The tight end position looks thinner than usual this year. There don’t seem to be enough good ones to go around. With that in mind, Jake Butt looks like he’s worth a late-round pick.
The Broncos have a bunch of modest tight end prospects, all from Big Ten schools: Butt (Michigan), Jeff Heuerman (Ohio State) and Austin Taylor and Troy Fumagelli (both from Wisconsin). But Butt seems to be the one who’ll wind up starting.
“We like the potential there, we like what he can bring to the offense,” says John Elway in an article currently appearing at ESPN.
Denver selected Butt in the fifth round last year, but he likely would have been chosen in the second round if not for a nasty knee injury suffered in the Orange Bowl in his final college game. As a rookie, he didn’t play in any games and appeared in only a few practices.
“He looks healthy, finally,” Joseph said. “ ... Right now, he’s totally healthy ... We haven’t played a game yet, so I don’t know what Jake is going to be, but he’s very engaged, he’s worked hard, and he’s here every day.”
At Michigan, Butt was a first-team All-American in his last two seasons, catching 97 passes for 1,200 yards and 7 TDs. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but the Wolverines didn’t have a dynamic offense. Michigan averaged 223 passing yards in the 2015-16 seasons, with 41 TD passes in 26 games. Butt averaged 48 yards in his final two years.
In typical fantasy leagues, about 24 tight ends are chosen – 12 starters and 12 backups. Right now, Butt seems to make sense as one of the final backups chosen – a flyer-type pick who might develop into one of the top 15 players at the position.
—Ian Allan