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The Starter Level
Robert Tonyan Article
Excerpt from Chicago Tribune on Robert Tonyan's day participating at Northwestern's Pro Day activities on Tuesday:
Of the 41 prospects from area schools, the greatest buzz was generated by Indiana State tight end Robert Tonyan Jr., a converted wide receiver.
The McHenry East product went to college as a quarterback and switched to wide receiver after his redshirt freshman season. He made the decision to become a tight end last year after the Sycamores' season ended.
Tonyan, 6-foot-5, weighed in at 231 pounds and needs to add weight, but he was timed at 4.59 seconds in the 40-yard dash on both of his attempts.
He impressed with a 35-inch vertical jump and put up 16 repetitions on the bench press at 225 pounds. He impressed in positional drills with a big catching radius and good hands.
"I've got to put some fat on me," Tonyan said. "It's hard because I have a really high metabolism. It's a process."
He had one of his best games last season against Minnesota, the biggest school he played against, with eight receptions for 90 yards and three touchdowns.
He finished the season with 56 catches for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns. In three seasons as a receiver he caught 150 passes for 2,047 yards and 20 touchdowns.
"I've kind of got a knack for understanding where everything is supposed to be because of my background as a quarterback," Tonyan said.
He's got to get bigger, but in a way is much like Bears tight end Daniel Brown, who was a wide receiver at James Madison, an FCS school like Indiana State, before signing with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2015. The Ravens converted Brown to tight end last year and the Bears scooped him up off waivers. Bears tight end Zach Miller was also a quarterback at Nebraska-Omaha.
Tonyan said he has a predraft visit set with the Raiders for early April and after his performance and the way he ran at the regional combine in Minneapolis earlier this month, he could attract more attention.
Excerpt from Chicago Tribune on Robert Tonyan's day participating at Northwestern's Pro Day activities on Tuesday:
Of the 41 prospects from area schools, the greatest buzz was generated by Indiana State tight end Robert Tonyan Jr., a converted wide receiver.
The McHenry East product went to college as a quarterback and switched to wide receiver after his redshirt freshman season. He made the decision to become a tight end last year after the Sycamores' season ended.
Tonyan, 6-foot-5, weighed in at 231 pounds and needs to add weight, but he was timed at 4.59 seconds in the 40-yard dash on both of his attempts.
He impressed with a 35-inch vertical jump and put up 16 repetitions on the bench press at 225 pounds. He impressed in positional drills with a big catching radius and good hands.
"I've got to put some fat on me," Tonyan said. "It's hard because I have a really high metabolism. It's a process."
He had one of his best games last season against Minnesota, the biggest school he played against, with eight receptions for 90 yards and three touchdowns.
He finished the season with 56 catches for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns. In three seasons as a receiver he caught 150 passes for 2,047 yards and 20 touchdowns.
"I've kind of got a knack for understanding where everything is supposed to be because of my background as a quarterback," Tonyan said.
He's got to get bigger, but in a way is much like Bears tight end Daniel Brown, who was a wide receiver at James Madison, an FCS school like Indiana State, before signing with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2015. The Ravens converted Brown to tight end last year and the Bears scooped him up off waivers. Bears tight end Zach Miller was also a quarterback at Nebraska-Omaha.
Tonyan said he has a predraft visit set with the Raiders for early April and after his performance and the way he ran at the regional combine in Minneapolis earlier this month, he could attract more attention.
