TE: Tier 1 - Impact Starter

Trey McBride

Isaiah Likely

Tier 2 - Starter potential but will take a while to fully develop

Greg Dulcich

Charlie Kolar

Jelani Woods

Jeremy Ruckertt

Cade Otton

Tier 3 - Quality backup TE

James Mitchell

Chigoziem Okonkwo

Jalen Wydermeyer

Jake Ferguson

Daniel Bellinger

Cole Turner

Grant Calcaterra

Analysis:

Likely the hardest position to scout, tight end is a bit of a crapshoot. The top man is definitely Trey McBride, but Isaiah Likely is a respectable second. Both can be big time mismatches in the pass catching game, as both are plus athletes with nice hands. In Tier 2, we see guys that probably start regularly in 2-3 years, but their time isn’t now. Greg Dulcich’s athleticism has scouts awed, while Charlie Kolar’s reliability and production at Iowa State make him a safe pick. Jelani Woods is another spread offense tight end with speed while Ruckertt and Otton are probably the best balance of blocking-pass catching in the class. Lots of the guys in Tier 3 are either low ceiling, productive college guys (Ferguson, Turner) or athletes that are too raw to use a high pick on (Mitchell, Okonkwo, Wydermeyer). Overall, the worst value is Tier 3 as I see roughly 3 of those 7 guys never even playing outside of special teams, and for a fourth or fifth round pick, that’s pretty risky. Best value is easily Tier 2 as all five could fit well onto a variety of teams and can be quality starters, maybe even a pro bowler or two out of the group.