Tight end prospect comparisons
Using similarity scores to compare this year's tight end prospects to players from past draft classes
There are two things that this tight end class is known for: elite athleticism and pass catching skills. If teams are looking for plus blockers, they’ll have to wait until the later rounds to find one. We’re continuing to see inline blocking ability be revalued by the league. On one hand, teams want more threats in the passing game given how efficient passing the ball is. On the other hand, we’ve seen the use of 12 and 13 personnel grow over the past couple of seasons and having someone who can actually stay on the field in those situations is critical.
Kenyon Sadiq headlines this class and is the only realistic 1st-round talent. But after him there’s a pretty drastic drop-off to the next tier of guys. To that end, I went a little outside the top 100 consensus big board for tight ends given there were only three that fell there and three more just outside of it. The depth of this class shows itself even more when you go outside the six that I’ve shared when we hit Day 3 of the draft. With that, let’s talk a little deeper about some of the top prospects in this class!
You can find the rest of my articles in this series below (will be updated as each position is published):
Running back (includes methodology)
Wide receiver
Offensive tackle
Interior offensive line
Defensive tackle
Edge defender
Linebacker
Safety
Cornerback
All stats referenced in this article from PFF unless otherwise specifically noted.
Overall prospect comparisons
Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon
Sadiq was a fan favorite at the combine where he was flying while running his 40-yard dash, setting a combine record at the tight end position. His vertical was also the second-highest recorded by a tight end as he was edged out by Stowers (more on him in a minute). Ultimately, he reset expectations for tight ends at the combine.
That said, his athleticism does carry a fair bit of weight in driving him to be the consensus TE1 in the class as his overall receiving production wasn’t elite. Fortunately, he does have the ability to stretch the seam and will be a physical mismatch against most of the guys covering him. If teams can get him the ball in space, defenders will certainly struggle to get him to the ground.
