Coby Fleener Realizing His Potential, Developing into Solid TE for Colts Offense

The "problem" with Colts tight end Coby Fleener—if you want to call it a problem—was always the expectations. 

When the Colts drafted Fleener in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft, there was immediate hoopla about the potential of Fleener and former Stanford teammate Andrew Luck together. 

Fleener was the uber-athletic tight end prospect with a decent amount of college production but more potential than past evidence of dominance. Scouts, coaches and fans fell in love with his measurables, like his eye-popping 4.51-second 40-yard dash (The fastest 40 time in the NFL combine for a tight end in the last four years was James Hanna's 4.49 in 2012). 

Both Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers head coach at the time, and an unnamed NFC scouting director compared Fleener to Saints' tight end Jimmy Graham during pre-draft work, according to the Chicago Tribune's Dan Pompei. 

While blocking tight ends have their uses (just ask former Stanford and current Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton), athletic, matchup-killing tight ends are all the rage in the current passing age of the NFL, and Fleener was a prized possession in 2012. 

But when his rookie season rolled around, it wasn't Fleener terrorizing NFL defenses but fellow rookie Dwayne Allen, who was drafted one round after Fleener in the 2012 draft. Fleener missed four games, but when he was on the field, his production simply didn't match Allen's. 

Player	Catches	Yards	TDs	DVOA (Rank)	PFF Grade (Rank)
Coby Fleener	26	281	2	-3.6% (32)	+3.2 (31)
Dwayne Allen	45	521	8	14.8% (9)	+23.9 (2)

The former Clemson product didn't have the same straight-line speed that Fleener did, but he was quicker and stronger at the catch point, which meant more contested catches and separation against man coverage. Throw in Allen's blocking, which was exceptional, and you got one of the most exciting, well-rounded tight ends in the game. 

Fleener, on the other hand, was maddening. His hands were inconsistent, especially if he encountered any resistance from defenders, and he struggled to get separation. Despite his speed, he wasn't a big-play threat, catching just one pass aimed more than 10 yards down the field. 

Part of the problem was the coaching. Fleener was routinely asked to be more of a possession receiver and emergency outlet rather than a downfield threat. That would continue into his sophomore season, when Hamilton perplexingly used Fleener close to the line of scrimmage despite having used Fleener as a deep threat off play action constantly at Stanford. 

With Allen out for the season with a hip injury, Fleener racked up the receptions (52) but for a middling 11.7 yards per reception and a below-average 1.26 yards per route run, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His issues with contested catches continued, and he simply left a lot to be desired. 

It wasn't that 52 receptions for 608 yards was bad production for a second-year tight end, but with his athleticism, fans wanted more efficiency, as Fleener still finished with a poor Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) from Football Outsiders (minus-11.3 percent, 42nd in the league). 

You could see the potential for big things with Fleener, but he instead racked up empty catches and meaningless yards without picking up many scores or first downs. 

This season, however, has been a different story. 

Part of it is Fleener's development. The third-year tight end has shown improved instincts reading coverages and has transformed from a horrific blocker to a sort-of-OK, passable blocking tight end. The latter has been a big part of the Colts' flexibility in passing from run-heavy formations while the former has been key in some third-down connections from Luck to Fleener. 

For example, there was this crucial third down in the Colts' comeback win over the Browns. 

NFL Game Rewind

On the game-winning drive, the Colts faced a 3rd-and-10. Luck made Fleener his hot read prior to the snap, seeing the Browns showing blitz. When they brought the extra pass-rushers and went into a Cover Zero, it left Fleener with a free release to the middle with the safety having too much ground to cover for a quick throw. Both Fleener and Luck being on the same page made the play virtually unstoppable against the Browns' play call. 

Fleener's also been more aggressive this season going up for contested catches. 

While he's dropped more passes than any fan would like and has still struggled when catching the ball in traffic, he's shown more of an ability to make the tough catches occasionally. 

On Sunday, for example, Fleener went up and caught a well-thrown fade from Matt Hasselbeck for an eight-yard touchdown, part of a five-catch, 56-yard, two-TD performance. He's been able to do it a few other times this season as well. 

"

#colts Cody Fleener goes up and gets it on third down. #patriots https://t.co/4sQXL5M28Z

— Patriots Girl (@_PatsGirl) November 17, 2014"

Again, you see the potential. While he hasn't quite put it together completely, the progress is clearly being made. 

But while Fleener has improved individually, the biggest reason for his statistical jump has been Hamilton's usage of the tight end.

With Allen back this season, the Colts have used more two-tight end sets with heavy play-action use. From there, they can run a three-receiver set with Fleener split out wide, giving them plenty of versatility from play to play. Occasionally, they'll bring in a third tight end and go even more run-heavy. 

All of it combines to open up zones in the defense for Fleener to run into, and he's been able to do it with ease this season. 

Sure, Fleener still struggles to get separation in man coverage due to a lack of quick-twitch athleticism, but his speed is still very useful in getting open. When coverages break down or are fooled by play action, for example, Fleener's speed ensures that the breakdown stays open longer than it would with a slower player. 

So on some level, Hamilton deserves miles and miles of credit for getting Fleener so wide open every week, but Fleener's speed and awareness contributes as well, and it's worked out beautifully. Fleener has become the deep threat that fans envisioned when he was drafted even if it hasn't quite materialized in consistent seam throws over linebackers and safeties yet. 

Fleener jumped up to 15.6 yards per reception this year (third in the league) and 1.63 yards per route run (11th), per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). His overall efficiency has jumped with it, and while his DVOA still doesn't match Allen, he ranks in the top 20 and is in the top 15 in Football Outsiders' Defense-Adjusted Yards Above Replacement (DYAR).

It's all a part of Hamilton's transforming of the Colts into one of the league's best big-play units along with T.Y. Hilton's dominance and rookie Donte Moncrief's emergence as a deep threat. Safeties simply have too many options to track when the Colts start sending people deep, especially if the offensive line gives Luck time. 

Regardless of whether the Colts make a deep playoff run or not, Fleener's use has been a bright spot this season. Fans and media have come to grips with the fact that Fleener won't ever be Rob Gronkowski and that it may take time to become anywhere near Graham's peak level. 

But finally in the right role, Fleener is putting up high levels of total production with above-average efficiency. 

If anybody doesn't think Coby Fleener is meeting expectations any longer, something is wrong with the expectations.