Two tight ends were selected in the top 15 picks last weekend, but they weren't the only intriguing tight ends in the draft class. A third player at the position had the biggest season by a college tight end ever.
Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren were the top 15 picks. Loveland didn't put up huge numbers at Michigan, but Warren did at Penn State, catching 104 balls for 1,233 yards and 8 TDs, plus 4 more as a runner. You'd think he was the most productive college tight end last year, but you'd be mistaken.
Bowling Green's Harold Fannin (pictured), who the Browns selected in the third round, caught 117 passes for 1,555 yards, both NCAA records for the position, with 10 touchdowns. Not a better tight end prospect than those first-rounders, but a guy who certainly merits watching this summer.
It's rare for college tight ends to catch anywhere near that many passes. Since 2000, using the search tools at college-football-reference, I found only 16 tight ends to catch even 75 passes in a season. I wondered how many of those players have turned into good pros.
Not many. Of those 16 tight ends, only two have had a top-10 fantasy season (PPR) in the NFL. Dennis Pitta a few years back, and Trey McBride.
Table shows those 75-catch college tight ends, the ones who played in the NFL anyway, along with stats and PPR rank from their best professional seasons.
| COLLEGE TIGHT ENDS, 75-PLUS CATCHES, 2000-PRESENT | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Season | School | Rec | Yds | TD | Best | Rk |
| Harold Fannin Jr. | 2024 | Bowling Green | 117 | 1555 | 10 | ? | ? |
| Tyler Warren | 2024 | Penn State | 104 | 1233 | 8 | ? | ? |
| Trey McBride | 2021 | Colorado State | 90 | 1121 | 1 | 111-1146-4 | 2 |
| Jace Amaro | 2013 | Texas Tech | 106 | 1352 | 7 | 38-345-2 | 24 |
| Michael Egnew | 2010 | Missouri | 90 | 762 | 5 | 0-0-0 | 999 |
| Chase Coffman | 2008 | Missouri | 90 | 987 | 10 | 8-71-1 | 71 |
| Dennis Pitta | 2008 | BYU | 83 | 1083 | 6 | 86-729-2 | 8 |
| James Casey | 2008 | Rice | 111 | 1329 | 13 | 34-330-3 | 32 |
| Martin Rucker | 2007 | Missouri | 84 | 834 | 8 | 2-17-0 | 91 |
| Travis Beckum | 2007 | Wisconsin | 75 | 982 | 6 | 13-116-2 | 48 |
| Garrett Mills | 2005 | Tulsa | 87 | 1235 | 9 | 5-65-0 | 73 |
This exercise is not intended to cast aspersions on Warren (who I'll be ranking as the top rookie tight end) or even Fannin, who I have some interest in in my ongoing rookie draft. I'm very interested in Warren, and am also intrigued by Fannin.
But the table does show that merely having a big college season at some point doesn't mean a lot on its own. I remember being interested in Rucker, Coffman and Amaro, none of whom panned out in the NFL.
--Andy Richardson