Vanderbilt Football Preview: TE Breakdown

The Sports VU's football position-by-position preview continues today with a look at the tight ends. Here's a recap of what we've analyzed this week:

Tuesday: Quarterback
Wednesday: Running back
Thursday: Wide Receiver

STRENGTHS: Size and athleticism. With this personnel, I'd expect the tight end to play a much larger role in the offense. At 6'6", 270 pounds, senior Jake Bradford is a huge target with good hands, while redshirt freshman Brandon Barden and redshirt sophomore Justin Green are big-time athletes. Barden is 6'5", 245 pounds, and was a highly-touted recruit after leading Lincoln County (Ga.) to consecutive Class A championships as a quarterback (Steven Bright anyone?). Green arrived at Vanderbilt unpolished, having played just one year of football after concentrating on track and basketball, but has all the tools to be a dynamic pass-catcher. Throw in the 6'7", 255-pound Austin Monahan, who was one of just three true freshmen to play in '07, and you have quite an impressive quartet.

WEAKNESSES: Experience. Despite their potential, the four tight ends have combined for a grand total of nine catches. Whether they will be able to pick up blitzes and beat SEC linebackers over the middle is yet to be seen.

TOP QUESTIONS: Is the raw, but talented Barden ready to contribute at the SEC level? Will Green make another leap in his third year with the program? Will offensive coordinator Ted Cain feature a lot of two tight-end sets? While it's an athletic bunch, how does the group rate as run-blockers?

INSTANT ANALYSIS: Without Earl Bennett, expect to hear the tight ends' names called more often. Barden and Green, in particular, have the potential to pose match-up problems for the opposition. There's no question that the tight end position should be improved in '08, but it's too early to tell by how much.