Oakland Raiders 2018 NFL Draft: 5 tight ends to target

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 25: Tight end Mike Gesicki No. 88 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after catching a second quarter touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field on November 25, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 25: Tight end Mike Gesicki No. 88 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after catching a second quarter touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field on November 25, 2017 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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While it was the Saquon Barkley show in Happy Valley in 2017, we can’t overlook the pro-style tight end the Penn State Nittany Lions have had for years in Mike Gesicki. Frankly, he could have gone pro as a junior in 2016 after Penn State won the Big Ten. He has tremendous hands and will find pay dirt at the next level.

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Gesicki shined playing under head coach James Franklin and in Joe Moorhead’s offense. Franklin is one of the best coaches in college football. Moorhead should do a fine job replacing Dan Mullen as the next head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Even though quarterback Trace McSorley may not be a pro prospect for Penn State, Gesicki sure is.

At 6-foot-6, 257 pounds, Gesicki has the frame to be a monster as a receiving tight end at the next level. In four years at Penn State, Gesicki had 129 catches for 1,481 yards and 15 touchdowns. Gesicki has played in a bunch of high-profile games in his last two years at Penn State, as the program has rebounded under Franklin.

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Even before that, Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien helped save that program after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. In short, Gesicki has been exposed to pro-style offenses in all four years in State College. If the Raiders go tight end in the draft, Gesicki may very well end up being their guy in rounds two through four.