who started on a college basketball team that advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. Who was the other? More ...
» Brooks: Top 16 NFL prospects
Tight ends have basically replaced fullbacks -- or at least fullbacks' role -- in NFL offenses. Without fullbacks, tight ends are called on to block and make clutch third-down receptions. Tight ends also are relied upon to score in the red zone. Last season, Tony Gonzalez had 10 touchdowns for the Kansas City Chiefs while averaging 11 yards per catch.
Another key factor for tight ends is their ability to disrupt the popular Tampa 2 defensive scheme. In that system, the middle linebacker gets a lot of depth in coverage, and the result usually is a mismatch against tight ends such as Gonzalez, Dallas' Jason Witten and New England's Benjamin Watson, who have great hands and speed. A key trait at tight end is being able to stretch defenses with speed.
NFL teams in need of a tight end should watch these 16 college seniors this fall. Note that this list includes only those players who will have exhausted their college eligibility after the 2009 season.
| TOP SENIOR TIGHT ENDS |
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 1. Jermaine Gresham College: Oklahoma Height/Weight: 6-5, 260 Gresham played for the Sooners as a true freshman and decided to return for the 2009 season to get stronger and improve his skills. He reminds me of Kellen Winslow Sr. as a college player. Gresham is worthy of a first-round draft pick and has Pro Bowl ability. |  2. Ed Dickson College: Oregon Height/Weight: 6-3¾, 247 Dickson is a fifth-year senior who played 13 games as a defensive lineman in 2006, but he has caught 78 passes and scored six touchdowns over the past two years. He is a good run blocker with sure hands and also is a good special-teams player. |
 3. Garrett Graham College: Wisconsin Height/Weight: 6-3, 250 Graham is another fifth-year senior. He was the Badgers' leading receiver in 2008 with 40 catches for 540 yards and five touchdowns, but his NFL position might be H-back. |  4. Anthony McCoy College: USC Height/Weight: 6-4½, 245 McCoy was a backup as a true freshman in 2006, and he started 13 games in 2008, catching 22 passes for 256 yards. He has the speed needed to cause matchup problems in the NFL. |
 5. Jeron Mastrud College: Kansas State Height/Weight: 6-5½, 250 Mastrud, a former high school quarterback from Oregon, was coached by his father and will be a four-year starter for the Wildcats. He has very good hands, making 85 catches in three years. He needs more strength when blocking. He plays a lot like Cincinnati Bengals third-round draft pick Chase Coffman. |  6. Nate Byham College: Pittsburgh Height/Weight: 6-3¾, 260 Byham, who was an outstanding linebacker and basketball player in high school, played tight end for the Panthers as a true freshman in 2006. He is effective as a blocker and a receiver. He's young -- he'll be just 21 this fall -- but he's very competitive. |
 7. Andrew Quarless College: Penn State Height/Weight: 6-4½, 250 Quarless will be a three-year starter, and he has good size, skill and athleticism for a tight end. He's also a good special-teams player. The Nittany Lions mostly threw to their wide receivers and not their tight ends the past two years, but Quarless still should be a solid NFL player. |  8. Michael Hoomanawanui College: Illinois Height/Weight: 6-3¼, 270 Hoomanawanui was an honorable-mention All-Big Ten player in 2008, and he has started 13 games over the past two seasons. He's a good blocker who also does a good job catching the ball (25 receptions in 2008). He was a good basketball player in high school. |
 9. Dennis Pitta College: BYU Height/Weight: 6-4½, 250 Pitta started college in 2004, but he missed the 2005 and 2006 seasons while serving a church mission. He's more of a receiver than a blocker, posting 83 catches for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns in 2008. He had 59 catches in 2007. Pitta is very smart and was recruited by Navy, Dartmouth and Yale. |  10. Richard Dickson College: LSU Height/Weight: 6-2¼, 240 Dickson started nine games in 2006 as a true freshman. He's a very good athlete but a better receiver than a blocker. H-back will be his best position in the NFL. |
 11. Cody Slate College: Marshall Height/Weight: 6-3, 220 Slate led Marshall in receiving in 2006 and 2007, and he has 149 catches over the past three years. As those numbers show, he's more of a receiver than a blocker. Slate is a tough matchup because of his speed and frame, but he needs to add weight. |  12. Nathan Overbay College: Eastern Washington Height/Weight: 6-5, 270 Overbay is a fifth-year senior who redshirted because of grades in 2005. He made big strides last year, catching 28 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns, and is a very good athlete. His uncle, Lyle Overbay, plays baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays. |
 13. Mickey Shuler College: Penn State Height/Weight: 6-3½, 245 Shuler is a fifth-year senior who has spent time at tight end and fullback. He's also a good special-teams player. His father, Mickey Sr., played in the NFL for 14 seasons. |  14. Tony Moeaki College: Iowa Height/Weight: 6-3, 250 Moeaki, a fifth-year senior who received a medical redshirt for the 2007 season, was a top recruit out of high school. He's a good athlete and blocks well in the running game. |
 15. Riar Geer College: Colorado Height/Weight: 6-2¾, 253 Geer is a fifth-year senior who redshirted his freshman year. He led the Buffaloes in receiving in 2006, becoming the first tight end to do that since current Denver Broncos TE Daniel Graham in 2001. Geer was a high school quarterback, but he lacks great speed and is more of an H-back prospect. |  16. Scott Sicko College: New Hampshire Height/Weight: 6-4, 240 Sicko is a productive athlete, with 101 catches over the past two years. In 2008, he was a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association player and a Walter Camp Football Foundation All-American. |
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