Buffalo Bills Scouting Report: TE Jelani Woods

There’s been some debate recently over chasing Rob Gronkowski or Evan Engram. But why fight to get these overpriced TEs when Jelani Woods can be had for a fraction of the price and can be productive for longer? TE depth is something that the Bills definitely need to address this upcoming offseason. Sweeney and Morris aren’t cutting it. He can be a great addition to the depth chart in the third or possibly fourth round.

Measurements

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 259 lbs

Wingspan: 82”

Strengths

Jelani Woods is a monster of a human and he knows how to utilise his size. So many highlights show that he’s excellent with a high catch, mostly because he doesn’t even have to jump, just use his length and extension to pick the ball out of the air. The best part is that it’s difficult to bring him down, he’s able to stay on his feet and extend the play by at least a few yards. He finished his senior season at Virginia with 44 receptions for 598 yards. He’s a difference maker.

With his size, speed isn’t expected. But, when Woods gets open it’s not easy to keep up with him, especially with those long strides. And he proved it at the combine, running a 4.61 40. This is something that is attention grabbing, Diggs found himself covered for much of the season, and after the way Davis played in the Division game, he’s sure to be treated in a similar fashion this season. So, a speedy, skilled TE with his capabilities? Sign me up.

If all this wasn’t enough, Woods is also a decent blocker. At his height, it’s easy for a blocker to go high, but Woods hits low and then continues to block low. More importantly though, he sets his feet wide and keeps digging his feet in, maintaining that leverage.

Weaknesses

For being so speedy in the field, Woods is quite slow off the snap. It takes him a moment to get off and then doesn’t get in his strides straight away. Many have said that the game seems to get quicker once they get in the NFL, so this slower reaction time may cause a few issues. This means that he might not get as open as he needs to or get leverage on those blocks.

One thing that is prevalent in his games is that Woods doesn’t reset his hands. After that initial hit, his hands stay where they are, this is showing just a little lack of technique and fundamentals. That’s not surprising though, considering he started his career as a QB in high school, and then transitioned to WR. Blocking isn’t something he had to do until just this last season.

So, why does he belong on the Bills?

Jelani Woods is exactly what the Bills are looking for in a TE2. He’s a little taller than Gronk, can catch like Engram, and block like Knox. He does it all, and he won’t have a big cap hit like the others. Spending training camp with Rob Boras and getting mentored by Knox will greatly improve his technique, making him ready for the upcoming season.

He’d be a great addition to this electric Bills roster.