Brent Celek Is the Real Deal and His Numbers Prove It

When thinking of the top tight ends in football, a few names stick out. Most likely, you think of Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, and Antonio Gates.

However, I think the tight end landscape is about to change. The top five is going to be different this year. A new, young, little-known tight end will emerge and burst into elite status. He has already started.

I'm talking about Brent Celek.

Last year, Celek struggled to get onto the field thanks to the L.J. "Stone Hands" Smith. The Eagles' organization loved Smith for some reason. When L.J. was down, Celek showed he was worthy of a starting job. In the 2008 playoffs, Celek showed what he was made of. In just three playoff games, Celek caught 19 balls for 151 yards and three touchdowns. He was absolutely dominant against Arizona, hauling in 10 passes, two for touchdowns.

It was obvious after the playoffs that Celek was not meant to be a back-up tight end. In the offseason, the Eagles did not resign L.J. Smith, making Celek the starter.

Boy has he responded.

Through five games, Celek has 30 receptions for 378 yards and two touchdowns, all of which are regular season highs. He has more receptions than Jason Witten, Chris Cooley, Jeremy Shockey, Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez, and even Antonio Gates. He has the most reliable hands on the Eagles and is becoming Donovan McNabb's new favorite target. He is leading the Eagles in receiving.

The only cause for concern is Celek's blocking. Though it has improved from last year, he did struggle against the pass rush of the Oakland Raiders. However, I'm confident that Brent can work that out. The great ones always can.

If I were going to make a top 10 tight end list right now it would look something like this:

1. Dallas Clark

2. Owen Daniels

3. Jason Witten

4. Antonio Gates

5. Tony Gonzalez

6. Heath Miller

7. Brent Celek

8. Jeremy Shockey

9. Chris Cooley

10. Zach Miller

Brent will be in the top 5 by next season, if not by the end of this season.