Former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard continues to turn heads at NFL Combine
Right now things couldn’t get much better for former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard.
Roughly a month after seeing his draft status rise as one of the top performers at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., Howard turned heads again Friday, completing 22 reps of the 225-pound bench press at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
Considered the top tight end in this year’s draft class, Howard is projected as a lock to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 27. Friday, the 6-foot-6, 251-pound tight end said he has already held meetings with the New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins.
“We’re just going over film, watching my plays from earlier in the year,” Howard said to reporters in Indianapolis on Friday. “A lot of great feedback about how they like the way I play. They think I’m a three-down tight end. In the game, I can run-block and catch.”
Howard was Alabama’s third-leading receiver last season with 595 yards and three touchdowns on 45 receptions. Despite the solid numbers, many have said he was underutilized in the Tide’s passing game during his college career.
However, the lack of targets while at Alabama hasn’t seemed to slow down the tight end’s draft status one bit. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projected Howard to be selected at No. 18 to the Carolina Panthers as the first tight end off the board in his latest NFL mock draft.
As part of a tight end class that includes stars such as Miami’s David Njoku and Ole Miss’ Evan Engram, Howard said being projected so highly is an honor he doesn’t take for granted.
“A lot of respect for all the guys in the tight end class, we have a deep class this year,” Howard said. “A lot of great talent, to be the first guy off the board would be a tremendous accomplishment. But I’m far from that, I have a lot of work to do.”
Much of the reason Howard has generated so much interest from NFL scouts is the versatility he brings to the position. On top of being a big target in the passing game, he has also drawn plenty of praise for his ability to contribute as a blocker.
“I take pride in it,” Howard said of his run-blocking ability. “I don’t think it’s underrated. I think a lot of the scouts understand that I’ll get my nose in there and get in and block. They always mentioned it a lot in the meetings so far this week.”
Howard said he learned how to become a better blocker while at Alabama, admitting that he was a bit raw when he first joined the program in 2013. Four years later, he’s viewed as one of the better blocking tight ends in this year’s class.
“Technique and footwork are the two biggest things to becoming a great blocker,” Howard said. “I think once I learned that and put my strength with it, I became a better blocker. As a young guy, I had no technique, just going up and playing, you know free-styling. Once you get the technique down and the footwork, I think you can block anybody.”
When asked who he compares himself to at the next level, Howard listed Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed. Olsen finished last season with 1,073 yards and three touchdowns on 80 receptions, while Reed accounted for 686 and six touchdowns on 66 catches.
“I think Greg does a great job of blocking, he’s a three-down tight end,” Howard said. “He runs great routes, has great hands and is a guy that I studied a lot in college.”
Howard later said of Reed, “He’s a guy that is kind of considered as a receiver by a lot of guys, but he runs really good routes. The way he runs routes is fantastic, so I try to steal a lot of things from his book.”
Following the NFL Combine, Howard will have another chance to impress NFL scouts as he will be one of 17 former Tide players attending Alabama’s Pro Day on March 8. However, at this rate, there might not be any more heads left to turn.
