A pair of Iowa tight ends were selected in the first round (T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant), and no doubt each will receive some interest in fantasy leagues. But history tells us it’s tough for a rookie to come in and put up good numbers right away.
There have been a few exceptions. Jeremy Shockey and Evan Engram, most notably, put up top-5 numbers in their first seasons. But the larger body of work shows far more misses than hits.
Of the last 30 tight ends selected with first-round picks, only those two put up top-10 numbers in their first year. Three others at least managed top-15 production (most recently, Heath Miller and Dustin Keller). That’s using PPR scoring an cumulative ranks.
Both of these Iowa guys, at least, should get a chance to contribute. With Golden Tate gone, the Lions need somebody who can work the middle of the field. They’ve got crusty old Danny Amendola in the slot, and not much else. (Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones are good receivers, but they’re both better suited to play outside and run mostly downfield routes).
Joe Flacco has a history of developing a security blanket type role with a tight end. He loves throwing 8-yard completions to tight ends. Just ask Dennis Pitta and Benjamin Watson. But we’ll see how it plays out. If Jake Butt can stop suffering ACL injuries, he could secure the bulk of those short-range looks, with Fant (pictured) operating as more of a downfield threat. Fant averaged 14.7 yards per catch his final two years in college.
| ROOKIE TIGHT ENDS; PPR RANKS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | No | Yds | Avg | TD | PPR | Rnk |
| 1992 | 15 | Johnny Mitchell, NYJ | 16 | 210 | 13.1 | 1 | 43.0 | 24 |
| 1992 | 14 | Derek Brown, NYG | 4 | 31 | 7.8 | 0 | 7.1 | -- |
| 1993 | 20 | Irv Smith, N.O. | 16 | 180 | 11.3 | 2 | 46.0 | 24 |
| 1995 | 27 | Mark Bruener, Pitt. | 26 | 238 | 9.2 | 3 | 67.8 | 19 |
| 1995 | 9 | Kyle Brady, NYJ | 26 | 252 | 9.7 | 2 | 63.2 | 23 |
| 1996 | 9 | • Rickey Dudley, Oak. | 34 | 386 | 11.4 | 4 | 96.6 | 12 |
| 1997 | 13 | Tony Gonzalez, K.C. | 33 | 368 | 11.2 | 2 | 83.8 | 18 |
| 1997 | 22 | David LaFleur, Dall. | 18 | 122 | 6.8 | 2 | 42.2 | 38 |
| 2000 | 14 | Bubba Franks, G.B. | 34 | 363 | 10.7 | 1 | 76.3 | 19 |
| 2000 | 27 | Anthony Becht, NYJ | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 0 | 5.6 | 85 |
| 2001 | 31 | Todd Heap, Balt. | 16 | 206 | 12.9 | 1 | 42.6 | 32 |
| 2002 | 14 | • Jeremy Shockey, NYG | 74 | 894 | 12.1 | 2 | 175.4 | 3 |
| 2002 | 28 | Jerramy Stevens, Sea. | 26 | 252 | 9.7 | 3 | 69.2 | 24 |
| 2002 | 21 | Daniel Graham, N.E. | 15 | 150 | 10.0 | 1 | 36.0 | 34 |
| 2003 | 24 | Dallas Clark, Ind. | 29 | 340 | 11.7 | 1 | 69.0 | 24 |
| 2004 | 6 | Kellen Winslow, Clev. | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 0 | 10.0 | 37 |
| 2004 | 32 | Benjamin Watson, N.E. | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 3.6 | 40 |
| 2005 | 30 | • Heath Miller, Pitt. | 39 | 459 | 11.8 | 6 | 120.9 | 14 |
| 2006 | 6 | Vernon Davis, S.F. | 20 | 265 | 13.3 | 3 | 64.5 | 28 |
| 2006 | 28 | Marcedes Lewis, Jac. | 13 | 126 | 9.7 | 1 | 31.6 | 51 |
| 2007 | 31 | Greg Olsen, Chi. | 39 | 391 | 10.0 | 2 | 92.1 | 22 |
| 2008 | 30 | • Dustin Keller, NYJ | 48 | 535 | 11.1 | 3 | 119.5 | 14 |
| 2009 | 20 | Brandon Pettigrew, Det. | 30 | 346 | 11.5 | 2 | 76.6 | 27 |
| 2010 | 21 | Jermaine Gresham, Cin. | 52 | 471 | 9.1 | 4 | 125.1 | 16 |
| 2013 | 21 | Tyler Eifert, Cin. | 39 | 445 | 11.4 | 2 | 95.5 | 26 |
| 2014 | 10 | Eric Ebron, Det. | 25 | 248 | 9.9 | 1 | 55.8 | 40 |
| 2017 | 23 | • Evan Engram, NYG | 64 | 722 | 11.3 | 6 | 173.6 | 5 |
| 2017 | 19 | O.J. Howard, T.B. | 26 | 432 | 16.6 | 6 | 105.2 | 20 |
| 2017 | 29 | David Njoku, Clev. | 32 | 386 | 12.1 | 4 | 94.7 | 24 |
| 2018 | 25 | Hayden Hurst, Balt. | 13 | 163 | 12.5 | 1 | 35.3 | 60 |
| 2019 | 8 | T.J. Hockenson, Det. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2019 | 20 | Noah Fant, Den. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
—Ian Allan