For the second time in four years, the Cincinnati Bengals exhausted a first-round pick on a tight end. They did so after Jermaine Gresham earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons.
The idea behind Cincinnati's selection of Tyler Eifert is to build what the New England Patriots have in Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. The issue here is that Andy Dalton is no Tom Brady and Gresham doesn't compre in any way to either Hernandez or Gronkowski.
On the other hand, Eifert is my favorite tight end prospect to enter the draft since Vernon Davis in 2006, which is mighty high praise considering that Davis went No. 6 overall that season.
Will Eifert take over for Gresham as Dalton's favorite target outside of A.J. Green? If so, will that limit Gresham's fantasy value? Maybe the two will split targets, which could impact both of their fantasy production.
Time to compare and contrast, starting with the veteran.
Jermaine Gresham
Gresham finished the '12 season as a bottom-tier TE1 option. He ranked 11th overall at that position in total points, which placed him right at the bottom in terms of production in standard 12-team leagues. In addition, Gresham ranked 16th among qualifed tight ends in reception percentage. The latter number is alarming considering that Gresham is unlikely to match the 5.75 targets per game he received last season, especially with Eifert in the fold and a healthy Mohamed Sanu as other receiving options. It's also important to take into account the fact that rookie running back Giovani Bernard is a stellar pass catcher out of the backfield as well.
I don't envision a scenario where Gresham is able to match either his reception or yardage numbers from a season ago. That puts him squarely in the conversation as a decent TE2 in standard 12-team, non-PPR leagues. Moving forward, he is a middle of the row dynasty option, especially with Eifert in the fold.
2013 Stat Projections: 53 receptions, 585 yards and four touchdowns
Tyler Eifert
When looking at Eifert's college stats, nothing really jumps out. He tallied just 11 touchdowns in three seasons at Notre Dame and averaged roughly four catches per game over his last two seasons in South Bend. It doesn't take a college football expert to come to the conclusion that most of this had to do with lackluster play at quarterback for the Irish during that span.
Eifert did nab 72 percent of the passes thrown in his direction this past season. At 6'5" and 250 pounds, Eifert is a ridiculous matchup problem for opposing defenses. Linebackers are too slow to cover him underneath, while he is much too physical to be taken one-on-one against smaller cornerbacks and safeties. This is what Cincinnati was banking on when it selected him in the initial round of the '13 draft last month.
2013 Stat Projections: 65 receptions, 875 yards and eight touchdowns
In Comparison
When looking at statistical projections for these two talented tight ends, Eifert seems destined to be a top-seven fantasy tight end in 2013. Meanwhile, Gresham's regression in terms of targets indicates that he'll be in the conversation as a mid-tier TE2 option. Eifter brings with him a tremendous amount of mismatches for Dalton to work with in the passing game. This means that he'll be able to line up both outside the tackle and in the slot. He will be an immediate red-zone threat, which will enhance his fantasy production.
In terms of dynasty leagues, Eifert is a much stronger option. Cincinnati didn't exhaust a first-round pick on him in order to under utilize him. That's just not how it works in the National Football League. In the end, both might perform well this upcoming season, but Eifert has a much brighter future in Cincinnati.