Fantasy Index

Factoid

Bumper crop of tight ends

Record run starts late in the second round

It's a weird year for rookie tight ends. Just one was selected in the first 50 picks – Kenyon Sadiq. But another eight were selected in the next 50, the most ever. (And twice as many as any of the previous six drafts.)

If we’re picking today, I don’t know that any of those eight guys will be drafted. Luke Wilson, writing up the rookies for the magazine, has Oscar Delp (underused at Georgia) as the best of that group, but he’s going to a team that already has a capable pass-catcher at the position (Juwan Johnson).

Until and unless something substantial occurs at training camp, I’m not thinking about using a pick on any of those guys in a 2026 draft.

Yet, the big-picture numbers suggest there’s a good chance a couple of those eight will eventually amount to something.

In the last 10 years, 26 tight ends have been selected outside the top 50 picks but inside the top 100 – in essence, late in the second round or sometime in the third. And seven of those players (just over a quarter) at some point in their career have had a top-10 season in leagues using PPR scoring.

Trey McBride, Tucker Kraft, Mark Andrews, Pat Freiermuth. Those guys are real nice players.

But typically, it takes some time for even the good ones to get going. Of those 26 players, only three finished with top-20 numbers as rookies. Harold Fannin (who’s an unconventional tight end) did it last year. Freiermuth was the 13th-best tight end as a rookie, while Andrews finished 17th.

In the chart below, you’re seeing rookie numbers, and final column shows stats from most productive season so far. Guys tagged with black dots have had a top-10 season.

TIGHT ENDS IN THE SECOND 50 PICKS
YearPlayerNoYdsTDPPRRkBest Yr
2016• Austin Hooper, Atl.19271364.13871-660-4
2016Nick Vannett, Sea.33206.29429-269-3
2017• Jonnu Smith, Ten.18157245.74788-884-8
2018Jordan Akins, Hou.17225039.55337-495-5
2018• Mark Andrews, Balt.345523107.217107-1361-9
2019Dawson Knox, Buff.28388279.73249-587-9
2019Drew Sample, Cin.53008.09240-349-1
2019Jace Sternberger, G.B.000.0--12-114-1
2019Josh Oliver, Jac.31504.59922-258-3
2019Kahale Warring, Hou.000.0--3-35-0
2020Devin Asiasi, N.E.239111.9812-39-1
2020Josiah Deguara, G.B.11202.210725-245-2
2021Hunter Long, Mia.1801.811312-85-2
2021• Pat Freiermuth, Pitt.604977153.71363-732-2
2021Tommy Tremble, Car.20180153.14523-194-3
2021Tre McKitty, LAC645010.58710-72-0
2022Greg Dulcich, Den.33411286.13033-411-2
2022Jelani Woods, Ind.25312374.23525-312-3
2022• Trey McBride, Ari.29265161.540126-1239-11
2023Brenton Strange, Jac.535114.57946-540-3
2023Darnell Washington, Pitt.761013.18331-364-1
2023Luke Schoonmaker, Dall.865226.56727-241-1
2023• Tucker Kraft, G.B.31355278.52950-707-7
2024Ben Sinnott, Was.528113.88211-114-1
2024Tip Reiman, Ari.63709.7916-37-0
2025• Harold Fannin, Cle.727316188.4672-731-6
2026Eli Raridon, N.E.??????
2026Eli Stowers, Phi.??????
2026Nate Boerkircher, Jac.??????
2026Marlin Klein, Hou.??????
2026Max Klare, Rams??????
2026Sam Roush, Chi.??????
2026Oscar Delp, N.O.??????
2026Will Kacmarek, Mia.??????

—Ian Allan

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