Last Updated on August 14, 2025
Tight Ends, Tier 1
1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas
2. Trey McBride, Arizona
3. George Kittle, San Francisco
We’ve got a changing of the guard at tight end, with Brock Bowers now sitting at TE1. Bowers took the NFL by storm last year with 112 receptions and just under 1,200 yards in his rookie season...all with low end QB play. The arrow points upward in his sophomore season.
The Cardinals’ Trey McBride follows close behind, as he nearly matched Bowers in receptions and yards, though with 3 fewer TD catches. TDs have an aspect of randomness to them, so look for McBride to hit paydirt more often in 2025. The veteran George Kittle rounds out tier 1, as he also cleared the 1,100 yard mark while scoring 8 TDs. Kittle’s value drops a bit in PPR leagues compared to the other two options, as he typically hovers in the 70 – 80 reception area. Kittle tends to gain yardage in larger chunks per reception.
Bowers and McBride should be selected towards the end of round 2 / early round 3, with Kittle following in round 4.
Tight Ends, Tier 2
4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit
5. TJ Hockenson, Minnesota
6. Travis Kelce, Kansas City
7. David Njoku, Cleveland
8. Mark Andrews, Baltimore
Tier 2 leads off with Sam LaPorta, who took a step back in his second season (60 catches / 726 yards / 7 TDs) following a monster 2023 rookie year (86 catches / 889 yards / 10 TDs). The Lions’ offense will continue to hum in 2025, despite offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s departure. I would expect LaPorta to bounce back a bit this year, though not likely to eclipse his 2023 numbers.
TJ Hockenson missed the first seven games of the 2024 season while recovering from injury, but came back and quickly integrated into the Vikings’ offense, catching 41 balls while being utilized conservatively from in the snap counts. Look for 80 plus catches this year. Meanwhile, Travis Kelce has now gone two seasons in a row without crossing the 1,000 yard threshold, after having done so for seven consecutive years. Like the rest of us, age comes for our prime – but Kelce’s post-prime self is still a 90 catch / 800 yard receiver. Not too shabby.
David Njoku will be one of the top targets on a bad Cleveland team, one that will be in passing scripts consistently. Njoku has always produced when available, but has only played in 16 games in two of the past six seasons. Mark Andrews likely would have dropped to tier 3 if not for fellow tight end Isaiah Likely’s injury, which is likely to cause Likely to miss regular season games (sorry!). Andrews should see increased target volume at the onset of the season, and would be a good player to trade away upon Likely’s return to the lineup.
Rounds 6 through 8 should be the landing spots for the tier 2 group.
Tight Ends, Tier 3
9. Evan Engram, Denver
10. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay
11. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis
12. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo
13. Colston Loveland, Chicago
14. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta
15. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia
16. Jake Ferguson, Dallas
17. Hunter Henry, New England
Tier 3 has a mix of solid vets and intriguing rookies. Engram moves to Denver where he should get plenty of opportunities in a Broncos’ offense where targets are available. Tucker Kraft caught 50 balls last season, with 7 TDs and eclipsing 700 yards. For a Packers’ passing attack which spreads the ball around, Kraft has locked in a healthy portion of targets.
Moving to our first rookie, Tyler Warren has looked strong in the preseason thus far, befitting his first round pedigree – he should produce right away. Dalton Kincaid enters his third season in the NFL, with his rookie season outshining his stats last year. The Bills will continue to spread the ball around, so 50 catches / 500 yards should be the expected output.
Colston Loveland joins Warren as the two prestigious rookies in the tier 3 group. The Bears have more mouths to feed in the passing game…which accounts for the slight difference in ranking between the two. We’re now in year 5 of waiting for the Kyle Pitts breakout…and yeah, there’s a certain phrase about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It would help if Pitts could improve at catching the ball.
Dallas Goedert remains a steady option for Jalen Hurts, but there are no less than three options clearly ahead of him in the Eagles’ offense. Jake Ferguson had a strong 2023 year with a healthy Dak Prescott, and like all other skill players for the Cowboys, saw a drop when Prescott missed time in 2024. He’s a solid option but with a cap on his production. We end with the veteran Hunter Henry, who’s got some upside given that Drake Maye has the keys to the Patriots’ offense moving forward.
The tier 3 group runs deep, and while not super exciting, they can be serviceable weekly starters, with some mix and match. Rounds 9 through 12 make sense for this group.
Tight Ends, Tier 4
18. Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee
19. Zach Ertz, Washington
20. Elijah Arroyo, Seattle
21. Brenton Strange, Jacksonville
22. Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh
23. Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati
24. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore
Quick notes through the tier 4 group, which profile as backups / spot starters. Chig Okonkwo has upside here, dependent upon how quickly Cam Ward assimilates to the NFL. Zach Ertz will continue to be a safety valve for Jayden Daniels. Elijah Arroyo also has upside as an impressive rookie from U of Miami. He’s a vertical threat, but have to be mindful of inconsistent weekly output in a Seahawks’ passing offense that will likely spread the ball around outside of JSN.
Brenton Strange has the chance to step up in place of Evan Engram in Jacksonville, and will have opportunities with the two stud WRs carrying the attention of defenses. Jonnu Smith could develop a good connection with Aaron Rodgers…or he may not. Mike Gesicki also has two stud WRs on his squad to divert attention, and he could be a nice pick late in your drafts. Isaiah Likely belongs higher if healthy, so you’ll need to decide if you’re ok with carrying a tight end on your injured list for the first handful of weeks of the season.
You shouldn’t reach for these tight ends until rounds 13 and later, and absent a healthy Isaiah Likely, they should not be weekly starters for you.
Draft Strategy:
For the tight end class, the plan can be described quite easily. Don’t reach for a tight end, and if not grabbing one from tier 1, then wait until tier 3. That’s it!
Personal Note
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