The NFL has never been more tight end friendly, and this year's crop of prospects should only help in that regard. The top 10 is filled with athletes, guys who can catch the ball and stretch the field, be real weapons in the passing game.
It's rare to see one school have two top prospects, but that's exactly the case for Iowa, which has TJ Hockenson and Noah Fant. Each could vie for late first round consideration and look to have star potential for years to come.
What follows is a breakdown of the top five tight ends in this year's draft, each with an assigned Round Grade. The Round Grade is not a projection of where the player will be chosen, but where talent merits he be chosen. After the top five, all tight ends projected to be drafted will be listed.
1. TJ Hockenson/Iowa (ROUND GRADE: 1-2)
PROS: Smooth, versatile route
runner; Soft hands; Very good blocker, best combination tight end in the draft;
Decent in jump ball situations; Tough to tackle; Understands and utilizes
leverage as a blocker; Very good technique and understanding of responsibiliities
CONS: Not super fast, more quick;
Not a great athlete; Lacks long speed
2.
Noah Fant/Iowa (ROUND GRADE: 1-2)
PROS: Can run every route and
understands how to use his feet to create space; Good hands; Has the speed to
get free over the middle and understands angles well enough to get you
underneath, too; Excellent leaping ability; Very good after the catch;
Excellent body control; Off the charts athletic ability
CONS: Doesn’t make defenders miss
very much in space; Only adequate as a blocker; Not exceptionally strong
3. Irv Smith Jr/Alabama (ROUND GRADE: 2)
PROS: Good route runner;
Understands how to break off pattern to get defender off balance; Good vertical
threat; Excellent run blocker; Good balance and understanding of angles makes
him a YAC threat; A real competitor, brings it all the time
CONS: Hasn’t made a ton of difficult
catches; Doesn’t always explode off LOS; Lacks true burst; Tends to slow down going
into breaks
4. Kaden Smith/Stanford (ROUND GRADE: 3)
PROS: Has the size and
athleticism the league covets; Good burst off the LOS, precise into and out of
breaks; Will go across the middle; Excellent body control helps him snag inaccurate
throws; Good strength as a blocker
CONS: Route running still a work
in progress; Too easily thrown off his route by contact; Needs to win more
battles with his hands as a blocker; Inconsistent separation ability
5. Dax Raymond/Utah State (ROUND GRADE: 3-4)
PROS: Doesn’t get hung up by
contact; Excellent bad ball catcher, has a wide catch radius; Loves working the
middle of the field; Good speed, can separate after the catch; Physical after
the catch; Looks smooth and fluid in open space; Very good athleticism and
length
CONS: Needs more consistency as a
route runner; Needs more polish and consistency as a blocker, doesn’t always
drop his pad level low enough; Didn’t work much on pass pro in college; Wouldn’t
hurt to add a bit more muscle and size; Will be 24 during the season and could
need some development to multiple schemes of the NFL
6. Jace Sternberger/Texas A&M (ROUND GRADE:
4-5)
7. Donald Parham/Stetson (ROUND GRADE: 5)
8. Isaac Nauta/Georgia (ROUND GRADE: 5)
9. Caleb Wilson/UCLA (ROUND GRADE: 5)
10. Trevon Wesco/West Virginia (ROUND GRADE: 5-6)
11. Dawson Knox/Ole Miss (ROUND GRADE: 6)
12. Tommy Sweeney/Boston College (ROUND GRADE: 6)
13. CJ Conrad/Kentucky (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)
14. Keenen Brown/Texas State (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)
15. Alize Mack/Notre Dame (ROUND GRADE: 6-7)
16. Josh Oliver/San Jose State (ROUND GRADE: 7)
17. Foster Moreau/LSU (ROUND GRADE: 7)
18. Drew Sample/Washington (ROUND GRADE: 7)
