Soon to be stars: Jimmy Graham

[jonathanlambert33]

Jimmy Graham entered the NFL last season with just one year of college football experience -- he played basketball during his undergrad years at Miami and took up football during his first year of graduate work -- but he far exceeded expectations as a rookie.

His quick assimilation has me jumping out of my chair to see what he will do in his second year, and this time next year we could very well be lumping him in with Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis and Jermichael Finley as the top pass-catching tight ends in the league.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/21433/soon-to-be-stars-jimmy-graham

He still has alot of room to get better, especially in run blocking, but this dude will be a stud for the Saints this season.

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[bosoxlover12]

i dont see him joining those 3

he's got a good future, but he isnt that good

 

[.infamous]

lol yeah no way he will be as good as them.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Notice it says pass catching, not actually in their category.

Gates and Davis is a push, but he can definitely have the same impact that Finley has for the Packers. Though the fact that the Saints spread the ball around more than any team in the NFL certainly hurts his "fantasy" numbers.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I could see Graham having the kind of season Gates had in 08 though. 60 catches, 700 yards, 8 scores.

 

[Hurricane Season]

Sky is the limit for this guy. With his combination of youth, size and freakish athleticism, there is no reason why he can't be as good or better than the guys mentioned.

You also have to keep in mind that he has only played football for two years. A guy that can make that kind of impact with such little experience not only in the NFL, but in the sport itself is pretty remarkable.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

i dont see him joining those 3

he's got a good future, but he isnt that good...yet

Fixed.

 

[SaintFan25]

I read this a couple weeks ago, pretty good article. I think he's got a lot of potential, as Hurricane said he's only played football for 2 years so he's just gonna get better especially with a quarterback like Brees.

 

[Mooche]

I laugh how nobody reads on this forum sometimes... PASS CATCHING tight ends. He has no reason why he can't jump into the same category as those guys. He has one of the best gun slingers in the NFL, and with Payton as the OC in New Orleans, he's going to get his chances to run down the field and catch the football. I love his athletic ability, the great basketball pedigree that he had coming into the NFL, has really helped him and he's going to special with some time.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I laugh how nobody reads on this forum sometimes... PASS CATCHING tight ends. He has no reason why he can't jump into the same category as those guys. He has one of the best gun slingers in the NFL, and with Payton as the OC in New Orleans, he's going to get his chances to run down the field and catch the football. I love his athletic ability, the great basketball pedigree that he had coming into the NFL, has really helped him and he's going to special with some time.

Not only does he have a top 3 QB in the NFL, but he has a QB who loves going to the TE.

Some of Antonio Gates best seasons were with Drew under center. With Drew he averaged 1,032 yards per season and 12 touchdowns, with Rivers he's averaged 943 yards and 9 touchdowns.

I excluded his rookie year and last year to put those numbers together.