Jermaine Gresham Scouting Report

Perhaps Jermaine Gresham should have gone to the NFL a year early. He ended up missing his senior season with the Sooners after undergoing knee surgery prior to the beginning of the 2009 college season, but Gresham is still a great tight end if he can prove that he is healthy by April. Gresham burst onto the scene as a sophomore during the 2007 campaign. On a team that sported Malcolm Kelly and Juaquin Iglesias, Gresham -- a 6-6 tight end -- led the squad with 11 touchdown receptions. In 2008 he ranked second on the team with 66 receptions for 950 yards and led the squad with 14 touchdown passes. At 6-6 and 261 pounds, Gresham is a big target in the red zone. Despite his size, Gresham has soft hands and will rarely drop a pass. This year's tight end class is not as deep as it was last year and that is probably one reason why Gresham opted to stick around Oklahoma for another season. In the end, it will all depend on how quickly he can recover from his injury, but Gresham certainly has first round talent when he is healthy. However, in order to actually get drafted in the first round, he has to prove to NFL scouts that he can stay healthy and that his knee is holding up. 1/19 Update: Gresham is still the top tight end on most draft boards despite missing his entire senior season. That is partially because nobody else stepped up from that position to challenge Gresham, but it is also because Gresham is really, really talented. Heading into all the postseason events, Gresham is likely a late first round selection. However, everybody knows that he was a top 15 talent last season and a few good workouts and Gresham could be back in the top 15 by April. 3/24 Update: Gresham did about as expected during the NFL Combine and his stock has not moved much; he remains a probable late first round selection. With a few other tight ends working their way up some draft boards -- most notably Jimmy Graham and Dorin Dickerson (who were pretty much off the radar a few months ago) -- many teams feel like they can get a quality tight end that fits into their system in the third or fourth round. That does not make Gresham any less talented and he is still the best tight end in this class; it would be a mild surprise if he falls into the second round.