Miami (FL)'s Profile for Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham made his hay at Miami on the basketball court, but decided to give football a shot his senior year and it's really paid off. Perhaps no prospect has risen higher than Graham from the beginning of the season to the end. Graham developed throughout the season and finished second on the team with 5 TD receptions. He had 17 receptions for 213 yards in his lone season. Graham played four years of basketball for the Hurricanes. He was a versatile athlete in high school, playing basketball, football, tennis, and baseball. He received ACC All-Academic honors this past season and graduated with a double major in marketing and management in the spring of 2009.

Graham has shown marked improvement throughout the season. He is an excellent athlete who runs well. He's physical at the point of attack and can beat the jam at the LOS. Once he gets into his route, he's able to use his size to take advantage of the smaller defenders. He shields defenders well and will almost always win a jump ball situation with a rumored 39" vertical. Graham has very long arms 34" and enormous hands 10.75" and could be deadly in the red zone. He has good speed for his size and can get vertical, stretching the defense to its limits and opening up the underneath stuff for outlet receivers. Graham has good strength to develop into a solid in-line blocker. He is a willing blocker who just needs to learn the ins and outs of the job. He blocks well in space as he's able to lock down the moving target and finish him off. Graham is a bright, enthusiastic player who is very coachable.

Clearly Graham's biggest knock is his inexperience. He looks awkward at times on the field as he's still a project. Despite his athleticism, isn't as flexible and fluid as you'd expect, showing some stiffness in his route-running. He also frequently loses the leverage battle as a tall blocker with poor technique.

Ever since San Diego took a chance on a basketball player from Kent State and turned him into a star, teams in the league have been looking for the next basketball player to make a mark as an NFL tight end. The fact that Graham has shown so much improvement and potential in just one year on the field will have teams excited. His height, strength, speed, hands, and leaping ability give him the tools that might allow him to become even better than Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez over time. Look for Graham to put on a show in the workouts leading up to the 2010 NFL Draft and climb into the second round. I wouldn't be completely shocked if a team like Baltimore took a shot at him late in the first round.

Your Projected NFL Draft Round: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Undrafted

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