Auburn Tigers 2015 NFL Draft Prospect CJ Uzomah

The NFL Draft is a week away. Over the next few days we'll be examining the Tigers likely to be drafted and those who stand a good chance of picking up an Un-Drafted Free Agent (UDFA) deal.

By Walt Austin@AU_GS_Walt Apr 23, 2015, 3:00pm CDT

CJ Uzomah, Tight-End

CJ wasn't invited to the Combine, but he did play in the Senior Bowl and his numbers at Auburn's pro-day were pretty impressive. He was never featured very heavily as tight-ends are in more traditional offenses. He spent most of his time at Auburn in a blocking TE / H-back type role. However, when the ball was thrown in his direction, you could almost always count on him coming down with it. CJ made some of the most clutch catches of the past two seasons, including the TD pass to defeat Mississippi State in 2013. Uzomah is projected to be either a late round pick or an Undrafted Free Agent.

He also gave us this, which we will forever love him for:

By the Numbers

Stats

Sure, these don't look all that impressive. CBSSports points out that his career numbers are similar to some of his competition's yearly averages. However, as noted above, CJ was clutch when he was needed. He doesn't get the type of mentions Duke Williams does because he's a TE and not a WR, but CJ always seemed to have that "throw it in my zipcode and I'll catch it" type of thing going, too. Or at least it seemed so to me!

SEASON	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
2014	11	145	13.2	26	3
2013	11	154	14	25	3
2012	7	136	19.4	38	1
2011	0	0	0	0	0

When you break down his stats by games, you'll see a number of games with "no stats available." This adds plenty of fuel to the "CJ Uzomah's lack of numbers are due to the system" arguments.

Measurables

CJ was not invited to the NFL Combine; however, he did perform most of the drills during Auburn's Pro Day. His stats show why it's a shame he wasn't invited to the Combine.

40 YD	20 YD	10 YD	225 BENCH	VERTICAL JUMP	BROAD	SHUTTLE	3-CONE DRILL
4.62	2.65	1.58	19	-	09'10"	4.57	7.22

That 4.62 40 yard dash would have been good enough for 2nd fastest among TEs timed at the Combine. Granted that's hand timed, but it still shows that he belonged in the group. His 19 reps on the bench is middle of the pack, and his broad jump would have been tied for 4th. His measurables are up there with just about any tight-end out there in a 6'5, 264 lbs frame.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Pass catching and work ethic. CJ is a hard and loyal worker, and is going to put in a big effort to succeed. I think if he's given a chance, some NFL team is going to get a steal in a late round or in Free Agency with CJ.

Weaknesses

I don't know enough to judge these things, so I'll defer to that CBSSports profile that says he doesn't explode off the line or out of his breaks well. That's really all they say about him, though. He was used more as a blocker than as a receiver while at Auburn. He did line up at a traditional receiver spot at times, but he never really played the typical TE role. So, there's not as much to go on. CJ will be a project, but he possesses a ton of potential for a team that wants to find a sleeper in the draft.

Highlights

Oh, you wanted actual football highlights? Yeah, there aren't many that feature CJ. So I'll link you to that catch to defeat Mississippi State in 2013, and also the catch against Wisconsin in this year's Outback Bowl, which looks very similar.

Oh, I did find this article, though. It contains video. I wanted to embed just the video, but couldn't figure out how to get that to work. That video might feature almost every CJ Uzomah catch in his career given just how few he really ended up with. Regardless, I find it extremely hard to believe CJ won't end up on a roster somewhere this fall.

The NFL Draft begins Thursday, 30 April 2015, at 8pm EST / 7pm CDT.