Mel Kiper recently ranked his top 5 TE prospects for the upcoming season and NC State Tight End David Grinnage comes in as the 5th rated underclassmen prospect. It is not hard to see why.  The rising junior had an excellent close to the season. He finished the season with 27 receptions, 358 yards, and 5 touchdowns. Grinnage was a big time target in the red-zone.  He uses his 6’5″ frame to tower over shorter corners and linebackers. Not only is he tall, but he has a solid frame, weighing over 270 pounds, which helps him overpower his defenders, and makes him difficult to bring down after the catch.

One area that Grinnage improved on as the season progressed was his blocking ability. This allowed him to see more playing time and be used in chip blocks.  This opened him up to leak out into the flat or hit the wheel-route up field. Coach Doeren has talked about how he plans to use Grinnage more, because there will be more opportunities with the departure of Bo Hines. He was quick to note that he will continue to line Grinnage up in many different positions to capitalize on the many mismatches that he presents with his size. It will be fun to see Brissett and Grinnage hooking up this season. I expect his numbers to improve and I wouldn’t be surprised if he caught 10 touchdowns this season. He has a tremendous opportunity to improve his draft stock this season and could easily be one of the first TE’s to be selected in the coming years.