The rare Alabama tight end to break a 40-year draft drought
In short: O.J. Howard didn't just enter the NFL; he shattered a historical bottleneck. As a five-star recruit, he became one of only two Alabama tight ends ever selected in the first round during the common draft era—a feat that solidified his status as a generational prospect.
Howard’s ascent to professional football was marked by elite scouting recognition. After being labelled a five-star prospect and the premier tight end of his year, he chose to join the University of Alabama. During his collegiate career, Howard became a cornerstone of the Crimson Tide offense, notably recording back-to-back seasons with the most receptions ever for a tight end under coach Nick Saban. His crowning achievement came in 2016, where he was named Offensive MVP of the College Football Playoff National Championship victory over Clemson after hauling in five receptions for 208 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite his production, Howard’s role at Alabama was sometimes viewed as underutilized. Following the 2016 season, Saban admitted that Howard "should have been more involved all year long." Nevertheless, Howard's preparation was meticulous; he modeled his game after legends like Jason Witten and Jimmy Graham. He bolstered his draft stock by being voted the Senior Bowl's top practice player of the week before being selected 19th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His professional journey has been defined by both high-impact production and significant physical adversity. In his rookie season, he started 14 games, recording six touchdowns. However, a career-altering torn Achilles suffered during a Week 4 game in 2020 against the Los Angeles Chargers sidelined him for much of that year. While he earned a Super Bowl ring with Tampa Bay in 2021, his subsequent years involved navigating various roles and teams, including stints with the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, and Las Vegas Raiders.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: O. J. Howard
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