With the No. 34 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts have selected Coby Fleener, top tight end prospect for the Stanford Cardinal. Fleener is perhaps the most complete tight end out there in this draft, catching passes for Andrew Luck and helping block things out for the potent Cardinal rushing attack. Now, Fleener will team back up with Luck, who was taken first overall by the Colts.
With Doug Baldwin and Ryan Whalen departing for the NFL last year, Fleener had to shoulder more of the load for the Stanford passing offense, piling up a team-high ten receiving touchdowns. With Chris Owusu injured much of the year and no other deep vertical passing threats to rely on, Luck had to rely on the impressive tight end trio of Fleener, Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo to power up their passing game, and Stanford still racked up a passing efficiency that was top five overall. It remains to be seen whether Fleener will start on his new team or be part of a tight end rotation.
Here's what Mocking The Draft had to say about Fleener in their scouting report:
Final word: Throughout the offsesaon process, Fleener has become everyone's favorite tight end. He's got impressive size, great straight-line speed. His strengths are evident. But Fleener is more of a receiving tight end than anything else. He's a little behind as a blocker and not overly elusive after the catch. Fleener is probably be the first tight end drafted, but he'll need to be put in the right situation to be fully utilized.
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