If you are unfamiliar with Coby Fleener, he has been Stanford’s starting tight end for the past three seasons and one of Andrew Luck’s go-to-targets. After being red-shirted his freshman year, Coby began to make an immediate impact on Stanford’s football program. In the 2012 Orange Bowl, Coby became a star when he grabbed a career high six receptions for 173 yards and three touchdowns.
In his senior year at Stanford, Coby continued to make a big impact. He finished his final season with 34 catches for 667 yards and a team high 10 touchdowns. He was one of the most productive tight ends in school history. His 18 career touchdowns ranks first among all-time Stanford tight ends. In recent mock drafts, experts have Fleener being selected in the first or early second round.
ESPN’s draft expert, Todd McShay last projected Coby to be selected #18 overall to the San Diego Chargers. Other experts see him going anywhere past that to teams such as San Francisco or the Indianapolis Colts, to name a few.
I recently had the honor to interview Coby..
Q: Do you have any preferred teams to be drafted to and would you like to be drafted by your old coach Jim Harbaugh?
A:“I would like to be drafted as high as possible. If the 49ers pick me,
great. If another team picks me, great. I’m just happy to have to
opportunity to be drafted.”
Q: How has playing with Andrew Luck helped you throughout your time at Stanford and could you see yourself getting draft by the same team as Luck?
A:“He is a very talented player and a great guy. Him getting us into the right
play and making throws that make me look good have all been beneficial to
me. I worked out with Andrew for the Colts yesterday. I would be excited to
play with Andrew again someday.”
Q: How would it feel to be to be drafted by your hometown team, the Bears,and join players like Cutler, Forte, Marshall, Urlacher and all the other all pro players the Bears have?
A:“Playing for the Bears would be exciting as well. Again, I’m happy to have
the opportunity to be even considered as a draft pick.”
Q: What current or retired tight ends have you watched and tried to take parts of their game to improve yours?
A:“I’ve watched Jason Whitten, Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham,and others.”
Q:How was your experience playing for the very fired up Jim Harbaugh and how did he help you become NFL ready?
A:“Coach Harbaugh’s enthusiasm and love for the game becomes contagious. The offense he brought to Stanford will definitely help me understand the offenses at the next level.”
Q: What are your thoughts about the assumed #1 pick Andrew Luck and how he will perform at the pro level?
A:“I think Andrew will do well. He has all the tools, and has demonstrated through his play on the college level that he is an excellent quarterback.I wish him all the success in the world.”
Q: Do you use social media a lot( Twitter) and how will you use it throughout your career?
A:“I use it occasionally. I am relatively new to it. My Twitter is@cobyfleener Typically I use it to share cool things that happen that might actually interest other people, or I use it to get in touch with someone. I try to stay away from telling people boring things that I do on a daily basis.”
The first round of the NFL draft is on Thursday, April 26, followed by rounds two and three on Friday, April 27, and finished on Saturday, April 28.
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