Gavin Escobar: 5 Things You Need to Know About the San Diego State TE

Former San Diego State tight end Gavin Escobar might not be the best-known prospect in the 2013 NFL Draft, but he's an exciting player who should be able to improve an offense early in his career.

While he was never able to be an every-down starter for San Diego State, he should fit right in with the current landscape of a pass-happy NFL.

Here are five things you need to know about Escobar as he heads into the next level. 

Background

Full Name: Gavin Escobar

Date of Birth: February 3, 1991

Hometown: Rancho Santa Margarita, California

High School: Santa Margarita Catholic High School

Major: Public Administration

Year: Junior

Escobar was never really considered a top prospect coming out of high school. Rivals.com had him ranked as a 2-star recruit and his only scholarship offer came from San Diego State.

Along with football, Escobar also played basketball in high school.

Statistics

Since Escobar could never cement his status as an every-down tight end for San Diego State, his statistics never really matched what people felt he could truly do.

After redshirting his freshman season, Escobar made a small impact during his first season in 2010. He improved quite a bit in 2011, but saw a dip in his overall statistics during his junior season. 

While Escobar did appear to become a better receiver over the course of his college career, he never improved enough as a blocker to cement his status as a top tight end.

YEAR	REC	YDS	YDS/REC	TD
2010	29	323	11.1	4
2011	51	780	15.3	7
2012	42	543	12.9	6

All statistics courtesy of sports-reference.com.

Draft Process

Measurements

Height: 6'6"

Weight: 254 lbs.

Arm Length: 33.625"

Hand Size: 9.75"

Combine Results

40-Yard Dash: 4.84 seconds

Vertical Jump: 32"

Broad Jump: 114"

Three-Cone Drill: 7.07 seconds

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.31 seconds

60-Yard Shuttle: 11.86 seconds

Pro Day Results

40-Yard Dash: 4.73 seconds

Bench Press: 12 reps

Measurements and combine results courtesy of NFL.com.

Pro day results courtesy of WalterFootball.com.

Interesting Facts

Despite never putting up killer statistics in college, Escobar was named to the All-Conference Team in each of his three seasons. His first season was as a Second Team All-MWC, while his second and third seasons saw him bring home First Team All-MWC honors.

What's even crazier is that Escobar only started six games during the 2010 season. However, that season turned out to be Escobar's best statistical year for the Aztecs.

Observations

Escobar's biggest weakness is his blocking. However, Josh Norris of Rotoworld.com saw some improvement in this respect over the course of the tight end's college career:

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Working back on 2011 games for Gavin Escobar. His blocking, at least on first contact, was much better. Love how he always hands catches.

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) March 17, 2013

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Sigmund Bloom, one of Bleacher Report's NFL draft lead writers, isn't quite as high on Escobar as others may be. In fact, Bloom goes as far as to say that one of Escobar's former teammates, Brice Butler, will actually have a bigger impact at the next level:

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If #SDSU is going to produce a dynamic NFL pass catcher in the 2013 draft class, it'll be Brice Butler, not Gavin Escobar

— Sigmund Bloom (@SigmundBloom) April 15, 2013

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In terms of overall ball skills, Todd McShay of ESPN feels that Escobar is tops in the 2013 draft class among tight ends:

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Ertz and Eifert have very good hands, but best ball skills grade I gave to TEs went to SDSU TE Gavin Escobar

— Todd McShay (@McShay13) February 23, 2013

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