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We're more than a month away from the NFL draft. We haven't seen a single event in the "Underwear Olympics." Yet, even ahead of this week's NFL Scouting Combine, experts believe this year's tight end class has the potential to be one of the best in recent memory. 

"Tight end-wise," NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said Monday, "[this is] one of the better tight end drafts we've had in a while, with premier top-end guys as well as a lot of depth all the way through."

"There is a unique collection of talented pass-catchers," Bleacher Report's Matt Miller wrote about this class of tight ends back in November, "with versatility to dominate up the seams and sometimes in the slot."

"There is a chance," The Draft Network's Trevor Sikkema wrote in October, "[the tight end class] could be historic in its own right."

What this group does at the combine in Indianapolis this week could help solidify whether or we see several tight ends off the board in the first round this spring. 

Iowa's TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant have both been featured prominently in first-round projections in recent months -- Fant during the season and Hockenson after. Alabama's Irv Smith also has a shot to end up off the board in the first 32 picks due to his ability to both catch passes and move humans in the running game. 

For a team whose star tight end is mulling retirement and whose No. 2 has a contract that seems in line for an adjustment, that's not terrible news. There's always the chance that one of those names slides to the final pick of Day 1.

But what will the Patriots think about this particular crop of players? Before we ask some questions to help us preview the week ahead for tight ends, let's lay out what the Patriots traditionally like at this position based on their draft history. 

They've drafted 14 tight ends under Bill Belichick -- most recently seventh-rounder out of Florida State Ryan Izzo (6-foot-5, 255 pounds) -- and some trends have emerged. Size, obviously, is important. The "prototype" falls in the 6-foot-4 range and a shade over 250 pounds. Big hands (about 10 inches) are also preferred. Athleticism matters, too. Quick 40 times (4.7-second range) and three-cone drills (7.0-second range) will help a player find his way onto the Patriots roster, as will an explosive vertical (35 inches or thereabouts).

Of course they're not all carbon copies of one another. Rob Gronkowski was a different player than Aaron Hernandez. Ben Watson was a different player than Daniel Graham. But if you have good size and athleticism, if you can hold up in the variable roles the Patriots ask their tight ends to execute -- whether you're a blocker, a "move" player or a true dual threat -- you might have a spot at One Patriot Place. 

Here are a few questions worth asking of this year's draft class of tight ends ahead of the combine as we try to get a sense of which tight ends might work in New England . . . 

WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT?
This will depend on the player and what the Patriots will want to see based on any questions they have from a given player's tape. But in general the combine workouts that exhibit a player's explosiveness appear to be valuable when evaluating this position. Two of the most popular for viewers -- the 40-yard dash and the vertical jump -- might be the two worth watching when the tight ends work out on Saturday. These are big people, and if these people can get their bodies moving quickly and forcefully up into the air (or up and out during a 40-yard dash) then that's an indication that they might have the lower-body snap to make it as pros. Watson and Graham both had verticals in the mid-30-inch range coming out of college, while Gronkowski and Hernandez both clocked 40s in the 4.6s. Impressive. 

WHO HAS THE MOST TO GAIN?
Kahale Warring played just one season of football at the high school level, earning him the label of "newcomer to the game."  But at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, he certainly looks the part and has the athleticism to match having played water polo, basketball, cross country, soccer and tennis in high school. Oh, and he swam as well, per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. If Warring has a chance to meet with the Patriots and impresses them with his football acumen, even though he hasn't been involved in the sport all that long, that could go a long way. 

WHO HAS THE MOST TO LOSE?
Noah Fant, one of the two Iowa tight ends who may end up going off in the first round, could have some tough questions to answer in an interview setting in Indy. Fair or unfair, he's going to be asked about his blocking. For his teammate TJ Hockenson, that's a major strength. It's not a fatal flaw for Fant. But it's not exactly a superpower. Adding fuel to any potential coach's concern about the trench-warfare portion of Fant's game would be that Fant's head coach Kirk Ferentz called Fant "a specialist" during the season when asked about the tight end's diminished playing time. Some teams might be OK with a player who is more receiver than blocker at this spot. That's where the league is going. But given New England's emphasis on the run game, given Belichick's relationship with Ferentz, the Patriots might want to hear more from Fant about his desire to be an impact player at the line of scrimmage before they're presented with the opportunity to draft him.

WHO'S THE BIGGEST FREAK?
It's probably Fant, who is ridiculously smooth on tape for someone 6-foot-5 and almost 250 pounds. It may be Warring. But there are plenty of good athletes in this group so let's call attention here to Josh Oliver of San Jose State. We don't know how he'll test, exactly, but at 6-5, 250 pounds he has eye-opening body control and balance. Out of a two-point stance in the slot, it looks like it doesn't take him long to hit top speed as he's galloping down the seam. He could end up with top-tier testing numbers. We'll see. 

WHO'S THE PROTOTYPICAL PATRIOT?
It's the guy we had mocked to the Patriots at No. 1 overall. The guy we so boldly predicted back in December would be selected as Gronkowski's eventual successor. Well, after about a month of skyrocketing up mock drafts, it looks like the Patriots won't have a shot at Hockenson unless they trade up in the first round. Still, this looks like a group loaded with players who would make sense in New England -- in large part because the SEC was loaded with talent at the position this year. Alabama's Irv Smith and Georgia's Isaac Nauta may weigh a little under 250 pounds, but they come from programs the Patriots love and they'll offer value both as receivers and blockers. Dylan Knox of Ole Miss, Jace Sternberger of Texas A&M and Foster Moreau of LSU seem to fit the size profile more snugly. And while they all block with different levels of competency, they all seem willing. The question is, will their athletic testing, their medicals and what they show in meetings during the combine solidify their standing as Patriots fits or put them in a different category? That's what this week is for. 

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