Leonard Pope

Pope is expected to be the primary backup to Tony Moeaki at tight end, but is not likely to contribute much in the passing game, as he has minimal production as a receiver over his five-year career. He will see a fair amount of snaps as a blocking tight end.

Despite his 6-8 frame, Pope hasn't really been the red-zone threat you might imagine, scoring just one touchdown over the last two seasons. He's a productive blocker, so the Chiefs will likely try to use him primarily in that capacity while developing rookie Tony Moeaki in a pass-catching role.

Pope has good hands and a 6-8, 258-pound frame. Therefore, on paper, he’s an ideal red-zone target. He caught five touchdown passes in 2007, but his struggles as a blocker limited his playing time in 2008. Pope caught only nine passes (zero touchdowns) last season and he will enter training camp in a crowded group fighting for playing time. The Cardinals prefer to use their tight ends as blockers, not receivers, but if Pope can hold his own as a blocker, he could be worth a speculative pick because of his potential in the red zone. He’s the best receiver among Arizona’s tight ends.

Here's your deep sleeper. The Cardinals don't use the tight end often, but Pope was fifth among tight ends targeted inside the five-yard line. His five touchdowns were tied with Tony Gonzalez and Kellen Winslow. The wideouts on Arizona – Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin – are just too talented to allow Pope to steal many targets, but the Cardinals do throw a lot (tied for 2nd in passing attempts), and there's room for Pope to get more use, especially in the red zone.

Pope is an athletic tight end for a team that does not use the position much as a receiving threat. He was more involved in the second half of the season, but never caught more than two passes in any game. The Cardinals were last in the league in 2006 with just five red-zone targets to the tight end. Four Arizona tight ends combined for just 34 passes in 2006 (30th in NFL) with just one TD. The club did not re-sign Adam Bergen, leaving the team with Pope as the only tight end returning from last year’s team.

The highly touted tight end prospect fell to the third round where the Cardinals were all too happy to take him. There isn’t much ahead of him at the position (Eric Edwards and Adam Bergen), so we could see Pope as the starter at any point this year. Pope possesses outstanding size and the athleticism and hands to develop into a major red-zone threat. 9/3 Update: Pope will open the regular season as Arizona's top tight end. Bergen will be his backup, and Edwards was a surprise cut. Pope's best bet for success is in the red-zone, where his 6'8" frame makes him a big target. If your league places a heavy emphasis on touchdowns, you'll want to consider Pope.