Had Jermaine Gresham (Oklahoma) declared for the draft, the Big 12 would have produced the best 3 tight end prospects of the year. Instead, Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma St.) and Chase Coffman (Missouri) are about all there is to talk about.

Pettigrew is a good all around football player: not flashy or super speedy, but an excellent blocker and good pass catcher. He won’t wow anyone at the combine like Dustin Keller (New York Jets) did last year, but his play on the field spoke for itself. Run heavy teams probably will take a close look at Pettigrew in the late first round or early second.

The other top prospect is Missouri’s 6’6 ft. Chase Coffman. He is very athletic; he likes to leapfrog opponents for fun, which makes him more of a receiving end than a classic blocker. Still, a lot of teams are looking for that large receiver who can cause mismatches against linebackers. And Coffman could be that guy.

Other than those two, the rest of the talent is rather lackluster. Travis Beckum had a great season last year, but was disappointing on a particularly underachieving Wisconsin team. Also, he is kind of small for that position (weighs only 235 lbs), but he still has good potential.

And this concludes my 2009 NFL Draft At A Glance Series.  I hope you enjoyed it, and stay tuned for when I attempt to define the ideal football player at each position!