Goss: NFL next stop for Fleener

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Coby Fleener

Updated: March 13, 2012 8:08AM

Joliet Catholic graduate Coby Fleener viewed the recently completed NFL season with renewed interest.

The Stanford senior All-American recognized the value of good-size tight ends who can stretch the field vertically, New England’s Rob Gronkowski and New Orleans’ Jimmy Graham the shining examples.

“The swing toward Gronkowski and Graham and some of the other tight ends in the NFL right now, yeah, to think I could be one of those guys some day would be pretty cool,” Fleener said.

Gronkowski caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and a league-best 17 touchdowns, while Graham grabbed 99 for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. They ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, in the league in receiving yards, a fraternity historically dominated by big-play wideouts.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Fleener toiled in a multiple offensive system at Stanford that rewarded a tight end of that ilk. He did his share of blocking but also had ample opportunity to get downfield and catch bull’s-eyes from quarterback Andrew Luck, likely to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft on April 26.

After finishing his junior season with a flourish, the memorable 2011 Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech in which he had six receptions for 173 yards and three touchdowns, Fleener caught 34 passes as a senior for 667 yards, a 19.6 average, and 10 touchdowns (most in the nation for a tight end). He helped the Cardinal to an 11-2 record, culminating in a 41-38 Fiesta Bowl loss in overtime to Oklahoma State.

“Obviously we would have liked to have not blown the last game, to have it end differently,” Fleener said. “But it was a fun game to be in and to be in two straight BCS games was an exciting opportunity.”

Fleener’s average per catch was especially impressive for a tight end. The Lemont native was one of the Cardinal’s fastest players, and some have said he’s more of a deep threat than Stanford’s wide receivers.

Fleener was mentioned somewhere on virtually every All-America team, and The Sporting News thought enough of his resume to make him its first-team All-America tight end. “Being an All-American was a dream come true,” he said.

Fleener caught 28 passes as a junior, 21 as a sophomore and 13 as a redshirt freshman. Until this season, his highest average per catch was 15.5 his junior year, when he played for Jim Harbaugh. David Shaw, the offensive coordinator during Harbaugh’s four-year tenure, was Stanford’s coach in 2011.

“One area where I wanted to improve this year was in the stats, so that part was good,” Fleener said. “I was not completely satisfied with how I played, but I was happy to be able to come in here, play four years and help turn the program around.

“I played with a heck of a quarterback (Luck), with a very good offensive line that did a good job protecting him, with great receivers and with a running back (Stepfan Taylor) who was hard to tackle. We made it tough on defenses.”

All the while Fleener was earning a degree in science, technology and society, and he is not that far from getting his master’s in media studies. No wonder he says, “Coming to Stanford was the best decision I ever made, by far.”

He is so busy with his studies he has not had much time to dwell on the NFL Combine, scheduled for Feb. 22 to 28 in Indianapolis.

“I’m doing my training here at Stanford, and my class schedule is pretty busy right now,” he said. “I’m making sure I graduate this quarter with my undergraduate degree, and I hope to have my master’s next quarter.”

The combine could help Fleener’s stock with the NFL brass. Regardless, he is taking the opportunity in stride.

“I know what goes on at the combine,” he said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to meet various decision makers from different NFL teams and showcase what I can do.”

The draftniks say Fleener is among the top three tight ends on the board and could be picked as high as late in the first round. Some have suggested the world champion New York Giants are a possibility after they lost two of their tight ends to injury in the Super Bowl.

“I can’t really think too much about where I’ll be drafted and by whom,” Fleener said. “It’s exciting, but I can’t focus on what everyone says is going to happen. It goes up and down every other day. I can’t get ahead of myself.”

Fleener said he believes 250 pounds is a good playing weight, but he understands that could change depending on the plans of the team drafting him.

“I’ll do whatever the team tells me to do,” he said. “I have no qualms about gaining weight.

“I played for a great coaching staff throughout my career here that put me in position to be successful. It has been awesome having coaches who wanted to use me in a variety of ways.”

That experience can only help him find a niche with an NFL team.