Daily NFL Draft Prospect Profile: Michael Hoomanawanui, TE, Illinois

[Remember to check the '2010 NFL Draft' section for all stories relating to the draft.]

OK, so with this Daily NFL Draft Prospect Profile maybe you think I have gone around the bend. Or maybe, after profiling Michigan punter Zoltan Mesko the other day, you think I am just trying to find the guys with the craziest names.

Maybe I am trying to entertain myself a little with some of these profile choices. But, there is a real football reason for profiling Hoomanawanui and others who might fill a blocking tight end role with our New York Giants.

Think about it for a minute. The Giants were a mess in short-yardage and goal line situations last season -- and, in actuality, have been that way for several seasons now.

Pick on Kevin Gilbride's play-calling, but a huge part of the problem is simply personnel. The Giants (sorry, Bear Pascoe fans) do not have a dominant blocking tight end they can use in short-yardage situations. If they want to get better at picking up that critical yard or two when they need it, finding one is a necessity.

Maybe Pascoe can be that guy. Maybe they need to draft one in the later rounds.

Maybe a guy like Hoomanawanui would provide a solution. Let's take a closer look.

Michael Hoomanawanui Scouting Reports

If you understand the difficulties the Giants had in running the football in those aforementioned short-yardage situations, you have to absolutely love this assessment from Fantasy Football Toolbox.

Michael Hoomanawanui is an interesting draft prospect. Unlike most of the tight end prospects the past few years, Hoomanawanui has the size to be a devastating blocker at the professional level. Because he's not an explosive pass catcher, teams will likely bypass him early in the draft, but he will be a valuable pick later in the draft for a team looking to improve their run blocking. ... Hoomanawanui is likely to slip into the sixth or even seventh round, but develop into a Jim Kleinsasser type of tight end in the pros.

He is not much of a threat as a receiver, but he is a huge mauling blocker at the tight end position. ... Could be invaluable to an NFL team's running game.

From NFL Draft Scout comes this short and sweet report.

This 270-pound beast didn't enjoy much of a senior year between his ankle problems and his offense's inability to get the ball in his hands. "Uh-Oh" looks like a perfect candidate for an NFL team who wants a TE who can block and catch.

From the National Football Post.

He isn't going to threaten the seam vertically and has a tendency to drift in and out of his routes. He does a nice job getting his head around quickly to find the ball and possesses good concentration over the middle of the field when asked to catch the ball and absorb the hit. However, he lets the ball get into his body too much and isn't a natural plucker on the move.

He showcases good feel vs. zone coverage and exhibits the awareness to feel out a soft spot and sit down in coverage. He's a good blocker who showcases base strength and has the ability to slide his feet and anchor on the edge. Hoomanawanui possesses impressive body control on the move and knows how to stay on blocks in both the run and pass game. He looks like a potential No. 2 tight end at the next level.

Why Hoomanawanui fits with the Giants

Because the Giants don't appear to have anyone like him, and their running game suffers for it. So does Kevin Boss' production as a receiving threat for Eli Manning. If the Giants want to get better in short-yardage situations they need to be able to put personnel on the field capable of winning a one-one battle at the point of attack.

Why the Giants should pass

With Pascoe and Scott Chandler already on the roster, along with Darcy Johnson and Travis Beckum, the Giants already have a bunch of backup tight end types. If they don't want to use a roster spot on a pure blocker, maybe they will begin to use an extra lineman as a blocking tight end.

(E-mail Ed at bigblueview@gmail.com. Follow Big Blue View on Twitter.)