It's not just the 2nd, but also the 3rd rounds, and they're late 2nd 3rd round players that are playing very, very well at TE. In fact, that's where most of them seem to be picked.

Greg Olsen and Mercedes Lewis are up there and both first rounders.

I think one of the reasons that 2nd and 3rd round TEs are playing well ... is because that's basically where they're mostly drafted. Not many TEs go in the first round, and the ones that do are often projected 2nd round.

I don't consider Greg Olsen much of a TE ... more of a big slot receiver. I consider he and Scheffler to be pretty much identical, but with Scheff being cheaper and tougher.

I understand the frustration with Pettigrew, but I expect him to rally & have some good production as a good, all-around TE. I would want & expect him to stick around. But do you pay him top-dollar in the next contract? Probably not. Because you can get good TEs in the 3rd round, an also in FA (although you would never guess that, from looking at the Bears' TEs... lol).

You think their respective teams are happy they took them in the first round? I wouldn't think so. Lewis has been a non-factor in Jacksonville on an offense with nearly zero talent outside of MJD, and he still can't get the damn ball. Olsen was let go for practically nothing.

... if you consider half of Brandon Marshall to be practically nothing. ;-)

Which 1/2?

lol

Lewis has never had a QB and Olsen got dumped because Martz is an idiot. I'm sure the Jags regret some of their other 1st rounders and not Lewis. Olsen is playing great for Carolina and played well for the terrible offenses the bears have put up. Olsen was even in a good value spot since he was the 31st pick in the 2007 draft for the Bears who had just went to the Super Bowl and were just looking to make small improvements to return, unfortunately Angelo screwed the pooch and the team went 7-9 instead.

I still agree its better to draft a TE after the 1st round, but if there is one good thing about 1st round TEs is that they virtually never bust. Maybe they aren't all Tony Gonzalez, but they almost always become consistent starters for many years. Its probably the surest 1st round pick you can make.