Gentry repping at TE

Submitted by Crazy Canuck on

Just finished chatting w Harbaugh he said Zach Gentry has been repping at TE during bowl practices.

— angelique(@chengelis) December 23, 2015

 

Also

Harbaugh said Jabrill Peppers who is "working through something" has been practicing. He didn't give up much on Peppers though

— angelique(@chengelis) December 23, 2015

rugbypike11

December 23rd, 2015 at 10:32 AM ^

Even if Wheatley moved to OL, he could still get snaps as a TE in the jumbo formations.  We saw Grant Newsome as the sixth OL last year, and Wheatley could add his pass catching and route running skills to that jumbo formation even if he ends up as a 290-300 pound tackle, which may be inevitable given how big he is getting.

Mr. Yost

December 22nd, 2015 at 8:24 PM ^

No, I don't know where he's going.

There are 400 lbs TEs and no one has confirmed that he's playing anywhere but TE...so I'm not thinking anything when it comes to him.

However, if he does move...I do think he's much more likely to move to DL and play DT/DE in a Chris Wormley mold than he is OT. I think recruiting "experts" would agree with this as well.

Mr. Yost

December 22nd, 2015 at 8:36 PM ^

And I'll continue to think so until I hear otherwise.

I don't see/hear anything that says he can't play TE.

What I was saying is that if he's not a TE, I think he's more likely to play DL than OT. Why is that so hard to believe?

If Gentry doesn't play QB, I think he's most likely going to play TE. If Shallman doesn't play RB, I think he's more likely to play H-Back. I mean all of these are guesses. It doesn't mean I actually think these guys are going to move, it's an "IF THEY DO" situation.

WestQuad

December 23rd, 2015 at 9:54 AM ^

Did SimplyComplex post something that got deleted?  His/her posts don't seem offensive, but there are massive negs.  Did I miss something?   Of course I'm willing to neg him to Bolivia if it is appropriate.

Mr. Yost

December 22nd, 2015 at 9:38 PM ^

But he seems to be buried on the depth chart at both LB and TE. Hopefully he can hit a huge jump at ANY position this offseason and avoid that Tom Strobel/Terry Richardson trajectory.

Not sure why he was ever moved in the first place to be honest with you. He was never going to see the field at TE.

Maybe he will down the road, but the LB depth is way worse.

He was a guy that I never heard much buzz about during this season (unlike Furbush and Newsome). I worry about Winovich and Wangler to be honest.

Mr. Yost

December 22nd, 2015 at 10:13 PM ^

I have no idea why Ryan developed into an all B1G and future pro and Winovich has been moved to another position.

It's still early, but the signs aren't promising.

You're exact right, who knows...it's not an exact science. Because I would've thought we were getting some form of Ryan/Bobby Carpenter as well. Both he and Furbush felt like they were in that mold.

Mr. Yost

December 22nd, 2015 at 10:17 PM ^

But at least I heard Harbaugh mention Furbush a few times as a guy who was performing well in practice on the scout team.

Now Brady Hoke has made me question all of those comments, but at least his name came up.

Holy Toledo...what's going on right now!?

look up see blue

December 22nd, 2015 at 8:33 PM ^

And what about defensive end? Certainly a possibility. Both his dad and his coach think his maximum upside is there: 

"His dad has been on record as saying he's a better defensive player. I would probably go there. I think he's an amazing defensive end. He's a great tight end as well, but the things he's able to do, he's able to dominate games at defensive end."

Early in his high school days he mostly chose DE when he went to camps, and his showings there spurred the flood of early offers from heavy hitters:

…far and away the best player at the camp. The Rivals250 defensive end has added a lot of strength to his core and it helped him play with good leverage. Wheatley used that strength to help push offensive linemen out of the way en route to the quarterback. He also showed very good technique, beating offensive linemen inside and outside.

http://mgoblog.com/content/2015-recruiting-tyrone-wheatley-jr

Mr. Yost

December 22nd, 2015 at 9:41 PM ^

I'm with you 100%...when he was recruited I thought he'd play both.

Now that he's 290? Who knows.

But that's why I don't make anything out of Shallman taking reps at LB. Harbaugh LOVES trying guys out on the other side of ball. And he's not afraid to play them both ways.

Tom Strobel played 19 positions this year. If you work super hard and you're a "tough" player...Harbaugh will find a role for you somewhere.

Mr. Yost

December 22nd, 2015 at 9:43 PM ^

In all honesty, Strobel did play DE, DT, TE, OT and OG this year...and he may have played NG too. That's just a guy who loves to play football and will do anything to get on the field.

Harbaugh respects the hell out of those guys. And if these guys we're talking about are willing to put the work in...they'll find some snaps. No question about it.

m1jjb00

December 22nd, 2015 at 9:17 PM ^

I remember reading a while back, that his dad said that the plan was to go where the body took them.  I took that to mean that if he ended up heavy that he would move to o-line, that they weren't going to fight it a lot.  It seems like they had an idea that it was a possiblity that he'd end up O-linish.

There's a history of good linemen starting as Tight End, so I'm not going to sweat it.