Landing spots for SDSU tight end Gavin Escobar

With the draft just a month away, people everywhere will be talking about where their favorite players are going and who they’re favorite team is going to draft. San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar has seen his stock start to rise after a solid performance at the NFL combine. He’s currently ranked the 3rd best tight end in the draft.

The tight end on a football team used to basically be an extra blocker. He was there as a safety blanket for the quarterback. Now, though, the position is transforming into a speedster type of player who can really affect a passing game. Look at Jason Witten and Rob Gronkowski. Two physical guys who catch a lot of passes for a lot of yards and benefit the team. Many people believe that Escobar could be that same kind of guy.

Here are some teams in need of a tight end this draft:

• Atlanta Falcons
• Arizona Cardinals
• Buffalo Bills
• Chicago Bears
• Denver Broncos
• Miami Dolphins
• Oakland Raiders
• New York Giants
• St. Louis Rams

Sep 8, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego State Aztecs tight end Gavin Escobar (88) catches a 29 yard pass while defended by Army Black Knights defensive back Lyle Beloney (15) during the first quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Some possible landing spots for the SDSU tight end could be endless. He could go as high as the 2nd round to the Rams. The Rams have little faith in Lance Kendricks after his battle with catching the ball. Bringing a guy with almost sure hands like Escobar could create competition and give him a chance to get the starting job.

Another likely spot would be to the Bills in the 3rd round. They have Scott Chandler, who caught 6 touchdowns last season, but general manager Buddy Nix wants to build the tight end position up. If he’s getting a new quarterback in the first round, a big target for him in the 2nd day will make him happy.

The spot that I think he’ll likely end up is Arizona. The Cardinals completed 65 passes to four different tight ends last season. None of them caught a touchdown pass. Arizona, like Buffalo, will likely look to find a new quarterback. With Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Roberts, and Michael Floyd, the Cardinals would benefit from having a great pass catching tight end streaking down the middle of the field.

The NFL Draft starts Thursday April 25th.