Draft Tracker Reports: Notes: High-school All-America tight end-defensive end. Also a state high-jump champion as a junior (6-8 jump) and a fine basketball player. Started four games and appeared in six as a freshman in 1994 and caught 10 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. Also missed four games with a sprained ankle. Started every game and was the All-Big Eight tight end in '95 after catching 43-580-2. Began '96 as a starter, hurt his right shoulder vs. Tulsa, missed the Kansas game, came back, reinjured it against Nebraska and missed the last three games of the season. Ended the abbreviated season with 22-438-2. Had surgery to repair the problem. Was held out of contact in the spring but came back to catch 29-450-1 in the fall. Positives: Good athlete who can vertical-jump about 36 inches and broad-jump over 10 feet. Moves very well, although he has gotten bigger and stronger. Fine downfield blocker. Can stick and stay. Generally catches the ball well. Works to improve his strength and skills during the offseason. Had outstanding Senior Bowl practices and a fine combine workout. Negatives: Lacks the size and strength scouts look for in an in-line, blocking tight end. Is light in the butt and does not have a good power base. At times does not look like a natural receiver and will drop some balls. Has not been that durable during his career. Summary: More of an H-back type than a conventional, in-line, blocking tight end, but a good football player who has worked to get bigger, stronger and better. Although he dropped two passes in the Senior Bowl game, he worked so well during the week and at the combine that he probably jumped from a fifth- to a second-round pick.

One of the leading tight ends in the country...Named Second-Team All-Big 12 by both the coaches and media...First in receptions and yards for the Sooners...Finished the season with 450 yards receiving on 29 receptions and one touchdown. Performed extremely well during Senior Bowl practices (well enough that dropped passes during the game probably didn't hurt him). Alexander also had a strong combine. Projected as more of an H-back than a conventional tight end. Good athlete who has gotten bigger and stronger, while not losing speed.

No TE's stock has risen faster than Alexander's since the end of last season. He had a phenomenal showing at the combine and produces fast times at two subsequent individual workous. He's fast enought to be an H back, and big enough to hold his own at the line.

Play-making threat with good speed (4.63) and excellent hands...Tremendous work ethic...Gets off the line quickly. Linebackers can't cover him. Has become a better blocker over the past season...Will stay with his man as a blocker and can also block well going downfield...Also can block a moving target...Does a good job in pass protection. Hasn't been durable in the past, but had no problems last season...Had right shoulder surgery following the 96 season...Missed four games in 1994 with a sprained ankle.

Alexander is a solid playmaker who can contribute a little as a blocker. Should be a nice asset a team since he works hard.

CREAM OF THE CROP: STEPHEN ALEXANDER-Oklahoma 6:04, 246

Scouting Report: Preseason grade-5.3...Postseason grade-6.6 Smooth runner who is quick off the snap...Has the balance and body control to make the tough extension grabs in traffic...Not an explosive blocker, but will make contact on the move...Maintains his position setting up in pass protection and shows good lateral agility...Has the speed to break away from linebackers on crossing routes.

  GP/GS  REC  YARDS   AVG  TD  LONG   RPG   RPTD  YDS/GM
  ------------------------------------------------------
  35/31  104  1591   15.3   6   77   2.97  17.33   45.46

Good speed, ran a 4.6+ in the past, could be even faster, excellent hands, good moves, works hard to improve all aspects of his game. Has had injury problems in past, '97 was his first real non-injury year.

. . . That's why Alonzo Mayes of Oklahoma State and Stephen Alexander of Oklahoma will probably be the only two tight ends selected on the first day of the draft Saturday. "There just aren't that many who people would pick as high choices,'' said Neal Dahlen, the director of player personnel for the Denver Broncos, who may have the best collection of tight ends in the NFL. "I think the ones who get drafted are going to be good, solid players in the league, but if four or five actually do make it, that would be a safe estimate. "Mayes and Alexander are the two highest-rated, but as you listen to the gossip around the league, which one might go first is going to be a team decision. That's going to depend on teams having a void.''

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/bron0412.htm

Very good Indy workout. 35½ vertical jump, 10 ft. long jump. Won State High Jump Championship in high school. Averaged 17 points a game in basketball. Had a brother play at Oklahoma. Started four games as a true freshman in 1994. Excellent athlete. Has good hands (did have two drops in Senior Bowl game). This player has a lot of upside but needs to get stronger and become a better blocker. Needs lower body strength and development. Would be good at some place like Denver where they flex tight ends out a lot.

Described as "a throwback" by Washington Redskins tight ends coach Michael Pope, Stephen Alexander was braced for big-city glitz when his plane landed at Reagan National Airport yesterday.

So it was a comfort, actually, when his cab driver got lost en route to Redskin Park and ended up on a gravel road in Loudoun County, flanked by open fields and tractors. "It reminded me of Oklahoma," said Alexander, the University of Oklahoma tight end whom the Redskins made their top pick in the NFL draft (second round, 48th overall).

Alexander, who is 6 feet 4 and 246 pounds, doesn't answer an urgent need for the Redskins, but should add a spark if his legs are as fast and his hands as soft as workouts suggest. He has more speed and slightly better blocking ability than starting tight end Jamie Asher, who led the team with 49 receptions last season.

The Redskins' hope is that, in time, Alexander will not only reel in his share of passes, but also will help stretch defenses and ease the pressure on wide receiver Michael Westbrook, who lately has been hampered by injury and inconsistency. And from the moment Alexander signs, he becomes an instant insurance policy, because Asher will be able to become a free agent at season's end.

Arriving at Redskin Park nearly nine hours after leaving his home in Chickasha, Okla., (bad weather canceled a Cincinnati-to-Dulles connection), Alexander posed for pictures holding his No. 80 jersey and said all the right things about the day he never imagined would come.

"I couldn't ask for a better system for a tight end," Alexander said, citing Coach Norv Turner's history of success with Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novecek. He pledged to log long hours in the weight room to get stronger and improve his blocking. And he said he felt honored to be picked by a team with such rich tradition—one that also happens to be the favorite NFL team of his twin brother, Michael.

Alexander's selection was big news in Chickasha, where his father, Carl, is a retired Oklahoma state trooper and his mother, Mary, is a school administrator. It's a town of fewer than 20,000 that mainly revolves around wheat, cattle, the Delta faucet plant and the Chickasha Chicks football team, which paints Friday nights purple and gold. "You'd think that's the only sport we had in high school," said Sgt. Richard Paddack, who works with Alexander's brother, Scott, at the Chickasha Police Department. Paddack said he has met Chickasha's current point of pride, but never in the line of work. "He's a good kid," Paddack said. "Of course when your dad's in law enforcement, you have a lot of people watching you in a community this size."

The phone rang nonstop Saturday at the Alexander's home, where the thrill lingered well into the next day.

"He's worked real hard for it," said Michael Alexander, who's younger than Stephen by three minutes. "He likes to excel. He's just an achiever, so this was a perfect fit."

Said his father: "He grew up with a football in his hands, so to speak."

Alexander also handled a basketball and baseball as a youngster, and won Oklahoma's high-jump title as a junior with a leap of 6 feet 8 inches. He set other sports aside when football scholarship offers came and followed his half-brother, Jerry, to Oklahoma.

At Oklahoma, Alexander played for three head coaches and saw his fortunes change with the offensive schemes, at times pass-heavy, other times relying on the option. "It really helped me to become a better player," Alexander said of the upheaval. "And it really helped me grow up to start as a true freshman."

He was slowed by a shoulder injury as a junior, missing four games after a diving grab for a 20-yard gain against Nebraska. He came back even bigger and faster as a senior, leading the Sooners with 29 receptions for 450 yards.

Back in Chickasha, his parents have been studying the Redskins' 1998 schedule and already are making travel plans. "Now we're Redskins," said his mother. "We're going to have to change our colors."