NFL Draft Grades: Evaluating TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended the 2014 season with the worst offense in the NFL, but have quickly done work to add talent (big talent) on that side of the ball in the NFL Draft.

One day after adding Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans, the Bucs drafted Washington tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins with the 38th pick in the draft. So how did the Buccaneers do with this selection?

Talent: B

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, like his new teammate Mike Evans, has all the size you could ask for in a receiving target, and he knows how to use it. He's capable in the red zone and between the 20s as a huge target in the middle of the field.

He's also totally in control of his large frame, and has good, strong hands to pluck the ball out of the air no matter where it's thrown. Seferian-Jenkins stands at 6'6" tall, and has long arms, and can catch outside of his body. This makes him a huge target in the passing game, something the Buccaneers obviously covet.

Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com compared the man known as ASJ to Tony Gonzalez, saying both tight ends have elite quickness and speed for their size and position. There aren't many timed 40 yard dash reports online for the Washington product, but one news report says he was timed in the 4.5's in a workout this summer.

That size and speed, combined with capable hands and an understand of the route tree, means Seferian-Jenkins is an above average talent that the Buccaneers can use from day one.

Value: C

Like Evans before him, the Buccaneers didn't get a steal in Seferian-Jenkins, but he's not a reach either. The second round was the right time for him to come off the board, and the Buccaneers didn't want to risk moving back and not getting their man.

Some may say that Jace Amaro or another tight end presented a better option than Seferian-Jenkins, but most draft rankings had ASJ in the top-50 prospects, with at least one site (WalterFootball) ranking him in the top-20.

Fit: A

The Buccaneers are starting to reveal a trend in their selections, as they've added multiple big, strong receiving options in the 2014 NFL Draft.  So despite Jeff Tedford's claims of wanting speed in space, the Buccaneers have put together a group of targets that present size in space.

This means that the Buccaneers should never run a passing play without an open man to throw to, as any of the three top targets can catch a pass when covered by a smaller defensive back.

There are some who will complain and worry about the "big and slow" nature of the Bucs' offense as it stands, but both Evans and Seferian-Jenkins are very quick for their size, which presents a nightmare scenario for potential tacklers.

Overall: B

This pick gets the same overall grade as the last, as the Buccaneers have made a wise choice to continue to improve their offense and add a player with size and athleticism that defenses will struggle to stop.

There may not be as much speed on offense as some would like, but there's tons of talent, tons of upside, and a whole lot of size and strength.