Carter's Classroom draft profile: Michael Roberts, tight end

One of the positions the Steelers probably won't pay much attention to in this draft class is tight end. They've invested a chunk of money into Ladarius Green, and seem comfortable with Jesse James' progression while Xavier Grimble shows flashes of potential as the third option.

But the biggest criticism that anyone can point out about this group is none of them are premier blocking tight ends. That was a luxury the Steelers had for a decade with Heath Miller, and have had to resort to creative alternatives like using offensive tackle Chris Hubbard as a sixth lineman to help seal the edge on running plays.

While the Steelers have plenty of concerns that they will want to address in this draft, this need won't be one that they look to in the earlier rounds. This means that we should look to the later prospects that could go after the third round.

That leads us to Toledo's Michael Roberts, who led all tight ends in the NCAA in receiving touchdowns with 16 in 2016.



Roberts is the largest tight end of this draft class, weighing 270 pounds. His 6-foot-4 frame makes him difficult for any defensive back to tackle once he gets the football in his hands.

Roberts' performance at the NFL Combine shows why he is considered a late-round prospect despite his production. He didn't participate in the bench press event, which would have been his chance to show teams his strength can make up for his lack of speed, and didn't highlight in any event outside of the three-cone drill.

But what has caught the eyes of scouts is Roberts' ability to make plays when given the opportunity. He had plenty of those in the red zone in 2016 and capitalized on enough to earn consideration for a film study from us.

BLOCKING ASSET

One could argue that Roberts is the top pure blocking tight end of this draft class. His huge frame allowed him to dominate players at the point of attack in college.

Watch how he drives the outside linebacker into the end zone with his impressive burst off the line:



When I watch Roberts, I like how he comes off the snap as a blocker and his pad level when he looks to bury opponents. Even with his height and weight, he still manages to get under the pads of linebackers and drive them off the ball.

Take a look at how he sets up this touchdown in Toledo's game against Appalachian State in the Camellia Bowl. Watch how he gets his hands inside on his man and keeps pumping his legs to drive the linebacker out of the hole:



These are the basic principles needed to be a strong blocking tight end. What has scouts skeptical about Roberts' blocking skills is he struggles at times to finish off an opponent.

When Roberts engages an opponent, he often starts off in the right place but falls off after he's made initial contact and lessens his effort. He will not win as many of those initial battles against outside linebackers in the NFL and that trait will come back to bite him.

Even when he does win that initial battle, a good linebacker will be able to weather the storm and eventually shed off the block if Roberts is not working to finish  after the point of attack.

RECEIVING SKILLS

Roberts did not light up the NCAA in yards, but he did provide Toledo with a solid target that could abuse smaller defensive backs when the ball got in his hands.

The problem was that sometimes it was not easy to get the ball in his hands in regular passing downs. Roberts is not a prolific route runner with his feet and relies on his upper body to move defensive backs out of position to create the passing window for his quarterback.

Watch how he uses his right hand to push his man aside and create good space for his quarterback:



Roberts doesn't make the catch here, but he does show a bit of movement to get open. This didn't happen often enough for him to be considered a consistent receiving threat, but his skills became much more reliable when Toledo reached the red zone.

In small spaces, Roberts was able to use his size to box out opponents and make catches down the field while also shaking off smaller defensive backs like he did on this touchdown:



If Roberts could improve his athleticism to be a bit faster or quicker without the ball, he could become a nightmare for defensive backs in the NFL. He could be a matchup nightmare for safeties or nicklebacks if he develops more consistency.

However if he's matched up against a linebacker that has good speed and decent size, Roberts could get neutralized. Against a player like Vontaze Burfict, Roberts might not be able to win these battles in traffic as often.

What I do like about Roberts' receiving skills is that he does know how to extend himself to maximize his frame to make difficult catches.

Watch how he makes this red-zone reception against Western Michigan:



Roberts doesn't know how to get in and out of his breaks smoothly yet, but he does know how to high point a ball and secure it if it hits his hands. That's a major reason why he led the NCAA in touchdowns and probably his best asset as a receiving threat.

STEELERS' STOCK

The question is: Do the Steelers really need to invest in a tight end during this draft?

Maybe Roberts should be considered in the fifth or sixth round if the Steelers don't see any other targets that are worthy of a pick at that spot. But he would only be a marginal improvement over Grimble.

With Green's injury troubles in 2016, it would be reasonable for Kevin Colbert to consider finding one more tight end for the depth chart. If Roberts could refine his blocking skills to be NFL-caliber, he would be an asset that the team could bring out in the red zone as a good blocking or receiving option to provide a difficult matchup that opposing defenses would have problems engaging.

There are other issues with depth that the Steelers need to address on their roster. If Roberts is added it would make an interesting training camp battle to watch, but it would not be one that would likely have an immediate impact on the team.