I like the look of Robert Tonyan. He was the biggest surprise at the tight end position last year, with 11 touchdowns, and I think he’s going to continue being a good player.
Tonyan was a wide receiver at Indiana State, so he’s used to catching the ball. And after a few seasons of development, it looks like he’s comfortably made the switch to the tight end position.
Remarkably, Tonyan caught 52 of the 59 passes thrown his way last year. That’s 88 percent.
The NFL started tracking targets in 1992, and since that time, only two other tight ends (with at least 50 targets) have been able to sneak past 80 percent. Austin Hooper did it in 2018 with the Falcons, and Irv Smith (father of the Irv Smith who now plays with the Vikings) did it with the Saints in 1995.
I would think Tonyan in 2021 will play an even bigger role in the passing game, probably catching over 60 passes, with a healthy role inside the red zone.
| TIGHT ENDS WITH HIGHEST CATCH RATES (1992-2020) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Pct |
| 2020 | Robert Tonyan, G.B. | 59 | 52 | 586 | 11.3 | 11 | 88.1 |
| 1995 | Irv Smith, N.O. | 55 | 45 | 466 | 10.4 | 3 | 81.8 |
| 2018 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 88 | 71 | 660 | 9.3 | 4 | 80.7 |
| 2019 | George Kittle, S.F. | 107 | 85 | 1,053 | 12.4 | 5 | 79.4 |
| 2016 | Jack Doyle, Ind. | 75 | 59 | 584 | 9.9 | 5 | 78.7 |
| 2014 | Jermaine Gresham, Cin. | 79 | 62 | 460 | 7.4 | 5 | 78.5 |
| 1995 | Frank Wycheck, Hou. | 51 | 40 | 471 | 11.8 | 1 | 78.4 |
| 1998 | Jackie Harris, Ten. | 55 | 43 | 412 | 9.6 | 2 | 78.2 |
| 2018 | Kyle Rudolph, Min. | 82 | 64 | 634 | 9.9 | 4 | 78.0 |
| 1997 | Troy Drayton, Mia. | 50 | 39 | 558 | 14.3 | 4 | 78.0 |
| 2008 | Donald Lee, G.B. | 50 | 39 | 303 | 7.8 | 5 | 78.0 |
| 2003 | Jim Kleinsasser, Min. | 59 | 46 | 401 | 8.7 | 4 | 78.0 |
| 1996 | Frank Wycheck, Hou. | 68 | 53 | 511 | 9.6 | 6 | 77.9 |
| 2009 | Heath Miller, Pitt. | 98 | 76 | 789 | 10.4 | 6 | 77.6 |
| 2019 | Tyler Higbee, LAR | 89 | 69 | 734 | 10.6 | 3 | 77.5 |
| 1994 | Irv Smith, N.O. | 53 | 41 | 330 | 8.1 | 3 | 77.4 |
| 2019 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 97 | 75 | 787 | 10.5 | 6 | 77.3 |
| 2017 | Benjamin Watson, Balt. | 79 | 61 | 522 | 8.6 | 4 | 77.2 |
| 2004 | Jermaine Wiggins, Min. | 92 | 71 | 705 | 9.9 | 4 | 77.2 |
| 2007 | Heath Miller, Pitt. | 61 | 47 | 566 | 12.0 | 7 | 77.0 |
| 2014 | Travis Kelce, K.C. | 87 | 67 | 862 | 12.9 | 5 | 77.0 |
| 2019 | Darren Waller, Oak. | 117 | 90 | 1,145 | 12.7 | 3 | 76.9 |
| 1998 | Frank Wycheck, Ten. | 91 | 70 | 768 | 11.0 | 2 | 76.9 |
| 2014 | Jordan Reed, Was. | 65 | 50 | 465 | 9.3 | 0 | 76.9 |
| 2010 | Antonio Gates, S.D. | 65 | 50 | 782 | 15.6 | 10 | 76.9 |
| 1993 | Steve Jordan, Min. | 73 | 56 | 542 | 9.7 | 1 | 76.7 |
| 2000 | Dwayne Carswell, Den. | 64 | 49 | 495 | 10.1 | 3 | 76.6 |
| 2009 | Jermichael Finley, G.B. | 72 | 55 | 676 | 12.3 | 5 | 76.4 |
| 2005 | Erron Kinney, Ten. | 72 | 55 | 543 | 9.9 | 2 | 76.4 |
| 1995 | Ken Dilger, Ind. | 55 | 42 | 635 | 15.1 | 4 | 76.4 |
| 2015 | Jordan Reed, Was. | 114 | 87 | 952 | 10.9 | 11 | 76.3 |
| 2013 | Jordan Reed, Was. | 59 | 45 | 499 | 11.1 | 3 | 76.3 |
| 2020 | George Kittle, S.F. | 63 | 48 | 634 | 13.2 | 2 | 76.2 |
| 2007 | Donald Lee, G.B. | 63 | 48 | 575 | 12.0 | 6 | 76.2 |
| 2007 | Eric Johnson, N.O. | 63 | 48 | 378 | 7.9 | 2 | 76.2 |
| 2002 | Bubba Franks, G.B. | 71 | 54 | 442 | 8.2 | 7 | 76.1 |
| 2019 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 83 | 63 | 529 | 8.4 | 4 | 75.9 |
| 2009 | Jason Witten, Dall. | 124 | 94 | 1,030 | 11.0 | 2 | 75.8 |
| 2020 | Drew Sample, Cin. | 53 | 40 | 349 | 8.7 | 1 | 75.5 |
| 2017 | Austin Hooper, Atl. | 65 | 49 | 526 | 10.7 | 3 | 75.4 |
—Ian Allan