Stephen

Sullivan

Hayden Hurst (concussion) has been placed on injured reserve, leaving Tommy Tremble and Stephen Sullivan as the Panthers’ only healthy tight ends. Sullivan saw four targets last week against the Saints while Tremble saw three. Neither are fantasy viable.

Hurst was diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia after suffering a concussion in Week 10. He returned to the practice field this week but may be a few more weeks away from returning if he does at all this season. The Panthers listed backup tight ends Tommy Tremble and Stephen Sullivan as questionable. Expect Ian Thomas to see plenty of snaps with all of the injuries the Panthers are dealing with at tight end. There isn’t a fantasy option in the midst here no matter how the questionable tags shake out on Sunday.

Tremble caught the only touchdown the Panthers scored on the day, but it was far from an inspiring effort. He played the most snaps of any Panthers’ tight end, but he continues to split routes with Hayden Hurst and Stephen Sullivan, which basically makes them all unrosterable outside of the deepest fantasy formats.

Seattle drafted Sullivan with the No. 251 overall pick this year. He played receiver at LSU but his size (6'5/248) led the Seahawks to move him to tight end. Seattle has a deep tight end room so it’s not a surprise that a project like Sullivan wasn’t able to make the cut. If no one claims Sullivan, he could develop while on Seattle’s practice squad.

Sullivan, Seattle’s No. 251 overall pick this year, was designated as a wide receiver on draft night but will apparently begin his career as a tight end, after all. Sullivan (6'5/248) previously converted from wide receiver prior to the Tigers’ National Championship run, embracing the move by adding nearly 20 pounds since his junior year. His remarkable 98th-percentile arm length (35 3/8") allows him to swallow the ball, though he still struggles with concentration issues that will need to be ironed out before he’s a reliable target. There were also noticeable inconsistencies in his development: his longest run after the catch in 2019 was five yards, he played in all 15 games as a senior but caught a pass in only six games, etc. All things considered, Sullivan projects as a poor, poor man’s Jared Cook if it all clicks. He could develop a red zone skill-set on the practice squad.

Sullivan (6'5/248) converted from wide receiver prior to the Tigers’ National Championship run, embracing the move by adding nearly 20 pounds since his junior year. Now the Seahawks have listed him back at wideout. Sullivan’s remarkable 98th-percentile arm length (35 3/8") allows him to swallow the ball, though he still struggles with concentration issues that will need to be ironed out before he’s a reliable target. There were also noticeable inconsistencies in his development: his longest run after the catch in 2019 was five yards, he played in all 15 games as a senior but caught a pass in only six games, etc. All things considered, Sullivan projects as a poor, poor man’s Jared Cook at the next level. He could develop a red zone skill-set on the practice squad.

Sullivan (6'5/248) converted from wide receiver prior to the Tigers’ National Championship run, embracing the move by adding nearly 20 pounds since his junior year. Now the Seahawks have listed him back at wideout. Sullivan’s remarkable 98th-percentile arm length (35 3/8") allows him to swallow the ball, though he still struggles with concentration issues that will need to be ironed out before he’s a reliable target. There were also noticeable inconsistencies in his development: his longest run after the catch in 2019 was five yards, he played in all 15 games as a senior but caught a pass in only six games, etc. All things considered, Sullivan projects as a poor, poor man’s Jared Cook at the next level. He could develop a red zone skill-set on the practice squad.

Sullivan (6'5/248) is considered a “tweener” by many -- not a good enough blocker to play tight end, not quite athletic enough to play wideout -- but he’s still intriguing because of his 6-foot-5, 248-pound frame. Zierlein notes the lack of functional strength as an outright blocker. “However, he’s an above-average blocker in space who can help spring receiver screens, jet-sweeps and outside runs,” he writes in his overview. Zierlein believes that Sullivan is worth a stash on a roster, and teams can keep “tinkering” with him until they figure out if there’s something there.

“Sullivan also run-blocked well during the week. I don’t know exactly what he’ll become, but he’s absolutely draftable in my mind and should be a fascinating project for an NFL team,” Edholm writes. He comps the 6-foot-5, 245-pound LSU product to a “longer-armed Julius Thomas” in terms of his general playing style. While Edholm is intrigued, here, Sullivan is no guarantee to get drafted come April and will need to continue to check the requisite boxes as the evaluating process moves along on its merry way.

Sullivan (6'5/242) was targeted a few times on Saturday, but only managed to bring in the one pass. Sullivan’s lone catch was on a 1st-and-10 late in the third quarter, but was unfortunately negated by a holding call on the following play. With his hybrid TE/WR build and skill set, Sullivan may need a creative team to get the most out of him. Expect Sullivan to be a Day 3 pick.