For the week leading up to Duke football’s 2013 Spring Game, the Blue Zone will be breaking down this year’s returning squad unit by unit to examine the key changes you’ll see for next year’s Blue Devils. Today, we look at the tight ends.
Key returners: redshirt junior Braxton Deaver, redshirt sophomore David Reeves
Key departures: none
Now in the mix: redshirt freshman Dan Beilinson, sophomore Erich Schneider, redshirt junior Nick Sink
2012 performance: Production at the tight end position was nearly non-existent for the Blue Devils last season. Braxton Deaver—who was pegged as the team's starter coming into camp—missed the entire 2012 season after having multiple offseason surgeries on his thumb and his knee. David Reeves started for Duke at tight end but was largely ineffective, catching just 18 catches for 122 yards in 13 games. Isaac Blakeney split some time at tight end last year but will focus primarily on wide receiver this season.
With the Blue Devils' receivers having a historic season on the outside, head coach David Cutcliffe felt comfortable spreading the field and taking his weaker tight ends largely out of the equation. As a result, Duke's tight ends were primarily on the field to provide additional pass protection and run support.
Season outlook: This year should be an intriguing one for the Blue Devil tight ends. First and foremost, Deaver's return to the lineup will be a big boost to an offense that lost two of its top receiving threats. Deaver is athletic and can stretch the field, providing a big target for Anthony Boone over the middle.
Reeves is currently listed at second on the depth chart, but with Deaver back in the mix should see much less playing time. The Blue Devils rarely feature sets with two tight ends, but Reeves' role would be primarily as a run blocker regardless.
The tight end unit also features three relatively new faces. Dan Beilinson, a local product from Cary, N.C., was one of the more highly-ranked members of his recruiting class. He redshirted last season as a freshman and likely won't see much action this season, but poses some long-term promise.
Erich Schneider possesses a menacing 6-foot-7 frame, which at the tight end position will have any coach salivating. Whether or not he'll be a factor as a tight end or a big target in the slot remains to be seen, but he has the size that Duke receivers have often lacked in years passed.
Nick Sink is the most puzzling of the bunch. After starting most of Duke's games last season at defensive tackle, Cutcliffe announced just weeks before the Belk Bowl that he would be moving to tight end next season. Cutcliffe has been unafraid to move his players around, even to opposite sides of the ball, but to move a starting defensive tackle across the ball to a position where he would be fourth on the preseason depth chart is one that had many scratching their heads. The head coach did laud Sink for his hands and athleticism, and his 285-pound frame can be a lot to deal with on the line, but it will be interesting to see how he fares at his new position and whether or not he will actually be able to crack the rotation this season.
Duke's tight ends will not only have plenty of opportunities to provide run support in an offense that promises to feature the ground game more heavily, but should have plenty of chances to prove themselves as targets over the middle for Boone. Deaver's return to the field should be huge for the Blue Devils if he can be the playmaker they think he can be.
Previous unit breakdowns: Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers
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