In a way, it's probably unfair of me to throw both of these two positions into one article. It probably wouldn't have happened twenty years ago. But I was 10 years old then, and this would have been a terrible article.

Seriously though, few positions have changed so much since the modern generation of offense arose from three yards and a cloud of dust. The two positions are responding differently to this evolution. The tight end position is passing the survival of the fittest test and has adapted to the open aerial attack. It's a position of freak athletes. These power forwards of the gridiron are tall and powerful enough to block linemen, yet graceful and fast enough to threaten a secondary. In contrast, the fullback position has seen itself passed by and rarely noticed, like some spare part tossed into a junk drawer. The days when the fullback position featured on offense feels practically antediluvian now.

When you look at it, both of these positions are meant for the same things: blocking and receiving. One position's athletes are just better tailored to these functions in this era. Many college programs have even combined these positions and their functions into one rather amorphic position. Coincidentally, Northwestern has gone so far as to name this position, coining the term 'Superback'.

As recruits, there are a couple things about the TE/FB types which are unique. First, tight end is another position that, in my experience, has a high volume of late bloomers. Whether it was because they lacked coordination, hit a late growth spurt, or found football after basketball, it seems to be one of the positions where a kid can burst onto the scene as a senior. The unique bit about fullbacks is not so much when they pop on the radar but whether you offer one at all. If football were a stage production, fullbacks seldom would have a speaking role, so most schools recruit them exclusively as walkons, deeming the position initially unworthy of a scholarship.

Measurables: When you consider the TE position, know that there are usually two types of TEs. Just like when you recruit a RB, you hope to find a player who can do it all, but since those are few and far between, you usually have a few TEs who are better receivers and movers, and some that are better blockers. In the teams that I've been with, the more traditional in-line blocking TE is the 'Y' or 'TE-Y', while the more skill- and receiving-oriented were labeled as the 'H' or 'TE-H'. In recruiting a TE-Y, schools will look for a bigger frame than an 'H'; 6-foot-4 is a good sweet spot, and anything north of there is great. Many of these 'Y's are going to be about 230 pounds in high school, yet they'll need to play at about 250-260, so schools look for broad shoulders and thick legs. These are the hallmarks of a body that has the ability to add and carry more weight. An 'H' can be a little lighter, narrower in the hips and even shorter, in the 6-foot-3 range. An 'H' should be able to run at the fringe of wide-receiver speed (4.7s or low 4.8), while a 'Y' needs to keep it hopefully south of a 5-flat. The typical measurables of note for a prospective FB is about 6-foot or shorter and around 220 pounds, basically a human shaped like a chest of drawers. Just like his 'TE-Y' counterpart, a FB will likely need to add some good weight to play around 250 pounds and be able to churn his legs fast enough to be in the sub-5.0 club.

Blocking: There are two types of blocking that concern these two positions, in-line blocking and lead blocking. The appropriate traits for an in-line blocker as a tight end are the same that apply to a prospective offensive lineman. With a traditional run block, coaches look for explosion out of the stance; the first step should replace where the player's hand was. It is very important to gain ground with the first movement. For me this is a huge thing to watch on film. After the first explosive movement out of the stance, the height of the crown of the helmet should be below the height of the defender's facemask. The hands must strike first -- no throwing a shoulder or leading with the facemask. Hand placement should be on the upper torso, and the fingers should wrap around the breast plate of the opponent's pads. The advanced part happens right now: the hip snap and the drive steps. If a prospect can maintain his pad level, keep his feet wide and moving, and reverse the arch in his back to move the defender, you have an advanced blocker! More realistically, if a TE/FB prospect shows some of these abilities, has appropriate measurables, and displays an ornery on-field disposition, you're in business. Technique is great, but coaches will take willing and fearless in the absence of technical perfection. A more complete skill set can always be instilled later.

Lead blocking or blocking in space, something more commonplace to a TE-H and the FB, has some additional traits that should hopefully be apparent on film. First, the blocker needs to have a certain brand of temerity to his play; the timid and tentative need not apply. How do we know what's going on in a player's mind? It shows up on film. Does a blocker run his feet through contact or does he brace for contact? A lead blocker should uncoil from his base and strike with his hands (many high school blockers hit shoulder first), and keep his feet moving through the contact. I was never much for physics, but if two objects are moving at speed towards each other and one of them stops moving just before collision, which one do you think will be absorbing the most force? Guys who stop their feet don't open holes.

The evil twist to the necessity of running through a block is that it can make a blocker awfully susceptible to getting off-balance and winding up on the losing end of bull vs. cape. You see this situation mostly in open space, such as lead blocking on a sweep or screen. The key is for the blocker to widen his feet and reduce his stride into short, choppy steps. Doing so keeps a blocker balanced and able to change direction suddenly. If a prospect displays this ability on film, it is a very advanced skill.

Receiving: Guys like Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham really up the ante on what to expect from your TE as a receiver. Of course, nearly no one can duplicate this, but tight ends are expected to be able to work the middle of the field with short-to-medium routes and some limited work to the sideline. You really want to find a prospect who can threaten the seam (straight up the middle) of the defense with his speed and length. An ideal candidate is faster than nearly any linebacker and more physical than any safety. Just like a wideout, he must be able to function against a press defense, so a TE must be able to play receiver coming off the ball with a defensive end over him. Defenses will seek to shock or jam a TE at the line of scrimmage, and then linebackers will attempt to bump or redirect him once he is in his route. Tight ends who don't learn how to avoid contact at the line or don't run with some peripheral awareness will really struggle to stay on course.

Aligned in the offensive backfield, fullbacks have the benefit of running all their routes with a 'free release', with no defender in their face. The overwhelming bulk of the routes out of the backfield for a FB are shallow: outside to the flat or a spot route to linebacker depth on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

For fullbacks and tight ends especially, route running should be nearly as fluid as a receiver's: little wasted movement and speed in and out of breaks. The speed element won't look the same as a receiver, but a tight end should have the added benefit of a bigger frame and superior reach. The best tight ends in the pros use their body just like their boxing out for a rebound; they can be completely covered but can use their body positioning to present themselves as an open target all at once. Schools look for flashes of this self awareness and craft in a prospect.

The final piece to the receiving process is, of course, the ball skills component that was highlighted in detail in the receiver piece. Everything should be caught with the hands extended from the body and welcomed in with the finger tips first. A bonafide Division I prospect should not just have size but use it as well; showing a desire and physical ability to play jump ball, while also being a sure handed and reliable catcher in traffic underneath. And for goodness sake, if you're a fullback and lucky enough to have a spot and be on the field and have the ball thrown to you --catch it. Otherwise, you're just an undersized lineman contributing to the doom of your species.

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