Any takers for Ladarius Green? Nice athlete, and he’s one of the big sleeper candidates at tight end.
Green, recall, is the former fourth-round pick of the Chargers. He ran a 4.53 at the 2012 combine. At 6-foot-6, he’s a nice downfield weapon.
They had some success with him last year, mixing him in as a second tight end. Green caught only 17 passes, but they went for an average of 22.1 yards. Of all of the hundreds of tight ends who’ve averaged at least a catch per game over the last 20 years, that’s 2 yards higher than everyone else.
Green caught passes in 11 games last year, and in all but two of those games, he had a reception of at least 20 yards.
Factor in also that Antonio Gates will be 34 on opening day, and there’s an heir apparent vibe.
For Green to be a big factor, though, I would like to see them start using him around the goal line. Can they get him in mismatches and let him catch fade-type throws? He hasn’t shown that yet. He caught a nice touchdown of that sort in the playoff win at Cincinnati, but in the regular season they didn’t throw him a single pass when they were inside the 10 yard line.
For me, the other downer on Green is that he seems to be kind of a tweener. At 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, I think he’s too long and lean to be an effective in-line blocker. He’s like Tim Wright or Jacob Tamme. Jared Cook has been trying to break out of this kind of mold for years. I can’t see the Chargers using Green as a regular tight end, even after Gates is gone. I think he must be used as a secondary, motion tight end – an H-back type who flexes out in the slot at times.
Nice, intriguing prospect, though. I believe San Diego will try to expand his role this year, making Green (in a typical fantasy league) a guy you select as a second tight end, hoping everything falls together for him. I wouldn’t draft him as a primary tight end right now, however.
| TIGHT ENDS AVERAGING 16 YARDS PER CATCH | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Player | No | Yards | Avg | TD |
| 2013 | S.D. | Ladarius Green | 17 | 376 | 22.1 | 3 |
| 2010 | Clev. | Evan Moore | 16 | 322 | 20.1 | 1 |
| 2004 | Ind. | Dallas Clark | 25 | 423 | 16.9 | 5 |
| 1998 | Cin. | Tony McGee | 22 | 363 | 16.5 | 1 |
| 2012 | S.F. | Delanie Walker | 21 | 344 | 16.4 | 3 |
| 1997 | Oak. | Rickey Dudley | 48 | 787 | 16.4 | 7 |
| 2013 | S.F. | Vernon Davis | 52 | 850 | 16.3 | 13 |
| 2010 | S.F. | Vernon Davis | 56 | 914 | 16.3 | 7 |
| 2012 | Sea. | Anthony McCoy | 18 | 291 | 16.2 | 3 |
| 2003 | S.D. | Antonio Gates | 24 | 389 | 16.2 | 2 |
| 2009 | Jac. | Marcedes Lewis | 32 | 518 | 16.2 | 2 |
| 2004 | Atl. | Alge Crumpler | 48 | 774 | 16.1 | 6 |
| 2008 | Den. | Tony Scheffler | 40 | 645 | 16.1 | 3 |
—Ian Allan