Scouting the NFL Draft: C.J. Fiedorowicz

Rolling along with the NFL draft theme of the day, as begun by Mike Nash’s team mock draft, we are going to continue scouting the draft. This afternoon, we are taking a look at a guy that Mike, among others, has projected as a mid-round possibility.

We know the Jets need to get as many weapons as they can find, and that includes the tight end position. If they go wide receiver early, that will be the end of the Eric Ebron and Jace Amaro fantasies. That brings us to the next level of prospects, and our subject this afternoon, C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE from the University of Iowa.

Here are his stats from his days at Iowa:

Receiving & Rushing

Let’s take a look at how he did at the NFL combine.

He ran the 40 well, in 4.76 seconds. He led his position in bench presses with 25, the cone drill with a performance of 7.10 seconds, and the 20 yard shuttle with a performance of 4.26 seconds.

He stands at 6’5″, and weighs 265 pounds.

Take a look at some highlights of this player:

PROS: The first element to watch with this guy is his hands. He doesn’t drop anything thrown to him. It seems that if he can get to it, he will catch it. C.J. also runs excellent routes. He is excellent at finding the soft spot in the defense to make the catch. He also seems to be a willing blocker.

CONS: Here are the weaknesses listed in his draft profile:

Builds to average speed. Fairly straight-linish athlete. Not elusive after the catch. Can improve as a move blocker and develop more of a mean streak to finish blocks. Average production. Could stand to adopt a more blue-collar work ethic when people aren’t watching — is not a self-starter and has been able to cruise on his rare size and natural ability.

The biggest issue I noticed was his lack of ability to pick up many yards after the catch. The West Coast offense considers yards after the catch essential, and C.J. is a little slow in that regard. He doesn’t make many people miss.

Is there a drop off from the likes of Eric Ebron and Jace Amaro? Sure. But in the third or fourth round, could this guy be an asset to Geno Smith? Absolutely.