With the No. 102 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns selected tight end Jordan Cameron out of USC, who definitely sounds like an intriguing prospect. He is a former basketball player who played in college at BYU his freshman season. Eventually he transferred to USC to play football as a wide receiver, where he rarely saw action in 2008 and 2009. This past season, he made the move to tight end and caught 16 passes for 126 yards and 1 touchdown.
I didn't expect us to draft a receiving tight end, but I'll embrace the move because it fits in with what we're trying to accomplish with the West Coast Offense. Cameron is 6-5 and 254 pounds; imagine him, Greg Little at 6-3, and Evan Moore at 6-6 creating matchup problems for opposing teams this season. One of the things I loved about Colt McCoy was the throws he made to a taller receiver like Moore. After the jump is a scouting report on Cameron from Sideline Scouting.
Positives: Natural athleticism... Good size... Very good speed... Gets off the line quickly... A bit raw but runs reasonably good routes... Good flexibility, body control and balance... Good short area quickness... Reaches top speed quickly... Can get separation... Can stretch the field... Good receiver... Good hands... Can win jump balls... Can make tough catches... Catches the ball away from his body... Long arms... Is more of a flex tight end, can put his hand down on the end of the line, split out wide or go in motion to create a mismatch... Could also be considered as an H-Back... Has the frame to add some needed extra bulk... Has tremendous upside, played basketball at BYU and USC and joined the football team as a reserve wide receiver prior to the 2008 season... Among tight ends, was top five in bench press reps and broad jump and in the top three in every other drill at the combine.
Negatives: Lacks ideal awareness in zone coverage... Does not have a whole lot of blocking experience... Below average in-line blocker... Gets too upright... Lacks ideal bulk... Doesn't generate much power... Allows defenders to make first contact and will lose battles for leverage... Inconsistent technique... Limited football experience, saw very limited action in just 11 games prior to the 2010 season... Did not catch a pass until he senior year... Doesn't get thrown to enough... Still raw, a big time boom or bust type prospect.