O.J. Howard

Tight end| Alabama| Senior

Height:6-foot-6 | Weight: 249 pounds

College Stats

2016: totaled 45 receptions for 595 yards and three touchdowns; had 106 yards and a touchdown in College Football Playoff national championship game against Clemson; earned Third-Team All-American honors by the Associated Press; earned Second-Team All-SEC honors; finalist for Mackey Award

Career: totaled 114 catches for 1,726 yards and seven touchdowns over four seasons; averaged 15.1 yards per reception; named MVP of the 2015 College Football Playoff national championship game thanks to his five catches for a career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns against Clemson

Combine Results

40-yard dash: 4.51 seconds

Bench press: 22 reps of 225 pounds

Broad jump: 10 feet, 1 inch

Vertical jump: 30.0 inches

3-cone drill: 6.85 seconds

20-yard shuttle: 4.16 seconds

60-yard shuttle: 11.46 seconds

Profile

Summary:Clearly the best tight end in the draft, Howard is a playmaker as he averaged more than 15 yards per catch. He also came up clutch in big moments as he fared well in national title games. Known as an athletic player who can haul in most passes thrown his way and can routinely beat linebackers in space.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said Howard is an "Exceptionally gifted athlete. Has long arms and massive hands for his position. Tremendous acceleration into his routes. Has tools to torment defenses on second and third level. Play speed resembles a wide receiver's when the ball is in the air. Linebackers have no shot against him in space. Can turn a short throw into a long gain. Light on his feet and smooth out of his breaks."

Stacking up: Howard is the consensus top prospect at his position. NFL Media analysts Mike Mayock and Bucky Brooks, plus Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated, all had Howard as their top-ranked tight end. 

Big-game player: Howard had at least 100 receiving yards and at least one touchdown in back-to-back national title game appearances.