30. Tim Tebow, Jacksonville: Sheer size and strength, no idea how good he is at catching the ball.
29. Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay: His touchdown ability is enough to put him up here but other than that his numbers don’t show anything special.
28. Hayden Hurst, Atlanta: Great Route Runner, good speed but he will be overshadowed this season by Kyle Pitts.
27. Jack Doyle, Indianapolis: Good footwork, better hands. Seems to get open as a redzone threat and on third downs.
26. Moe Ali-Cox, Indianapolis: Stop me if you heard this before, basketball player turned tight end. Biggest hands at the position and a dominate jump ball threat.
25. OJ Howard, Tampa Bay: He could be much higher on the list but after an ACL tear that kept him out almost all of last season, we don’t know how he will look on the field in that crowded tight end room.
24. Irv Smith Jr, Minnesota: A guy I liked out of college that got drafted into the wrong scheme. Coach Mike Zimmer also said that there will be no increased role for Smith this season which is concerning.
23. Kyle Rudolph, New York (G): A new home for Kyle in New York should help him greatly but the skill group is way to crowded and his targets will dwindle this season.
22. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles (R): The loss of Gerald Everett will boost Higbee’s usage rate but until he shows that he can be the tight end number one I Can’t put him any higher.
21. Jared Cook. New Orleans: People forget that Cook retired a couple years ago, so is his heart really in it? He thrived in Drew Brees’ offense and Taysom Hill’s college offense but with Jameis at the helm, Cook’s numbers will go down.
20. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay: Arguably the greatest tight end in the history of the NFL but he too retired two seasons ago, and whether that was because he wanted to smoke weed or because his body could not function you have to question if he wants it still. However, he is the best and has the best quarterback throwing him the ball which raises his stock.
19. Zack Ertz, Philadelphia?: He won’t be there for long and wherever he goes will probably be a better situation for him and that is why he is on this list and he could climb back up the ranks with a few good games.
18. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia: Someone who will be the eventual number one in Philly and will prove to be a very good option for Jalen Hurts in the mid passing attack.
17. Auston Hooper, Cleveland: Most people will say he is underperforming because for the sheer size of his contract, which is true. He is the true number one this season with David Njoku on his way out but probably won’t live up to his contract at all.
16. Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh: The number one option in the redzone for Big Ben but not a threat anywhere else. His production speaks for itself though because even if it is only in the redzone it jumps off the page to me.
15. Evan Engram, New York (G): The second best route runner on the list but seems to have lube on his hands when he tries to catch the ball, which is the most important this for a tight end like Engram.
14. Gerald Everett, Seattle: Giving Wilson a good target at the position will change the Seahawks offense drastically. Everett will have his best season statistically this season if he stays healthy.
13. Jimmy Graham, Chicago: He will have a good season if Fields is the starter in Chicago, but it seems like Dalton will start for at least five games. Matt Nagy looks to save his career as a head coach and has to use Graham as a real target.
12. Noah Fant, Denver: A guy who should be higher, but I can’t bring myself to put a Bronco top 10. Great route runner and even better at catching the ball, with a good quarterback Fant could be great even in that loaded skill room.
11. Jonnu Smith, New England: The Patriots are finally getting back to an offense that seems right. A two tight end set, and a healthy Cam Newton will give Smith room to get open and possibly let him play out of position.
10.Mark Andrews, Baltimore: Obviously Baltimore has one of the more explosive offenses in the league and Andrews is the perfect tight end for this team. The only problem is that they signed Sammy Watkins and drafted Rashod Bateman which will take valuable targets away from Andrews.
9. Hunter Henry, New England: A top 5 tight end before his injury and he got paid like one. Henry
matched with Jonnu Smith is the perfect duo and will be huge this season.
8. Robert Tonyan, Green Bay: Big game Rob burst onto the scene last season but if Rodgers leaves this offseason his numbers will decline but his status will stay the same.
7. Logan Thomas, Washington: This QB turned TE has positioned himself into the top 10 of his position and this year has a QB that can push the ball downfield. Also, the addition of Curtis Samuel will not take away from Thomas’ targets and instead will stretch the field to make room for him instead.
6. Mike Gesicki, Miami: Surely one of the most athletic tight ends in the NFL but Tua could hold him back from blossoming into a top 5 tight end.
5. TJ Hockenson, Detroit: Sure, he is on a terrible team but that means he will get the majority of the targets and Goff loves tight ends, so I can only assume he will lead the position in one or more statistics.
4. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta: A tight end compared to Julio Jones has to catch a lot of peoples eyes, but for me he is much more than that. This guy can play!
3. George Kittle, San Francisco: He is widely considered the best or at worst a 1B situation. I think he does not have a good enough QB to help him rise to the top this season and that’s why I have him at three.
2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas: He has the ability to be number one but for now he is second. Waller has an unparreled skillset and some of the best hands in the league. Carr also loves Waller as a threat and will look to him often once he is pressured.
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City: This one is so obvious, best route runner, has the best QB, and is the number one option in a high powered offense with Andy Reid at the helm.
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