OC Palmer likes rookie TE Taylor Thompson

What exactly makes a "raw" player have upside outside of physical attributes? If the draft has taught anyone anything it's how quick teams will jump on an upside player because of a 40... Or how high he can jump... Size compared to speed. 6'5 running a sub 4.5...

 

I never doubted size and speed. In NFL terms "raw" could mean anything, such as physical attributes or just not really being familiar with a position.

But in Taylor's situation, he has the physical attributes and he isn't familiar with the TE position.

 

Titans rookie tight end Taylor Thompson made three catches for 15 yards in his preseason debut, but he also turned the ball over.

The fumble occurred in the fourth quarter, as the Titans began a drive deep in their own territory. Thompson caught a four-yard pass from Rusty Smith, but Seattle defenders held him up, knocked the ball loose and recovered it at the Titans’ 12-yard line.

“We have been working hard and making a big deal about that in camp,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said. “They have to bring the ball back after they catch it and make sure it is secure. That is an example where he got held up.

“I’m not sure if he was hoping the whistle was going to get blown before he got tackled. But it wasn’t and they punched it out. It was a good learning experience for him and all the young guys about how they do that in this league.”

Thompson, the Titans’ fifth-round draft pick, was a defensive end in college before converting to tight end prior to the NFL Combine.

Source: Titans Insider

 

Hopefully he takes Stevens' job

 

He's not a blocking tight end. If he took someone's job, it would be Cook's.

 

Y'all funny.

 

He was doing a great job blocking vs the Seahawks. I was watching him, I don't even think one person pushed he past the LOS.

 

Please substitute the phrase "Blount trauma" for "Blount casualty".

 

Lets just hope Thompson isn't the next Michael Jasper. Bills just waved the one time defensive lineman turned Guard. Couldn't pick-up the offense. Taylor Thompson seems plenty smart enough to learn the offense, but he's got a lot of work til he's an NFL TE. You just can't be big and fast and think it'll work out.