The idea, at least as it was conceived, was for a sixth or seventh offensive lineman who could road grade first and foremost, and then maybe catch a little dump-off in a quarterback's desperation or down by the goal line. But then people changed. The college game changed, the pro game changed. The position of tight end changed. The NFL still employs blocking tight ends -- the guys who can occasionally release for a first-down reception but are primarily called upon to seal the edge or take on a linebacker. But the league is currently awash with oversized gazelles who play in space and create matchup nightmares, too fast for a linebacker to cover and too big for a corner. They are receivers above all. This is now a league of Gates and Gonzalez and Davis and Clark and Keller, players who can stretch defenses on seam routes and be bulls on the outside. This is now a league where you can have a Scott Sicko, an undrafted tight end out of Stillwater, La Salle and the University of New Hampshire, be a coveted rookie free agent because of his speed and ball-catching skills. (Sicko has looked good in the Dallas Cowboys training camp, but must come back from a concussion suffered in Sunday's preseason game.) 'Every kid is bigger nowadays, whether it's in the pros, in college, in high school,' said Bob Ford, head coach at the State University of New York at Albany. 'Now a lot of these kids, like the Sicko kid . . . can stretch the field. 'They're bigger, they're stronger and they are faster. And people have gotten very creative with them.' The evolution of the position has been stark over the past decade. In 1989, Philadelphia Eagle Keith Jackson was the only tight end in the top 25 in receptions (23rd). A decade later, only Tony Gonzalez (20th) found his way into the top 25. But in 2004, Gonzalez led the NFL in catches, and four other tight ends finished in the top 25. By 2009, eight of the top 25 in receptions were tight ends, including five in the top 20 and two in the top 10. Only three tight ends are among the top 50 in career catches. Expect that number to grow exponentially in the years ahead. 'It's more of a threat on the offense,' said New York Giant Kevin Boss, whose 42 catches for 567 yards and 5 TDs last year would have been career years for tight ends of past generations. 'On some teams, the tight end is the No. 1 target.' Bear Pascoe, who converted to the position from quarterback at Fresno State, said the Giants still expect their tight ends to be versatile. 'A lot more teams are using the tight end as weapons,' said Pascoe, who came to New York last season after being drafted earlier in the year by the San Francisco 49ers. 'Kevin Boss is a great receiver, but we still use that tight end as that brute, the big blocking tight end who helps establish the running game. That's what makes us a little different.' (Injuries, including to Boss and Travis Beckum, limited the Giants to only two practicing tight ends Tuesday: Pascoe and fill-in Herb Taylor, an offensive lineman by trade.) But that multi-dimensional tight end is getting harder to find. The reason rests not just in the pro game, but in the college ranks. Giants tight end coach Mike Pope said the evolution has been accelerated by more colleges adopting spread offenses. As a result, it's getting tougher to find all-around tight ends (not to mention fullbacks, middle linebackers and strong safeties), since they are often positioned far off the tackle. 'Most of these guys who came out of the space positions, the pass-oriented offenses, you just have to start over with them,' he said. 'Because of the way college football has gone the last several years with all the offenses so spread all over the field, a lot of these guys never even had a chance to be taught' how to block. The NFL still needs those third-and-short tight ends. But the prevailing preference in a game that has become more wide open is a wide receiver in a defensive end's body. That's the idea, at least as it's now conceived. (Mark McGuire can be reached by e-mail at mmcguire@timesunion.com. Visit his blog at http://blog.timesunion.com/mcguire.) 