2012 NFL Draft: Big Pro Day Lands Coby Fleener on Giants' First-Round Radar

Most of the media attention heading into Thursday's pro day at Stanford University may have been focused on quarterback Andrew Luck, but the exemplary showing put forth by another Cardinal standout may have placed him squarely in the first-round crosshairs of the defending Super Bowl champions in this April's NFL draft.

Of the number of Stanford stars present at the pro day, tight end Coby Fleener may have had the finest performance of all, and as Pro Football Talk reports, the 6'6", 247-pound senior wowed scouts, coaches and the media with his speed and athleticism in Palo Alto.

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Multiple reports had Fleener running in the mid-4.4s in the forty. ESPN’s Todd McShay had Fleener at 4.45, and so did CBS’ Bruce Feldman.

Mayock’s stopwatch read 4.51, but it’s still a very fast time for a 6-foot-6, 247-pound human being.

“That is flying at 247,” said Mayock. Mayock also reported that Fleener had a 37-inch vertical and broad jump north of 10-feet. “They’re extremely athletic numbers,” Mayock added. “Those are defensive back, wide receiver-type numbers.”

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Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle was another reporter impressed by what he saw from Fleener, and Tafur tweeted that Fleener, who had 34 receptions for 667 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2011, may well have staked his claim as the 2012 NFL draft's top tight end and worked his way into the draft's first round after his outstanding outing.

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TE Fleener 4.45. Might join Luck and 2 OL in first round. twitpic.com/8zuyvg

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"— Vittorio Tafur (@VittorioTafur) March 22, 2012"

If that's indeed the case, the New York Giants, who possess the last pick of the draft's first round after winning Super Bowl XLVI, may very well take a very long look at Fleener. The team has a huge hole at the tight end position after both starter Jake Ballard and reserve Travis Beckum both suffered torn ACLs in the Super Bowl that leave their availability for the beginning of the 2012 season in doubt. Fleener would not only plug that gap, but provide quarterback Eli Manning with another potent weapon in the passing game.

The Giants have developed a reputation over the past several seasons as a team that prefers to draft according to the best-player-available strategy as opposed to filling a need, but after Fleener's showing Thursday in California, it appears that the end of the first round in this April's draft may present New York with a golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone by selecting the third-team All-American.

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