I like the look of Isaiah Likely. He lasted until the fourth round in the draft, but he sure looked good in the preseason, catching all 12 passes thrown his way. They’ve lined him up in a variety of ways, and he looks like an awfully reliable receiver.
I like the Ravens don’t have much else. They’ve got Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews, and they should both be good, but it tails off after that. They’ll likely use Devin Duvernay as their slot receiver, and James Proche is being counted on to play. The situation is dire enough that they picked up Demarcus Robinson, who was released by the Raiders.
This is all odd, with the Ravens actually drafting another tight end earlier than Likely back in April. Charlie Kolar is out after a hernia surgery. But it does happen once in a while.
In the 32-team era (the last 20 years), there have been seven tight ends who’ve had top-20 seasons (using PPR scoring) after starting their careers with a team that drafted another tight end even earlier. (This includes Cameron Brate, who wasn’t drafted at all).
But for me, it’s more about the player than any historical numbers. I like the look of Likely.
The Ravens have been the league leaders in this category, having drafted Mark Andrews after Hayden Hurst and Dennis Pitta after Ed Dickson. They’ve also gotten more out of Nick Boyle than Maxx Williams, but Boyle is more of a blocker than pass catcher.
| SECOND CHANCE TIGHT ENDS (last 20 years) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rd | Yr | Rec | Yds | TD | PPR | Rk |
| 2010 | Aaron Hernandez, N.E. | 4 | 1 | 45 | 563 | 6 | 142.0 | 14 |
| 2011 | Aaron Hernandez, N.E. | 4 | 2 | 79 | 910 | 7 | 216.5 | 3 |
| 2012 | Dennis Pitta, Balt. | 4 | 3 | 61 | 669 | 7 | 169.9 | 8 |
| 2012 | Aaron Hernandez, N.E. | 4 | 3 | 51 | 483 | 5 | 129.8 | 19 |
| 2013 | Delanie Walker, Ten. | 6 | 8 | 60 | 571 | 6 | 153.1 | 11 |
| 2014 | Delanie Walker, Ten. | 6 | 9 | 63 | 890 | 4 | 176.0 | 8 |
| 2014 | Dwayne Allen, Ind. | 3 | 3 | 29 | 395 | 8 | 116.5 | 19 |
| 2015 | Delanie Walker, Ten. | 6 | 10 | 94 | 1088 | 6 | 244.4 | 3 |
| 2016 | Delanie Walker, Ten. | 6 | 11 | 65 | 800 | 7 | 188.1 | 5 |
| 2016 | Cameron Brate, T.B. | FA | 3 | 57 | 660 | 8 | 171.0 | 7 |
| 2016 | Dennis Pitta, Balt. | 4 | 7 | 86 | 729 | 2 | 170.9 | 8 |
| 2017 | Delanie Walker, Ten. | 6 | 12 | 74 | 807 | 4 | 178.5 | 4 |
| 2017 | Cameron Brate, T.B. | FA | 4 | 48 | 591 | 6 | 143.1 | 10 |
| 2018 | Mark Andrews, Balt. | 3 | 1 | 34 | 552 | 3 | 107.2 | 17 |
| 2018 | C.J. Uzomah, Cin. | 5 | 4 | 43 | 439 | 3 | 104.9 | 18 |
| 2018 | Cameron Brate, T.B. | FA | 5 | 30 | 289 | 6 | 94.9 | 19 |
| 2019 | Mark Andrews, Balt. | 3 | 2 | 64 | 852 | 10 | 209.2 | 5 |
| 2020 | Mark Andrews, Balt. | 3 | 3 | 58 | 701 | 7 | 170.1 | 6 |
| 2021 | Mark Andrews, Balt. | 3 | 4 | 107 | 1361 | 9 | 301.1 | 1 |
| 2021 | C.J. Uzomah, Cin. | 5 | 7 | 49 | 493 | 5 | 128.3 | 19 |
| 2022 | Isaiah Likely, Balt. | 4 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
—Ian Allan