Brandon Pettigrew Scouting Report
by Sean Yuille on Apr 30, 2009 8:00 PM EDT
in NFL Draft
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PrintTE Brandon Pettigrew (Oklahoma State) - Round 1, Pick No. 20
With both Michael Oher and Rey Maualuga available when the Lions went on the clock again in the first-round of the draft, nearly all fans expected that the need for a left tackle or middle linebacker would be taken care of. When the pick was announced, however, fans were shocked to learn that the Lions actually took care of their need at the tight end position. Detroit drafted Brandon Pettigrew, the top tight end in the draft, much to the dismay of many fans at the time. As the move really started to sink in, though, fans, myself included, began warming up to the pick. After all, Pettigrew is a top talent at his position, and the Lions did need a TE. While the initial reaction was negative to this pick based on who else was still available, there is no doubt that the Lions upgraded their TE corps by selecting Pettigrew.
Experts' Opinions
Best trait per Scouts Inc.:
Better blocker than most at his position. Big frame with long arms and big hands. Good overall strength for a TE. Is able to anchor at the point of attack when he stays low. Displays good upper-body power for the position and flashes a mean streak. Does a good job with his first step. He is a more effective blocker in-line than he is in space, though. He needs to be more consistent with his technique in space, rather than looking to bury the defender with his initial pop.
POSITIVES: Physically talented tight end with a complete game. Nimble athlete who quickly releases off the line, runs well laterally, and adjusts to the errant throw, making the reception in stride. Nicely settles into the open spot on the field, extends his hands, and makes the reception away from his frame. Plays faster than his 40 time, effective running after the reception, and a sturdy pass catcher who takes a pounding yet holds onto the ball. Blocks with good lean, and bends his knees. Works to stays square, strong at the point, and effective as a position blocker. Quickly gets out to the second level, and easily controls linebackers.
NEGATIVES: Shows marginal quickness to his game. Must learn to keep his blocking intensity until the whistle blows. Not a true downfield threat as a pass catcher.
Final word: On the field, Pettigrew is a complete tight end, similar to Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys. He has tremendous size and natural athleticism. He does, however, need to improve from a technical and route running standpoint. The interview process will also be key for Pettigrew, who had a run-in with the law.
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2008 highlights:
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Outlook for 2009
With the release of Michael Gaines, the Lions are sending a clear message that Brandon Pettigrew should be a starter from day one. There is no real reason to believe he won't start, as he is a perfect fit in Jim Schwartz's offensive mindset of running the ball thanks to his blocking skills. What's more, Scott Linehan loves to utilize his tight ends, so it would not surprise me if Pettigrew became a big part of the Lions' receiving game from the very start of his career.
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and with the 33rd
it should have been Maualaga
You guys will NOT
regret passing up those guys.
Oher is not a LT, he’s a RT. Maualuga is not good in coverage and only looks for the big hit, he fell that far for other reasons too.
I do think that instead of Delmas that drafting Willam Beatty at #33 would have been smart, but I thank you helping the future LT of the NY Giants to drop.
Pettigrew and Megatron are 2 incredible options for Stafford to grow with. That is what many teams who had bust QB’s have lacked (most also lacked O-Lines too tho). It will helpe Stafford get the ball out quicker.
If you look at Megatron and Pettigrew, they kind of look exactly like Terrel Owens and Jason Witten. I hate the Cowboys, but when they had those 2 at their best, they were damn good.
Megatron is better than TO and potentially has the chance to put up those numbers, and Pettigrew for Wittent too.
You needed talent. Guys like Oher and Maualuga were are NOT as talented at their positions as Pettigrew and Delmas.
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 30, 2009 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions
Oher
I never heard anything about him being an RT until the Lions passed him up. It seems as if people are making excuses for passing on a good LT. Sure he has his faults, and scouting reports with tell you that, but I can find scouting reports that say Malcolm Jenkins will be a bad corner in the NFL, not necessarily true. With the right coaching, Oher could become a great (possibly not elite, but close) LT. It’s lethargic to simply cast a bad name on a player to justify not taking him. Fact is, Oher could’ve been a great pick, and one the Lions would be happy with for years to come, with some coaching Oher could be the LT we wanted him to be, or he moves inside to guard, where he makes an impact anyway. I can’t justify passing on this guy who could’ve bolstered our O-Line considerably. I still love Pettigrew however, but when a team like the Ravens, notorious for finding elite late 1st rd talent (Ogden, Reed, Lewis, Heap, Suggs, Ngata basically all the best players on their team. Ozzie Newsome does his homework) jumps on Oher you have to believe he’s still the great player everyone believes he is. It’s not like Maualuga, who dropped 30 some picks past his projected area. He only fell a couple spots, which implies a steal.
Well Said dp3
I wish people would stop dumping on Oher to support the selection of Pettigrew. I am officially off the complaint train and will not bring up who the Lions could have or should have drafted. I will follow some of the guys I touted [Oher, Beatty, McKillop] in their careers in the NFL, but not to complain in print on this site or any other.
We have who we have and lets see how they do over the next three years under Schwartz’s tutelage. As pretty well all Lion fans, I will cheer for whoever puts on the uniform [except him who will not be named] and HOPE FOR THE BEST.
by NorthLeft12 on Apr 30, 2009 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Its true
he can be a LT, but just not right now. He has the talent to start right away, but its better for him to be a RT now then down the line be a LT. This is what he will do with the Ravens and the reason why the guy fell.
I don’t know why some of this stuff comes out either during or after the draft, but its the reason why Oher and Maualuga fell. Teams don’t want a guy early on who they think is a RT, and a guy like Maualuga who is a space cadet, slow and doesn’t tackle well, that is a reason for his drop.
I mean, they all could be great for all I know. BUt that is the reason they fell.
BTW, while Ed Reed, Lewis and Heap were all draft from pick 24 on, but Ngata was #12, Suggs #10, and Ogden was #4!(and he’s retired…), That’s not late in round 1, that’s just smart drafting.
Enough already. You are comparing Apples to Prunes
Oher was projected to be the fourth tackle taken, anywhere from #11 to #20. He was the fourth tackle taken at #23. That hardly qualifies as a ‘fall’.
Maualuga was projected to be the first ILB taken, anywhere from #13 to #26. He was the second ILB taken at #39. That is a fall.
And I’m not sure why people were willing to overlook the holes in Rey Mau’s game, I guess because he is a “BEAST”, or the fact that he really did not perform in college very impressively, and he plays a position that is not highly valued in the NFL [MLB].
FB, just don’t try to say that none of this information on Rey Mau came out until late. It was always there, people just chose not to look at it or completely discount it.
Agreed
Teams knew Rey’s faults, and they avoided him because of them. Less informed fans however, (and I’m including myself in this) refused to acknowledge what was shoved under our noses, Maualuga had red flags, and they were well profiled, but fans can be blinded by amazing highlights and big hits.
He could've still started on LT
For the Lions, who could accept more of a learning curve from Oher due to their poor play at the LT position already, it’s not like he’s replacing Ogden, who’s on a playoff team. He’s replacing Backus on a bottom-of-the-barrel team who doesn’t look to be factor this year, or the next, or the next, and possibly the next after that. I believe he’d be a great LT by then provided he has the talent around him and he learns the tendencies of his fellow lineman. (in other words, some STABILITY on the journeymen O-Line we have)
About Ozzie Newsome’s steals, that was poor researching on my part, but it is true to a degree. About every player I named fell beyond where they were projected. In some cases it was a few spots, and Ozzie caught them well.
yeah
there were a lot of good TEs available in the 3rd and 4th rounds, maybe not as complete but still. The fact that we really didnt seriously address our offensive line is a RED FLAG to me. If they just would have taken a guard in the first four rounds I would have been satisfied, but a project lineman in the 7th round? Come on duuuuuuude!!!!!!
You're right
drafting a LT earlier would have been smart. But there were none apparently worth taking, and since Beatty really was the only true 2nd tier LT in the draft, unless you wanted to take the chance of Oher or Eben Britton as a LT. Beatty would probably been a reach at #20, tho at #33 he would have been perfectly fine.
BUt Pettigrew and Delmas also fit a need. Id assume that Backus is still the LT, like it or not.
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 30, 2009 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions
True.
Mack went at #21 and Unger early in round 2.
I agree, the Lions should have at least drafted a O-Lineman at SOME point, and unless you count the late round pick, then they really didn’t draft it at all. I have no idea why they didn’t do it, but they are saying that there are holes everywhere on the team so that’s why they selected talent at thos positions, cuz they were needs too.
But to me LT and O-Line are more important, but you can’t select a worse player on your board I guess.
Agreed
The passing of an O-Lineman until the 7th rd was absolutely mind-boggling. I wouldn’t mind Duke Robinson in the 6th rd, even if he gained 100 pds after combine, it’s still only the 6th rd
You can't just bring together the O-Line in one year
playing together is the only way they get better. YOu’re right, they NEEDED to at least grab a lineman or 3 in the first few rounds.
DeAndre Levy was a 7th round pick for god’s sake. People rip on Al Davis for getting Michael Mitchel in round 2, but Levy in round 3 was pretty bad too ( I guess, the mock drafts were pretty far off on many of the middle round picks…..)
by FreeBradshaw on Apr 30, 2009 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Grew is my favourite player from our draft class
I love his blocking capabilities, he’s gonna really help K-Smith get some open air on the edge. I don’t expect him to have TE topping receiving numbers, I’d be happy with 50-60 catches with around 600+ yds. He is a rookie so a solid season would be nice.
2009 = The start of the Lions Golden Age (We hope).
Good Pick
I love how he catches everything in traffic. He’s getting drilled while catching the ball or right after yet still holds onto the ball. This guy will help the run blocking, pass blocking and our QB as a receiver.
There is no doubt we need to improve the O-Line (and we did with this pick), but like Schwartz said, the bottom line is we need more talent and we got that at pick 20 and 33. Remember, it’s not about what’s best for us next year, it’s building the foundation for the next 5-7 years.
Early mock’s for 2010 have a lot of OT and DT prospects among the top 15. We’ll have lots of opportunities over the next couple years to add to our lines to help Stafford and the running game when we hopefully are making a playoff push.
Pick is fine, but............
Let’s face it, the Lions blew it on the first pick of Stafford. Should have been Jason Smith first, then Pettigrew. THAT’S how you build a team.
Great pick
he’s perfect to help develop a #1 picked QB. TE is the QBs best friend. Pettigrew is the complete TE package you hope for, this was a brilliant pick
Best pick of the draft
This pick is actually growing on me the more i think about it. When’s the last time we had a dominate TE? This guy will not only give Stafford another throwing option, but he will be just as good if not a better option than taking a LT in the draft like Oher. Two things Pettigrew’s gonna be able to do: 1) Open up the running game for Kevin smith, we’ll see a lot more screens going towards Megatron with Pettigrew lined up on the same side, it will be one of our best plays, and 2) Break out into the flat’s when the play breaks down and will give Stafford a lot of quick reads in the middle. As you saw in the highlight he was able to give his QB at Oklahoma state the same quick reads pretty consistently. Stafford won’t be on his back as much as we think, or Culpepper whoever’s starting. Stafford comes in week 8 after the bye, guaransheed!
Sean
This is not Pettigrew related but wanted to bring it to your attention:
http://nflfromthesidelines.blogspot.com/2009/04/steelers-ready-for-mini-camp.html
Once you get past the “Foote notes”, I see Shaun McDonald found a home.
foote
you put larry foote in the middle with sims and peterson on the outside, those three as a unit will be lightyears ahead of what we had last year
Good pick.
The longer the offense is on the field, the longer the defense is off and resting. An elite TE helps every aspect, on both sides of the ball.
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