C.J. Fiedorowicz NFL Draft 2014: Highlights, Scouting Report for Texans TE

C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa (HT: 6'5.5", WT: 262 lbs)

Houston Texans

Third Round: 65th Pick

NFL Comparison: John Carlson, TE, Minnesota Vikings

Height	Weight	Arms	Hands
6'5.5"	265 lbs	33"	10.25"

40-Yard Dash	Bench Press	Vertical	Broad Jump	3-Cone Drill	Shuttle
4.76	25	31.5"	9'8"	7.10	4.26

Positives

• Prototypical size and strength.
• Reliable hands as a short-yardage possession receiver.
• Has a reputation as a hard worker and a respected teammate—given Coaches Appreciation award in 2013.
• A tough, physical and scrappy blocker. 
• Displays consistent fundamentals when blocking on the move—decisive and clearly understands his assignments. 
• Shows decent athleticism in tight spaces.
• Good body control—knows how to position himself when in tight coverage and when working along the sideline.
• Does a nice job adjusting to poorly thrown balls.
• Height and overall length gives him an impressive catch radius.
• Strong field awareness and is capable of finding space against zone coverage. 
• Extremely durable throughout his career.
• Has experience on special teams coverage.

Negatives

• Performed well in agility drills at the combine, but the same athleticism doesn't seem to translate to the field.
• Slow and choppy release off the line of scrimmage. 
• Speed is limited—will never be able to consistently break free down the field. 
• Can easily be shut down as a receiver by athletic linebackers and safeties. 
• When facing man coverage, he's rarely able to lose the defender and relies heavily on his ability to box out the defender and snag short passes.
• Despite his height, he lacks the explosive athleticism to excel in jump-ball situations.
• Not a threat after the catch.
• Lacks the quick footwork and overall agility to make defenders miss in space. 
• Struggles blocking more athletic edge-rushers (was burned by Ohio State's Ryan Shazier multiple times in 2013 matchup). 
• Can be too aggressive as a blocker at times, overextending and losing balance.
• Has struggled at times with ball security.
• Tends to hold the ball away from his body and has coughed up some fumbles—as a possession receiver with limited after-the-catch ability, he must improve in this area.

Year	School	Rec	Yards	Yds/Rec	TD
2011	Iowa	16	167	10.4	3
2012	Iowa	45	433	9.6	1
2013	Iowa	30	299	10.0	6

Personal Notes

• 2013 first-team All-Big Ten selection and 2012 honorable mention.
• Successful high school basketball player who was recruited by some D-I schools.
• Also ran track in high school.

Ratings Chart

Chart created at nces.ed.gov

Overall

Fiedorowicz is the prototypical No. 2 tight end. He can contribute in every aspect of the game: blocking, receiving and special teams. However, his limited athleticism holds him back in every area. Like most No. 2 tight ends in the NFL, he is most valuable as a blocker but has the skills necessary to occasionally break free off the line of scrimmage and make some key short-yardage receptions to help move the chains. While his ceiling is clearly limited, he's the type of valuable role player every good team needs.

Draft Projection: Fourth or fifth round.