Alabama’s Howard is rocketing up lists
Former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard chose not to run the 40-yard dash during Wednesday afternoon’s pro day in Tuscaloosa.
With very good reason. The 6-foot-6, 251-pounder ran the 40 in 4.51 seconds last weekend at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. Howard’s time not only ranks among the top dozen for tight ends at the scouting event since 2000 but is the fastest ever for any invitee measuring 6-6, 250 or larger.
“I was really happy with that,” Howard told reporters Wednesday.
“I have been putting in a lot of work this whole offseason training for my 40. To get the results I wanted was a great feeling.”
Howard participated in some position drills for the 75 NFL representatives inside the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility, further showcasing the characteristics that could place him among the top 20 selections in April’s draft.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper projected Howard to the New England Patriots in January as the last pick of the first round. Kiper’s second mock draft released last month pegged him for the Tennessee Titans as the 18th overall selection.
“He’s clearly the No. 1 tight end,” Kiper said Wednesday on the SEC Network. “He’s not just a guy you can look at as a glorified wide receiver. With his size, athletic prowess, toughness and versatility, he’s in the middle of the first round. I look at Tennessee or Miami (22nd overall) taking him, but he will be the first tight end coming off the board.”
The last tight end taken in the first round was North Carolina’s Eric Ebron, who went 10th overall to the Detroit Lions in 2014. Ebron has a combined 108 receptions for 1,248 yards the past two seasons.
Howard’s speed complements his physical play, with Pro Football Focus labeling him the best run-blocking tight end in college football last year. There is also a reliability factor, because Howard dropped just six passes combined in his final three seasons with the Crimson Tide.
“Tight end is kind of a unique position now in terms of how people use them,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters Wednesday. “It’s hard to find someone you can split out like a lot of people want to use, a guy who can play in as a blocker, and a guy who can play off the ball and do the things that are more fullback-like.
“To find a guy who can do all three of those things is really difficult, and O.J. is one of those guys who can do that.”
This time last year, Howard was coming off MVP honors
in the national championship game after tallying five receptions for a whopping 208 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-40 outlasting of Clemson. This past season, he had a career-best 45 catches for 595 yards and three touchdowns, with another 106 yards in the title rematch against the Tigers, a 35-31 loss.
Howard was not always as productive as he wanted and didn’t collect another national championship as a senior, but returning for his final season certainly wound up enhancing his draft outlook.
“I knew I could improve in the run game and as a football player from the mental and physical standpoints of the game,” Howard said. “It was the right decision. I improved a lot. It was the best decision I could have made.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.