Previewing the tight end for position for next year, it's going to be a tricky group I think. Three big names (Kittle, Kraft, LaPorta) suffered season-ending injuries a year ago. And a lot of notable guys have just one year of production.
That latter fact is a good thing. It's great to see youngsters dominating a position, rather than creaky old fossils whose names rhyme with Belce and Hertz. But we also need to be careful not to just assume the better rookies take steps up in Year 2. It doesn't always happen.
A year ago, three rookie tight ends -- Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland and Harold Fannin (pictured) -- caught at least 50 passes. Those are the second-year guys to get most excited about, though not the only ones. (I wrote about Gunnar Helm yesterday, and there's also Oronde Gadsden, Terrance Ferguson, Elijah Arroyo, and Mason Taylor, all potential factors this season; many will start.)
Since 2000, there have been 10 other rookie tight ends to catch 50-plus passes in their first season. Somewhat surprisingly (disappointingly), only 2 of the 10 came back to catch more passes a year later. So not a given that Warren et al will be better in 2026.
In the table, guys who improved are in bold. Rankings reflect PPR scoring.
| 50-CATCH ROOKIE TES, ONE YEAR LATER | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draft | Player | No(1) | Rec(1) | TD(1) | Rk(1) | No(2) | Rec(2) | TD(2) | Rk(2) |
| 2002 | Jeremy Shockey, NYG | 74 | 894 | 2 | 3 | 48 | 535 | 2 | 9 |
| 2008 | John Carlson, Sea. | 55 | 627 | 5 | 7 | 51 | 574 | 7 | 13 |
| 2010 | Jermaine Gresham, Cin. | 52 | 471 | 4 | 16 | 56 | 596 | 6 | 14 |
| 2013 | Tim Wright, T.B. | 54 | 571 | 5 | 13 | 26 | 259 | 6 | 23 |
| 2017 | Evan Engram, NYG | 64 | 722 | 6 | 5 | 45 | 577 | 3 | 13 |
| 2021 | Kyle Pitts, Atl. | 68 | 1026 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 356 | 2 | 34 |
| 2021 | Pat Freiermuth, Pitt. | 60 | 497 | 7 | 13 | 63 | 732 | 2 | 8 |
| 2023 | Dalton Kincaid, Buff. | 73 | 673 | 2 | 11 | 44 | 448 | 2 | 30 |
| 2023 | Sam LaPorta, Det. | 86 | 889 | 10 | 1 | 60 | 726 | 7 | 8 |
| 2024 | Brock Bowers, L.V. | 112 | 1194 | 5 | 1 | 64 | 680 | 7 | 11 |
| 2025 | Colston Loveland, Chi. | 58 | 713 | 6 | 12 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2025 | Tyler Warren, Ind. | 76 | 817 | 5 | 5 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2025 | Harold Fannin, Cle. | 72 | 731 | 7 | 6 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
Injury was the main factor in the guys who declined. Shockey, Engram, Pitts and Bowers all missed at least 5 games their second seasons; Kincaid missed four. So let's put Loveland-Fannin-Warren in bubble wrap until the season, as a precaution.
--Andy Richardson
