2014 NFL Prospect Profile: C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa

There's no question that the New York Giants need to upgrade the tight end position. The now-retired Kevin Gilbride mentioned as much when he referenced Brandon Myers as a player who could be a good number 2 tight end. Today we'll use our 2014 NFL Draft prospect profile to look at a guy who doesn't get a ton of publicity, but who could be what the Giants are looking for at tight end. That would be Iowa tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz.

Pros

- Great size and big hands (measured in 6-foot-5, 262 pounds with 10 5/8" hands at the Senior Bowl)

- Catches the ball well and provides a large catching radius. He also does a good job of shielding defenders away from the football.

- A plus blocker. He fires off the snap in the blocking game and has the strength to move guys of the ball

- He is a good athlete, but he is not in the same class as a Jimmy Graham or Eric Ebron from this draft class

- Pro ready. Good enough to come in and be a helpful blocker today and could start for whatever team drafts him.

Cons

- Limited production in college (is that because of system QB/play or something else?) and he is not a big-play YAC target tight end type.

Player comparison: Rob Gronkowski --This does not mean that he will be the type of player that Gronkowski is in the NFL or you should expect that kind of production and excellence, but they are built very similarly and if you read a scouting report between the two they will be similar. Now Gronkowski is a true football meat-head and was much more productive in college especially in the red-zone (which is his bread and butter now), but they are similar type athletes with similar size entering the league.

Does He Fit With The Giants?

I think based on what the Giants have preferred at tight end under Tom Coughlin he seems like a more likely option in the second or third round than Ebron might be in the first round. He can block, has soft hands and is a good underneath safety valve. Can he stretch the field a bit? Sure, but his strengths should be underneath, collecting first downs, and providing a big target in the red-zone.

Prospect Video

I have two videos for you this time because the first video (from 2013) is only a minute long. Both are from DcheeseB on youtube (draftbreakdown.com)

Big Board Rankings

Big Blue View - Not rated

Mocking The Draft - 88th

CBS Sports - 113th

Draft Countdown - 94th

Draft Tek - 92nd

Final Thoughts

I think Fiedorowicz is a player that NFL teams will like more than the draftnik community because teams will see the size and the speed (let's see what he runs at the combine) and couple that with the coaching that he received at Iowa (which is well-respected in the NFL) and his pro readiness as a positive thing. He's not flashy and players like Ebron, Jace Amaro, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins are more dynamic and have more potential, but Fiedorowicz is a starting-caliber player in the NFL and those are players that are usually drafted in the first 100 picks. If the Giants are hoping Adrien Robinson can bring the dynamic ability they may want to hedge their bet with a player like Fiedorowicz.