IOWA never used Kittle correctly, and San Fran got a major gift because of it, Oklahoma St did exactly the same thing with Jelani Woods. In 3 seasons with OKSt he had 31 catches for 361 yards and 4 TD’s. 2021 with Virginia, 44 receptions for 598 yards and 8 TD’s.
Jelani Woods is the most underrated tight end in the nation. He has shown week in and week out why he should have been getting the ball more at Oklahoma State. I am not sure what the Cowboys were doing, but the Cavaliers have the right idea. Feed your tight end, because the kid has a ton of God-given natural talent. He is impressive and I would not be shocked if he hears his name called in the 2022 NFL Draft. – Damond Talbot, Owner, NFL Draft Diamonds
Jelani Woods had 45 targets over three seasons at Oklahoma State before transferring to Virginia. His year in Charlottesville was next-level.
Woods, a 6’7”, 265-pound tight end, is now a top NFL prospect, and will work toward his pro career with an appearance in the East-West Shrine Bowl on Feb. 3 in Las Vegas.
In 2021, Woods was targeted 71 times, with 44 catches, 598 yards and eight TDs. That’s Heath Miller territory right there.
So, no senior bowl but he’s going to be in the Shrine game.
We could definitely use a tight end, although I thought Brock Wright showed some promise when his number got called. And he was involved in some of the trick plays too which may speak to the coaching staff’s confidence in him.
However, I think TE is a position we very well could draft at some point. Where is this dude projected to go as of now? And yes, big guy! To my untrained eye his route running didn’t look too polished but that’s like having a DE or a center in basketball running and catching kind of, right? Like John Madden used to say (paraphrasing) “the reason there aren’t a lot of good TEs in football is because they all play basketball”
I see a long-legged UDFA, not anything like George Kittle. He has a weird build. Just look at how he’s able to bend forward and lower his head below his hips while running. Those legs provide a very large target area in the NFL.
Tight ends with professional prospects shouldn’t go to Oklahoma State, Gundy doesn’t use them. Pettigrew was terribly underused. I can’t remember Blake Jarwin ever catching a pass. I certainly don’t blame Woods for transferring. It was hard to get a read on just how good a player he was because we just didn’t use him in the offense. Pretty sure he came to school as a QB originally though I might be confusing him with someone else.
Anyway, my closer comp to Kittle is Ruckert. That guy was underused at Ohio State but I think he’s gonna be a much better pro.
Yep, funny to watch. Angry runner with the ball. The comparison to Kittle is less about style and more about being over looked. Kittle went in the 5th, there are boards that have Woods going anywhere from the 4th to UDFA. When he got his chances on a below average team with few weapons he did well. There were plays where he lined up as an outside WR vs CB’s that were almost a foot shorter, talk about a mismatch. Fact is we need a TE and this draft is deep, but Woods is my guy because we have a lot of late round draft capital and we’re not looking for a #1. Red Zone target is spot on, chain mover is as well. 2 TE sets and a healthy dose of running the ball next year, WR all of a sudden isn’t as critical.
George Kittle senior year at IOWA…22 receptions for 314 yards. Woods at OK State, worse. Woods at Virginia, almost exactly double Kittle’s senior year output.
