Tony Scheffler

Scheffler is an unheralded athlete who has excelled in football, baseball and the classroom during his time with the Broncos. Since returning from a shoulder injury that wiped out his 2003 season, Scheffler recorded 110 of his 117 career receptions during the last two seasons. He was recently denied a request for a medical hardship waiver for the 2003 season and based on his recent performances, he could be a find in the later stages of the 2006 NFL Draft. During his time at Chelsea High School, Scheffler earned Detroit News Dream Team honors as a receiver. He set a school record for receiving yards in a season (1,340) and finished with 67 catches and 16 touchdowns during the 2000 season. That year, he led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 record and the Division III Regional finals. He was selected for the East-West All-Star Game. He also started for the basketball squad and earned All-State honors as a first baseman in baseball. Scheffler redshirted as a wide receiver in 2001 at Western Michigan while recovering from a high school shoulder injury. The following season, Scheffler appeared in 12 games as a reserve slot receiver, catching six passes for 65 yards (10.8 avg) and a touchdown. He also returned seven kickoffs for 100 yards (14.3 avg). On the baseball team, he batted .304 as a left fielder and designated hitter. In 2003, he played in the season opener vs. Michigan State, gaining 40 yards on one catch before a fractured right clavicle forced him to sit out the balance of the schedule. Scheffler shifted to tight end in 2004. He led Mid America Conference tight ends with 53 catches for 570 yards (10.8 avg) and three touchdowns. He also batted .314 as the baseball team's starting first baseman. The 2005 campaign brought Scheffler All-America recognition. He set a school season record for tight ends with 57 receptions for 670 yards (11.8 avg) and nine touchdowns. He also garnered Academic All-MAC honors for the third straight year. On the baseball field, he finished with a .268 batting average. In 35 games with the Broncos, Scheffler caught 117 passes for 1,345 yards (11.5 avg) and 13 touchdowns. He recorded two tackles, scored 78 points and returned eight kickoffs for 108 yards (13.5 avg). He finished his baseball career with a .293 batting average while appearing in 79 games.

positives

Has room on his frame to add needed bulk and strength...When given room, he shows a smooth release and natural swim moves to avoid jams...Has enough speed to pull the safety out of coverage...Effective on drags and corner routes due to his ability to drop his weight and cut out of his breaks effectively...Has the leaping ability and body control to go up and compete for a jump ball...Shows good balance in his running stride...Demonstrates good ball security, keeping the football high and tight to his body to prevent defenders from stripping it...Uses his body to push and gain leverage when working underneath...Even though he lacks explosion, he is capable of making sharp cuts...Does a nice job of sliding to find holes and bouncing off defenders to get open in the short area...Not afraid to cross the middle or run the seam.

scheffler showed improved route-running ability as a senior. he used to round off his cuts and failed to get good pattern depth. but last year, he displayed better sharpness coming out of his breaks and the ability to slip by when used on underneath and delay patterns. he has adequate knee bend and drops his weight decently to be more effective cutting out of his breaks than he did in the past. this is evident when he runs drags and corner routes.

Scheffler has the body control to leap and catch outside his frame. He has good hand/eye coordination, but does not have the explosion to clear and separate in space. With his timed speed, you would think that he could get deep more, but he just lacks the second gear to be consistent. He is a good hands catcher, but will let the ball into his body at times, resulting in several drops. He does not look natural making a turn to get upfield after the catch and because of strength problems, is generally brought down by the initial tackle.

negatives

Has shied away from the weight room during his career and the result is marginal muscle development, skinny legs and a soft overall frame...Has good cutting ability, but fails to get consistent depth in his long patterns...His stiff hips prevent him from adjusting or getting his head turned around to look the ball in over his outside shoulder...His tight hips also prevent him from generating much shake-and-bake in attempts to separate and elude...Does not have the leg drive to break tackles and will generally be taken down by the initial hit...More of a finesse blocker who will rarely overpower when working in-line and lacks the strong base at the point of attack to fit and work to finish... Gets rag-dolled often when trying to sustain vs. the blitz...Does not have the burst needed to bleed extra yardage after the catch.

scheffler is more of a cut blocker, but even then, he dives too much at the linebacker's feet and needs to stay square and work harder to sustain. he will never be the type that will consistently pancake his opponent. he will get in the pass rusher's way, but lacks the power or position technique to face up. even with his added bulk, he struggles to drive or anchor. because he shies away from the weight room, it is doubtful that he can add more strength fast enough to contribute as a blocker, at least not at this stage of his game.

Scheffler has good hands and is an effective short area receiver. He has the timed speed to gain valid yardage in the second level, but not enough to threaten the deep portion of the secondary. He will need to dedicate considerable hours in the training room to add needed bulk and strength. But for now, he looks like more of an H-back type. He did serve as a backup long snapper, but it is advised to use him only as an emergency fill-in there. Because of his production the last two years, look for some team to select him late in the draft and hope he fills out and gets stronger.

scheffler concentrated on conditioning during the 2005 off-season and the result was 10 more pounds of bulk added to his frame. he still needs to develop better overall muscle tone and improve his marginal strength. because of his skinny lower body, lack of power and good quickness, he might be better suited for a motion tight end/h-back position rather than playing as a classic tight end.

Despite his timed speed, Scheffler lacks explosiveness and a sudden burst. He glides past the line of scrimmage and can be rerouted or jammed by more physical defenders when he does not get his hands extended to prevent the press. When given room, he shows a smooth release and effective swim moves to avoid the nine-techs. He has enough acceleration to pull the safety out of coverage, but lacks the suddenness to stretch the defense on a regular basis. He is a little too tight in his hips to generate effective shake-and-bake moves.

2001: Granted a medical redshirt to recover from a high school separated right shoulder. 2003: Suffered a right clavicle fracture in the season opener vs. Michigan State (8/30), missing the rest of the season. 2005: Strained his hamstring and suffered a hand contusion that forced him to leave the Virginia game (9/03).

Campus: 4.72 in the 40-yard dash

300-pound bench press

32 3/8-inch arm length

9 ¼-inch hands

Right-handed

22/36 Wonderlic score.

Attended Chelsea (Mich.) High School, playing football for head coach Brad Bush

Earned Detroit News Dream Team honors as a receiver

Set a school record for receiving yards in a season (1,340) and finished with 67 catches and 16 touchdowns during the 2000 season

That year, he led the Bulldogs to an 11-1 record and the Division III Regional finals

Selected for the East-West All-Star Game

Also started for the basketball squad and earned All-State honors as a first baseman in baseball.

Marketing major, earning conference academic honors three times and academic district honors twice with a 3.63 grade point average

Cousin of former Purdue basketball player Steve Scheffler

Son of Gwen and Tony Scheffler

Born 2/15/83 in Morenci, Michigan

Resides in Chelsea, Michigan.