2014 NFL Draft: Crockett Gillmore Scouting Report

Tight end is one of the frequently-discussed positions for the Green Bay Packers leading up to the 2014 NFL Draft, and though many Packers fans expect the team to draft a tight end early, late-round tight ends will also be critical to examine for the team. Today, we look at one such prospect, Crockett Gillmore.

So who is this Gillmore fella?

Gillmore is a senior tight end out of Colorado State University who calls Bushland, Texas home (the same hometown as fellow CSU prospect Weston Richburg). Gillmore split time between tight end and defensive end during his first two years and Gillmore wasn't made a permenent tight end until his junior year. During his senior year Gillmore caught 43 balls for 533 yards and two touchdowns. Gillmore received an invite for the East-West Shrine game following the conclusion of CSU's bowl game and was later added to the Senior Bowl due to injuries. At the Senior Bowl, Gillmore caught 6 balls for 84 yards.

How did he do in the combine?

Gillmore measured in a 6'6 260lbs at the combine. He ran his 40 yard dash in 4.89 seconds and posted a 33.5 inch vertical jump, a 10' broad jump, a 7.42 second 3-cone drill and and a 4.44 second 20-yard shuttle.

Not too shabby, how does he look on film?

First of all, a little disclaimer here, there were only a handful of games that were available to watch so take anything I write here with a grain of salt (which is probably a good idea anyways). The first thing you notice about Gillmore is that he's not tremendously explosive off the line despite measurable indicators suggesting he should be. He doesn't fire off the line with much rate of force and he's slow out of cuts or changing directions. That said, there are plenty of positive elements to Gillmore's game. Though he doesn't have the explosiveness to jar anyone off the snap when he run blocks, he has decent leg drive and can move defenders off the line. As a nice little bonus, Gillmore finishes his blocks well and posted several pancake blocks because his opponent let up and Gillmore stuck them straight on their rear ends. Never a bad thing to see. Gillmore also has decent hand placement and does a good job of not letting blockers disengage from him once he's latched on.

Gillmore's feet look a little slow and his lateral movement was stiff and jerky when he was asked to pass block, allowing faster ends to get the edge on him every so often. Even so, Gillmore had good hand placement and used his reach effectively. So basically Gillmore evened out to an average pass protector. If he can improve his footwork and ability to move laterally, he could eventually be an above average one.

As I said before, Gilmore isn't particularly quick off the line and this applied to situations where he went out on routes as well. Gillmore also seemed too easily redirected off the snap when defensive linemen rode him down (when a defender hits a tight end coming off the line before pursuing pass-rushing or run defense responsibilities). When Gillmore got out on his route, they looked efficiently run and though he wasn't explosive out of his cuts, he was smooth and seemed to still be able to achieve separation. When the ball came to Gillmore, he showed wonderful hands and showing very good concentration when asked to catch the ball in traffic. Gillmore also showed some run-after the catch ability, displaying good balance to stay on his feet for extra yardage after initial contact. He'll never shake and bake anybody but he can sure as heck run some people over.

So what's a good draft slot for Gillmore?

Basically what you have in Gillmore is Tom Crabtree who's a bit more polished in the passing game with a little more athletic upside. Gillmore certainly has room to grow from both a technique and athletic perspective, but he'll probably never develop into a starting quality player. He will likely end up a quality second or third tight end who will serve as a good run blocker and decent pass protector who can contribute to the passing game every so often. So, Tom Crabtree. I'd say early- to mid-fifth round sounds about right here.

Highlights!

Sorry, you get an edited game instead.

Crockett Gillmore vs Colorado State (2013) (via Aaron Aloysius)