Following in the tradition of great tight ends like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, Gavin Escobar is a former high school basketball star that transitioned to tight end with great success (albeit a bit earlier than the two aforementioned greats). The former San Diego State star’s basketball skills show on the field with his ability to go up and beat any defender for a jump ball and his great footwork. In my opinion, Escobar is the second-best tight end in this year’s draft class and should be taken before Zach Ertz, so let’s take a look at what’s so impressive about this tight end.
| Ht | Wt | Class | Ranking | Projection |
| 6'6" | 254 | Junior | 55 | Second-Third Round |
Strengths
Hands: Escobar’s incredible hands rival those of fellow tight end prospect Tyler Eifert for the best in this year’s class. He can haul the ball in from anywhere near him and will NEVER use his body to catch a pass.
Athleticism: For being 6’6” and 254 pounds, Escobar is quick, with exceptional footwork. Just look at his combine performance, where he lead all tight ends in the three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle and 60-yard shuttle. While his 4.84 second 40-yard dash proves he’s not incredibly fast, Escobar makes up for it with extremely long strides that allow him to cover large distances quickly.
Route Runner: Another category where Escobar comes in second only to Eifert among tight ends. Escobar runs crisp, clean and tight routes as good as or better than most receivers.
Weaknesses
Blocking: The biggest reason Escobar isn’t being projected higher is his complete lack of blocking ability. He often looks lost and confused. He also lunges too early and leads with his elbows. Escobar will have to improve at least his run-blocking ability if he hopes to be the main tight end for any team.
Elusiveness: Once Escobar catches the ball and takes off downfield, he’s not going to impress anyone with his open-field moves. He really has no elusive moves to avoid tacklers when running in the open field. This will be a problem against big, powerful and fast safeties at the next level.
Straight-Line Speed: Like I touched on before, despite being very athletic for his size, Escobar is not very fast at all when running flat out. Corners, safeties and even some linebackers won’t have a problem chasing Escobar down after he makes a catch.
Bottom Line
Escobar is a talented and athletic route runner and pass catcher. His hands are nearly unmatched and almost no defender, at any level, will be able to beat him for a jump ball. That said, at this point he translates more to a Jermichael Finley type tight end - that frequently lines up in the slot and outside and isn’t counted on too often to block; which is good, because his blocking is the worst. He will seriously need to work on improving his technique if he hopes to really reach his full potential in the NFL. Escobar isn’t the fastest tight end by any means, but he’s quick enough to be a playmaker at the next level.