Hated the Moeaki Pick...Now i LOVE it!
 

I actually played against this guy in high school, kid was soo good i hated his guts. I knew he was injury prone in college so i didnt see much of him but after watching this video, i keep seeing shades of Tony G! Same body type, and he does that basketball box out it seems like while making tough catches over the middle. Also runs well after the catch, and can block. I think this guy is going to be out TE for the next decade

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I love your enthusiasm, and I agree that he posesses a high skill set, but the guy needs to prove that he can stay on the field before I get super pumped.

I enjoy that every "highlight" package of him is the same 5 catches, and you can fit all of this career receptions in a 3 minute video.

Congratulations! You've just made the wonderful decision to draft Tony Moeaki! Like most new Moeaki owners, you're no doubt filled with questions about your new family member. We here at Black Heart Gold Pants will try our best to answer any questions you might have.

We drafted Tony Moeaki. That's a good thing, right? It certainly is, just as long as you pay no attention to that giant honking IF: his injury status.

Yeah, what's the deal with all the injuries? First, a quick rundown: During the fourth game of his junior year of 2007, Moeaki simultaneously suffered a dislocated elbow and a broken wrist, injuries similar to what befell Andrew Bogut. The rehab kept him out of action for the rest of the season and spring ball, then in 2008 (his second try at a junior year), he broke his foot during spring practices. That nagged at him for the entire year, causing lingering leg problems and eventually requiring a second off-season surgery. Also, he suffered two concussions during '08.

Then, sure enough, Moeaki missed three games this season with another ankle injury, though the third missed game was Arkansas State; Moeaki probably would have played if it were a Big Ten opponent. He shined from then on, though, displaying his athleticism with two long-YACed touchdowns against Michigan and a gorgeous touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone at Wisconsin. Those are on this highlight reel, but mind the language in the music; I think we caught an effenheimer in there.

So should we expect more injuries? Eh, tough to say. None of his injuries were affecting him terribly by the end of the year, and the only thing on the list of injuries that would be terribly relevant going forward would probably be the concussions, and even then, Tony Mo's not that far out of the norm for the NFL these days (a fact that makes us cringe, but it is what it is, we suppose).

Fine. Let's say he stays healthy. What kind of player do we have? Hoo boy. We realize we're homers here, but there's a reason why Moeaki was so highly regarded coming out of high school. He is not only a superb athlete, but one of the better blocking TEs in the draft. There aren't really any holes in his game (except, of course, whether he can play or not). His routes are crisp, his top end speed is more than adequate, he seals the edge beautifully, and he's a nice guy off the field. If he'd been healthy the whole time, he would have A) graduated last year, and B) probably been drafted a lot higher than 93rd.

So is it fair to compare him to Tony Gonzalez, like we're already doing? Of course not. Tony Gonzalez is this generation's best tight end, and it's not even close. Gonzalez and Moeaki have the same first name, but still. What Moeaki does have is the physical talent to stick around in the NFL for a long time. If, of course, he stays healthy.

And what if he doesn't stay healthy? Well, you can't say nobody warned you.

Will Tony Moeaki be awesome? We'd better hope so, because after his time at Iowa, a successful NFL career would be proof that we do, in fact, live in a just universe.

I "like" the pick,but don't like trading up to make it.

If he wasn't extremely injury prone, I would be excited about the pick. But I'm in wait and see mode.

He needs to prove more valuable than a nose tackle. He and Arenas both.

With link:
http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/2...y-moeaki-a-new

the Brodie Croyle of tight ends

Novicaine and blinders should help .....

Injuries are the obvious concern. He can't help the team if he's not on the field.

anybody slamming this kid for anything but injuries is making baseless/ignorant claims.

This kid is a player.

Sure - when he plays...

"The most important ability is AVAILabilty..." -Herm Edwards

trading up to get him was too much. I believe he would have been there at the 4th round..

I hated the Moeaki pick... and now, I still hate it!!!

I'm not going to neg rep you THIS time. But the next time you have a quote from Herm Edwards as a argument in support of your position its Defcon 5 baby!! :)

Yes, every prospect projects as the GOAT at any given position.

Must be a Raiders fan. Or a relative of Cottom or Pope

Actually, wasn't Atlanta going to take him but the Chiefs jumped in front of them and snagged him?

Meaoki seems like a player we need. Not sure why everybody is bashing him because of injuries. The only thing I'm concerned about is the concussions. But, if he's fully healed he should be good to go and really should start.

Word is the Falcons were going to take him.

And that problem with this would have been.......?

Like most of Herms incredibly stupid philosophies, this quote too was stolen from Marty. Marty used it here and in Cleveland.

And it was a terrible pick.

I just don't get the trade up. And I don't get why you pass on Kindel due to injury concern but then trade up for Moeaki who apparently was hurt about as often as not. I guess we just hope the kid avoids injury, it sounds like he knows how to get open and catch the ball.

so with croyle and moeaki, they're both guys who were highly recruited out of high school who have had major injury issues ever since.

with cassel, we have a guy that was highly recruited out of high school but couldn't crack the lineup.

OH NO, WE SUCK AGAIN!

Kindle apparently needs microfracture surgery. something which has longterm consequences and is much worse than anything Moeaki has had.

Kindel has had 4 surgeries on the same knee with one more to go. I can understand why they passed on Kindel.

Well at least we can grab one of those first round qbs in the draft next year now, right? :p

Ouch.

Two concussions, broken bones and a dislocated elbow...these seem like hustle and aggression injuries. I would be more concerned if he had ligament/tendon or knee problems. He looks pretty physical.

You don't have any idea of what you are talking about.
None.
Best for you to quit now and stop looking stupid.

The fact that people are bitching about McCluster being a reach when a really good team wanted him.

And now are bitching about trading up for a pick that clearly wouldn't have been available when they picked.

It suggests that those two picks were taken at about the right value.

Like the pick or not, those arguments dont' make any sense.

Really?

Are you two related?

If by related you mean not inbred ignorant like you then yes, we're related.

The two concussions worry me more than anything. Those are cumulative injuries to the brain.

2 isn't anything to be alarmed about. Ernie Sims has had 5. I think he'll be just fine. Remains to be seen if he is actually Mr. Glass or if it's just really bad luck. I'd give it 50/50 odds.

This...I do however see your comparisons to Tony G. when talking about Moeaki. I thought the same thing yesterday once I saw the pick and went and viewed the highlight video on him. Kid's got skills just needs to stay healthy so he can showcase them.

I really don't understand why people are trying so hard to justify our picks with "But..but... Team X was going to draft him 3 spots later...".

Like that makes a shit bit of difference. That doesn't mean those picks were taken at about the right value FOR OUR TEAM. And it's total speculation anyway.

This is just silly BS to make yourself feel better about an otherwise puzzling pick.

IF he stays healthy this is a great pick. We needed an athletic TE.

He's smaller and slower than Cottam with a similar injury history.

Well whooptie ****ing shit.

You would have to argue the picks didn't fill a need. They did. Just not the need some people wanted filled.

The NT thing is my biggest concern.

He's a much better blocker than Cottam.

Weis likes TEs who can do both. For as much as we've been talking about Jimmy Graham, that does nothing for Weis. His offense revolves around running multiple plays from the same formation. If you have a TE who can do the job in the run game and the pass game, that's his guy.

so we drafted this guy? I'm looking at ESPN and he's not on the list of who we drafted

If we were gonna draft a broke dick, Id of preferred Sergio Kindle's broke ass in the 2nd.

The key is to platoon both he and Cottam. Both are strong as fine china. We just have to hope that they can take turns on the IR rather than both be on at the same time.

This is what people are missing here.

Good post.

The funniest thing is hearing a few posters claim he can't block.

If he plays for Iowa, he can block. Just watch how many times he gets McCluster open.