St. Louis Rams Pre-Draft Position Overview: Tight End

Dec 15, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams tight end Lance Kendricks (88) catches a four yard touchdown pass against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Draft is a little more than two weeks away, and to get you guys ready for it we have been taking a look at every position on the Rams roster. We will dicuss what the Rams have at the position, what the Rams need at the position, if they should draft somebody at the position, and lastly a position grade. Today we look at the tight end spot.

What The Rams Have

1. Jared Cook

2. Cory Harkey

3. Lance Kendricks

Last offseason the Rams made it out of free agency pretty good when they brought Jared Cook to St. Louis to join his former head coach. Cook was the Rams leading receiver last season hauling in 51 receptions for 671 yards and five touchdowns. However, Cook didn’t help the Rams’ drop problems as he lead tight ends in dropped passes. Either way, Cook made plays, and expect many more from him in 2014 with the return of Bradford.

Cory Harkey is the type of player everybody loves. He’s a hard worker that is under the radar, but yet continues to make plays i.e. 31 yard touchdown catch and run against the Saints. Harkey also comes in and plays full back or is used as the third tight end if the the Rams need an extra blocker.

Lance Kendricks may be the most under appreciated out of the group. Although he also has his share of dropped passes, when Kendricks’ switch is on, he can make big plays and continues to be a threat in the red zone as he had four touchdowns last season. Kendricks had an off year with the emergence of Cook in the passing game, but don’t be surprised if he bounces back in 2014.

What The Rams Need

Generally speaking, the Rams are pretty solid at the tight end position. Sure, a tight end that can focus for an entire game rather than only when the switch is on would be nice, but the trio of Cook, Kendricks, and Harkey is a solid group.

Should The Rams Address This Need In The Draft?

I don’t think this is a need that the Rams have to address in the draft. If they would like to add more depth behind Harkey, that is something that they could do in the later rounds or even sign a rookie after the draft. Just don’t go expecting the Rams to take a tight end in the first round.

Grade: A-

The Rams don’t have a Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski, but they do have a solid play making tight end in Jared Cook and then they have good depth behind him in Kendricks and Harkey. This grade may seem a little high, but just go ask Tom Brady if he would have liked one of these guys last season when Gronk went down.

The Rams have a solid group of guys at this position with solid depth. The tight end position may actually a position in which the Rams seem set and will not need to address immediately.