Position transition possible

Rick Devereux

Andy Stokes, Mr. Irrelevant XXX, was a successful tight end for

William Penn University. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder racked up 104

receptions, 1,578 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns in three years

with the Statesmen.

His impressive showing against NAIA competition and subsequent

performance at the Las Vegas All-American Classic opened the eyes of

several NFL teams and he was eventually chosen by the New England

Patriots with the 255th and final pick of the draft.

The last pick of the draft gets flown to Newport Beach for a week

of events created by Newport Beach businessman Paul Salata, who was a

receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and USC.

Stokes, who signed a two-year contract worth $557,500 Saturday,

which came with a $17,500 signing bonus, hopes he can follow up his

time in Newport Beach with a long career in the NFL.

To make it in the NFL, some have said Stokes may have to change

positions from tight end to H-back. But what dopes that transition

entail? And is Stokes more suited to be a professional H-back as

opposed to a professional tight end?

“An H-back is more of receiver type whereas a tight end has his

hand on the ground more and does more blocking,” William Penn Coach

Todd Hafner said. “A lot of teams send the H-back in motion and move

him around more than they would a tight end.”

The H-back is the combination of a tight end and fullback.

“I think Andy is more of an H-back because I think New England

will want to utilize his strengths,” Hafner said. “He is an excellent

route runner and he has soft hands.”

Conversely, Stokes needs to work on his blocking in order to be

useful as a tight end in the NFL. Gone are the days when he would

play against a defensive end or linebacker that was 6-2, 215 pounds.

Stokes will now face linebackers that typically check in at 6-3, 245

pounds, as well as defensive ends who range in the area of 6-5, 280

pounds.

Stokes bench pressed 225 pounds 20 times in workouts. Tight end

prospects averaged lifting that weight 22 times at the scouting

combine.

“In order to be an adequate blocker in the NFL, Andy is going to

have to work on strength and technique,” Hafner said. “But you can

only go so far with technique alone and you can only go so far with

strength alone. The great thing about Andy is he is the hardest

worker I’ve seen, so he will improve.”