Cottam looking to impress scouts

Jeff Cottam turned his back on the quarterback and easily hauled in a ball over his shoulder.

He cruised through deep routes, made easy cuts and never put a ball on the turf.

Then he turned the difficulty up and started pulling down passes during a light workout at D1 Sports outside Nashville with just one massive hand.

There were no scouts around to watch him and the former Tennessee tight end won't have a lot of chances to impress them. But if NFL teams are looking for somebody who can catch, Cottam is ready to prove his college stats aren't a reflection of his ability to do it.

"I think I'm known more as a blocking tight end right now, and that's something I've got to show scouts is that I'm able to stretch the field deep and run by linebackers and catch the ball and make plays," Cottam said. "But where do I stand right now? It's really hard to tell. I've heard things all over the place. I've heard third round, I've heard free agent, I've heard it all. I could go anywhere.

"I think my draft stock is all over the board, mainly because I didn't have a lot of catches last year and I wasn't used a whole lot in the passing game for whatever reason."

One of them was the success of fellow tight end Luke Stocker and another was the ability UT had to run the ball, which Cottam certainly played a part in as a big, athletic blocker. But now he's trying to prove he's more than that and overcome the stigma that can come from a three-catch senior season.

Pre-draft workouts and pro days don't necessarily provide many chances to demonstrate his skills as a target, but at 6-foot-8 and 260 pounds, Cottam figures to be worth taking a look at anyway.

"I mean, the goal by coming here (to D1) is to improve on my times and get better at the game of football, specifically in all the areas the scouts are going to measure us in," Cottam said.

"I mean, pro day is mainly just to show the measurable things, the 40(-yard dash) and the bench press, height, weight, agility and all that, and that will eventually get me on a team somewhere. Where I really will show what I can do is in camp. Camp is where I'm really going to make a name for myself, and that's really what it's all about for me right now."

Just how Cottam might get there remains to be seen, and there clearly will be lots of holes to fill on his resume.

He had two seasons without any receptions, including one shortened by rehab on a broken leg. He never had more than four catches in a season, and he only accounted for 60 yards through the air during his career.

But he did produce a couple touchdowns and was effective at using his massive size in other ways. And if his career might seem a bit up in the air at the moment, Cottam is intent on using his hands to bring it down.

"If I get in a camp, I'll be fine," Cottam said. "I'm sure I will get in a camp, and from there it's about showing the coaches what I can do.

"Obviously a third-round pick is going to get a lot more money than a free agent, but besides that, I just want to play football. I'll be fine as long as I can get into a camp. I'm sure I'll make a team."