Bengals Tight End Coach checks out Brad Cottam

Had a 36 ½-inch vertical jump, 4.27 short shuttle, 7.22 cone drill, ran position drills and kept his numbers from the combine for everything else. Cottam looked good in his workout, catching everything and had 24 receptions in his senior season.

Strengths: Massive frame. Is tall with a well-proportioned and muscular frame. Has long arms and big hands. Displays good initial quickness and doesn't have much trouble getting off the line of scrimmage. Displays adequate-to-good speed and flashes the ability to stretch the seam as a pass-catcher. Shows good concentration and strong hands. Plucks away from his frame and does a good job of securing the ball in traffic. He has the size, strength and toughness to match up as an in-line blocker in the NFL. Shows good initial pop and will fight to sustain his blocks.

Weaknesses: Durability is a major concern. Hasn't been able to stay healthy and lacks ideal game-experience as a result. He's clearly not a flexible athlete. While he's quick and explosive, he is not overly fluid. Not a natural knee bender. Comes out of his stance too high and struggles to keep leverage sometimes as a blocker. He is quick and strong as a runner after the catch but he does not show much elusiveness to make defenders miss in space.

Overall: Cottam redshirted in 2003. He appeared in 24 games over the next two seasons (2004-'05) but recorded just two receptions for 34 yards in that span. He played in all 13 games (six starts) in 2006, turning in 14 receptions for 182 yards (13.0 average). A wrist injury that required surgery cost Cottam the first nine games of his senior season, but he finished 2007 with five receptions for 125 yards (25.0 average) and a touchdown in five games. Cottam is the most intriguing tight end prospect in the 2008 class. He had as many catches (five) in 2007 as he did operations during his collegiate career. However, Cottam proved to be the most consistent tight end during the week of Senior Bowl practice and his combination of size, agility and reliable hands could land Cottam a spot as early as the third round.