How important is a TE

[PDub80]

I'm against Bowers in the 1st round. He is slight of build for an NFL TE. Google "Bowers standing next to Gronk" and he looks like a child standing next to a man. NFL TE's need some bulk to take the pounding and hold up blocks.

Also, name for me the last TE selected in the first round that lived up to anything near the draft position. Hockenson in 2019 & then who? Engram in 2017? Then Eifert? I mean, that is a SAVAGE ratio for a first round resource.

Look at the best TEs in the league & you'll find the majority are post 2nd rounders. My favorite TE last year, LaPorta, went higher than I expected in the early 2nd. Kincaid looks good, but wasn't some game changer for the Bills. Michael Meyer looks like a JAG. I understand these guys need time, but I think they Bengals buy a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th round TE time by bringing in a mid tier FA TE on a 2 or 3 year deal while the draft pick gets playing time sprinkled in.

The NFL scouts seem to look for players who check every box, which overlooks a lot of special guys at the TE position because it's such an odd role in college football that it's tough to tell who's truly the man amongst boys.