In years past, when Alabama head coach Nick Saban got asked what it takes to be a good receiver, he’s always said one of the good traits is that he must block well.

According to media reports, Alabama tight end O.J. Howard is developing into a blocker quite well.

In fact, the article written by AL.com’s Andrew Gribble, said that Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin noticed the sophomore’s ability to not block on film.

“O.J. is really extremely talented, a guy who was more of a receiver last year, so we’re working more with him about speed and his ability to do everything,” Kiffin said in the article. “The last thing I want to do here is focus on what they do really well. That’s our challenge here this fall.

“Let’s focus on what you haven’t done so well and not what you’ve done. We know what you can do, let’s bring your game up. A good example of that is get a player who can play all of the time.”

Later in the article, it was reported that Howard is constantly being told by coaches that he must block better, and Saban called him a “mismatch player.”