The NFL draft is just over two weeks away, and our coverage here at NFL Trade Rumors rolls on. Over the next week, I’ll continue releasing my final position rankings as we get closer and closer to one of the best weekends of the entire year. Stretching all the way back to last summer, I’ve been poring over tape, monitoring pro day and Combine performances, and getting my eyes on the All-Star circuit, all to deliver the most accurate and informative draft coverage I can.

Up next is the tight end class, and this is a strong group. I don’t have first-round grades on any of them personally, but there’s one prospect who could go in the top 15 and another potential first-round pick in this group, too. The depth is where this class shines, however, with about two dozen prospects I could see becoming impactful NFL players. Most will go on Day 3, but if your favorite team needs to add some depth to their tight ends rooms or wants to take a flier on a guy with upside later in the draft, it’s a veritable gold mine out there. I was very impressed watching these tight ends.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be finishing out my final position rankings and much more. We have a lot of content planned on the draft side coming up soon, so stay tuned!

• Top 150 Big Board
• 2026 NFL Draft Visit Tracker
• Final Position Rankings: Quarterbacks
• Final Position Rankings: Offensive Tackles
• Final Position Rankings: Interior Offensive Linemen
• Final Position Rankings: Safeties
• Final Position Rankings: Cornerbacks

1: Max Klare, Ohio State

A three-star recruit from Indiana, Klare played both quarterback and tight end in high school before settling into the latter position at Purdue. He flashed high-end potential as a true freshman in 2023, but only played five games due to injury. His breakout season came as a sophomore, when he had 51 receptions for 685 yards and four touchdowns for the Boilermakers, earning third-team All-Big Ten recognition. After the season, he transferred to the Buckeyes, earning consensus first-team All-Big Ten honors behind 43 catches for 448 yards and two touchdowns.

Standing at 6-4, 246 pounds, Klare is an elite route runner for the position. He can beat linebackers down the field and is too big for safeties and corners to match at the catch point. As a result, both Purdue and Ohio State would hunt mismatches with him, lining him up in creative ways to get the matchup they wanted. Klare is fast and can decelerate surprisingly well for a man his size, creating consistent separation down the field. After the catch, he’s got some juice, though he’s more liable to run through someone than make them miss in the open field. At the catch point, he’s got big, soft hands and impressive body control, making tough catches look easy in traffic or on the sideline.

As a blocker, Klare showed consistent improvement throughout his college career. He’s tenacious on contact, driving forward and working great in combination with the offensive line. Despite his reputation as a receiver first, he has the strength to hold his own against defensive linemen. He maximizes his strength and is a fundamentally sound blocker in every aspect. But he is at his best in the passing game, where he owns the middle of the field. Klare is undaunted going into traffic and has such a natural feel for where to attack zone coverages.

Like most tight ends, Klare will struggle in pass protection if he’s left on an island against twitchy edge rushers. Despite his improvements in this area, that’s asking too much, as is asking him to solo drive-block in short-yardage situations. Klare can more than hold his own and is good at the point of attack, but he doesn’t have the lower-body strength to move people like a dedicated blocking tight end would be expected to. He’s not the most explosive vertical athlete, either.

Lost in the shuffle in Ohio State’s crowded and low-volume passing attack, Klare is flying a bit under the radar as a draft prospect. I still have an early second-round grade on him, same as I did over the summer. While I don’t think he’s quite the level of game-changing tight end that typically goes in the first round, he’s a great prospect who can elevate your passing attack as an every-down tight end. Klare can line up across the formation, dominate the middle of the field, win one-on-one as a receiver, and make a positive impact as a run blocker. That’s the profile of a top-50 pick.

2: Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

A four-star recruit from Idaho, Sadiq was primarily a special teamer in 2023 but stepped into a larger role as a true sophomore next to Terrance Ferguson. In 2024, he had 24 receptions for 308 yards and two touchdowns with both scores coming in the Big Ten championship game against Penn State, giving him some serious hype entering 2025. With Ferguson off to the NFL, Sadiq had 46 catches for 531 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior, earning consensus first-team All-Big Ten honors.

Checking in at 6-3, 241 pounds, Sadiq is a truly alien athlete. He broke the Combine record for the fastest 40-yard dash time by a tight end, adding ridiculous jump numbers too. He’s liable to blow past linebackers down the field and make safeties work hard to keep up with him. That game-changing speed makes him a difficult cover when combined with his body control and rapid acceleration and deceleration abilities, making him a great route runner. Sadiq gains consistent separation in all areas of the field, with impressive short-area quickness and the flexibility to run routes like a receiver. At the catch point, Sadiq boxes out like a basketball player and his athleticism translates to his leaping ability, skying for some incredibly difficult catches.

After the catch is when Sadiq is at his most dangerous, as he gets up the field quickly and often surprises defenses with just how fast he is. He can make people miss in space as easily as run through them — or hurdle over them. Oregon would frequently throw him screen passes and let him go to work, picking up easy yards and even housing a few of them. Sadiq put in the work this season to try to improve as a blocker, and for the most part, he did. He can hold his own on the end of the line and got a lot more reps as a traditional in-line tight end this season, though he’s still extremely effective from the slot.

Sadiq still has a ways to go as a blocker, specifically with his leverage. He plays way too high in his stance, negating all the power he could generate from his lower half. It’s good to see him so willing, and it’s good to see him playing more on the line this season than he did in the past. Sadiq’s hands are a little stiff and his drop rate is pretty high, which is something he’ll need to improve. Additionally, I’d like to see him get more comfortable against zone coverage, as right now he sometimes runs himself into coverage rather than settling down where his quarterback can find him.

Sadiq is that potential top-15 pick I mentioned earlier, though I’m a little lower on him than most, because I think he has a decent amount of development to do before he’s an impact NFL player. The old adage of “drafting someone else’s franchise tight end” if you draft one in the first round might apply to Sadiq, as he’s more athletic than skilled at the moment. He’s still a top 50 player for me, but I’d fade him in the first round because of this. That said, if Sadiq goes to a creative offensive playcaller who has a plan for him, the pieces are there for some crazy production.

3: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

A four-star high school quarterback recruit, Stowers started his college career at Texas A&M, redshirting at first, then playing a backup role as a redshirt freshman. He transferred to New Mexico State in 2023 where he lost the quarterback battle to Diego Pavia, then transitioned to tight end so the Aggies could get his plus athleticism on the field. He had 35 receptions for 366 yards and two touchdowns that year, earning honorable mention All-Conference USA status. Stowers followed Pavia to Vanderbilt in 2024, putting up 49 receptions for 638 yards and five touchdowns, earning first-team All-SEC honors. His best season came as a fifth-year senior in 2025, earning consensus first-team All-America and first-team All-SEC recognition with 62 receptions, 769 yards and four touchdowns.

Standing at 6-4, 239 pounds, Stowers is a supreme vertical athlete who holds the Combine records in both the vertical and broad jumps. He threatens the defense over the top on every snap, capable of blowing past linebackers and even safeties with ease. It’s more than just long speed, too, as he has the quick burst to get up to top speed quickly and forces defenses to play with a softer cushion than most tight ends typically get. Stowers is great in contested catch situations, with plus body control and great leaping ability to go with soft, reliable hands that rarely drop passes.

Stowers has the route tree and craftiness to his game reminiscent of a receiver. There’s a lot of subtlety to how he runs his routes, with head fakes and little moves to throw man coverage defenders off his trail. He’s creative in space, finding soft spots in the zone or dusting man defenders in scramble drills, creating easy separation with his burst and quick-twitch athleticism on every snap. After the catch, he can make people miss, weaving through the defense like a running back.

As good as Stowers is as a receiving threat, he’s not a blocker at all. Vanderbilt didn’t play him in-line much because that’s simply not what he does. He doesn’t have the strength or the skill to hold up on the line of scrimmage consistently. In space, he can block like a receiver just fine, and if a team asks him to do that he can, but he won’t be able to perform traditional tight end blocking duties at all.

Stowers is the other potential first-round pick I mentioned at the top. I’m obviously lower on him than that, but in a draft without much blue-chip talent, it makes sense that some teams will gravitate towards absurd athleticism. Stowers is a mismatch “big slot” receiver we call a tight end. As long as teams go in knowing that, there’s so much he can offer them. He’s a legitimately elite athlete with great ball skills and a rapidly improving route-running game.

4: Sam Roush, Stanford

Born in Atlanta with deep NFL bloodlines, Roush’s family moved around a lot when he was young, including stays in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. He played rugby while he was in Indonesia before eventually going to high school in Nashville, where he became a national engineering team competitor and a four-star football recruit. The Cardinal brought him along slowly and he broke out as a junior in 2024, posting 40 receptions for 334 yards and two touchdowns. Roush followed that up with 49 receptions for 545 yards and two touchdowns as a senior, earning second-team All-ACC recognition.

Measuring 6-6, 267 pounds, Roush is big and extremely athletic for a tight end. It’s not just straight-line speed with him, either (though he does have that) — his tested short-area quickness, explosiveness, and agility numbers all jump off the page. Players Roush’s size aren’t supposed to have the flexibility and stop/start acceleration that he does, and it makes him a uniquely intriguing prospect. He owns the middle of the field, making tough catches in traffic and gaining consistent separation off his cuts. At the catch point, his frame becomes a weapon, and he knows how to box out smaller defensive backs.

After the catch, Roush has surprising wiggle at his size. He routinely runs through arm tackles and gets vertical quickly, creating chunk plays. As a blocker, he puts in the work, getting dirty and helping the offense churn out tough yards. Unlike many tight ends in this class, he lines up in-line frequently and is effective as both a pass and run blocker. You can stick him on the end as an extra offensive lineman when you need one, or split him out wide to create mismatches in the passing game. That versatility is a weapon.

Though Stanford’s anemic offense is somewhat to blame, Roush doesn’t have standout production in any of his collegiate seasons. Drops are of particular concern with him — he had seven in 2025 alone on just 49 catches. He allows the ball to get into his chest too often, and that needs to be cleaned up. As a blocker, his technique could use some work. Roush is still learning to maximize his leverage and improve his fundamentals, something his coaches will no doubt emphasize when he gets to the league.

As a third-round pick, Roush has a ton of upside. He has a nice blend of college production with untapped athletic upside, suggesting there’s more to be unlocked if he puts the work in. To me, Roush rounds out the “big four” tight end prospects in this class, and I’d expect all of them to hear their names called by the end of night two. For teams looking for a more traditional in-line tight end, Roush has a lot to offer.

5: Dae’Quan Wright, Ole Miss

A four-star recruit from Georgia, Wright committed to Virginia Tech out of high school and saw the field as a true freshman, playing a smaller role with 19 catches for 208 yards. As a sophomore, he upped that production to 28 catches for 366 yards — earning honorable mention All-ACC recognition after the season. He transferred to the Rebels and had 27 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns in his first season in Oxford. In his final season, Wright had 36 catches for 571 yards and another four touchdowns, earning second-team All-SEC honors.

Wright measured in at 6-4, 246 pounds. That seems oddly small, as he looks and plays much bigger than that. He takes on blocking assignments most tight ends would never be asked to do, routinely solo blocking defensive ends on the line of scrimmage. He holds up well in those situations, too, manning his spot and holding the line against some serious defensive beef, both on the backside and at the point of attack. Wright’s blocking grades aren’t as elite as some of his peers, but that’s based on what he’s asked to do. For a tight end, he performs extremely well.

Wright’s abilities in the receiving department are what really set him apart, though. At his size, he’s blazingly fast, getting vertical on linebackers and safeties and threatening the seams on every snap. If defenders don’t get proper depth on him, he’s liable to blow past them for a big play, and he’s learned to take advantage of that by adding an intermediate route tree to his repertoire. Now he’ll burn coverage defenders who give him too soft a cushion with quick in-breaking cuts, and then counter again with double moves once the defense tightens up again. After the catch, he gets vertical quickly, with some serious shiftiness and wiggle to his game and excellent production to his name.

For as big as he is, Wright struggles in contested catch situations. He’s not a natural hands receiver, with plenty of frustrating drops on his tape and poor technique on a lot of them. Wright didn’t have a single contested catch in 2025, despite having some opportunities, and he doesn’t use his frame well at the catch point to prevent defenders from getting to the ball.

If Wright were a more reliable receiver, he might be my TE1. Even as it stands, I’d take him in the third round. He’s such a unique mismatch weapon who can truly play all three downs and do anything you ask of him. After the top four, the next group of tight ends is very much a “pick your flavor” batch that are all in the same tier. Still, Wright is my favorite of the bunch, and he has the potential to develop into one of the league’s best all-around tight ends. I can’t say the same for anyone below him on this list.

6: Michael Trigg, Baylor

A four-star recruit and high school basketball player, Trigg landed at USC initially, playing a small role before transferring to Ole Miss. He spent two seasons there, catching 17 passes in 2022 before redshirting in 2023 to preserve his eligibility. After that, he transferred to Baylor and had a major breakout season, hauling in 30 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns, earning second-team All-Big 12 recognition. As a fifth-year senior in 2025, he had 50 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns, earning consensus first-team All-Big 12 honors.

At 6-4, 240 pounds, Trigg moves like a former basketball player. He’s so effortlessly smooth and fluid on the field, running crisp routes like a receiver despite his bigger size. His change-of-direction skills are otherworldly, giving him a huge advantage against the linebackers he routinely matches up against. With plus acceleration and deceleration skills and twitchy feet, he dusts linebackers and safeties in man coverage, making them look silly at times.

Trigg has powerful strength both in his hands and his lower half, making some difficult catches with a wide catch radius and boxing out at the catch point like he would on the hardwood. After the catch, he showcases impressive wiggle and contact balance, getting upfield quickly and generating a lot of missed tackles. Against zone coverages, he’s smart enough to settle down in soft spots and make himself available to the quarterback.

There’s a lot to criticize on Trigg’s tape, too. He’s plagued by concentration drops, with focus a consistent issue. He’s often the first one slowing down on a play and his dedication and effort wane when he’s not the first read far too often. As a blocker, he leaves much to be desired, with poor effort and technique showing up as routine problems — though he does have the occasional highlight-reel pancake.

The development curve for tight ends in the NFL is already difficult enough that Trigg does himself no favors with his inconsistencies. Still, he’ll have time to work on that if he lands with a coaching staff that believes in him and is willing to be patient. The payoff with Trigg as a supersized matchup nightmare and offensive chess piece is too enticing for me to dismiss completely, though I wouldn’t take him earlier than the third round, maybe even the fourth.

7: Eli Raridon, Notre Dame

A four-star recruit from Des Moines, Raridon tore his ACL just before the start of his freshman season, then tore it again 10 months later, five games into his redshirt freshman season in 2023. Despite such awful injury luck to start his college career, he saw the field again as a redshirt sophomore in 2024, with 11 catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns once he made his debut late in the season. As a redshirt junior, he looked more like his old self, totaling 32 catches for 482 yards.

Raridon measures at 6-6, 245 pounds, and he uses every bit of that frame. He has long strides that eat up space and he can attack vertically pretty well. I like his change of direction ability for his size, and he’s a decently fluid athlete, able to run a pretty diverse route tree and create separation. Against zone coverage, Raridon feasts, settling down into soft spots in the coverage and making himself available to his quarterback.

At the catch point, Raridon boxes out well and uses his long arms to haul in passes. He was extremely efficient on his limited opportunities this season, getting open consistently on his routes and catching everything thrown his way. After the catch, he gets vertical and while he won’t be juking anyone out of their cleats, he has a little wiggle to his game. As a blocker, he has good strength at the point of attack and works in unison with the offensive line well, particularly on zone runs.

Raridon has leverage issues as a blocker, which isn’t surprising for a taller tight end. He has long arms and good pound-for-pound strength, but has a tough time getting low enough to make good use of it. As such, he often struggles as a blocker, particularly in man or gap schemes. Raridon’s medical history with two ACL tears is an issue as well, one that teams will no doubt thoroughly vet.

A fun mid-round pick with untapped upside, Raridon was seldom-used at Notre Dame but could prove to be more productive at the next level. He’s coordinated for his size and has some potential as a blocker if his new coaches can work with him on that. But he’ll make his money as a receiving threat, particularly in the red zone and over the middle of the field, where I think Raridon really stands out.

8: Jack Endries, Texas

A three-star recruit from Danville, California, Endries began his college career in his home state at Cal as a preferred walk-on, redshirting in 2022 before earning a starting role in 2023. That year, he had 35 catches for 408 yards and two touchdowns, breaking out in a big way. As a redshirt sophomore, he had 56 catches for 623 yards and two touchdowns, earning honorable mention All-ACC honors after the season. Endries transferred to the Longhorns in 2025 and had 33 catches for 346 yards and three touchdowns.

At 6-5, 245 pounds, Endries is a productive receiving tight end. He’s excellent over the middle of the field, shredding zone coverages with plus awareness and feel. As a route runner, he has solid athleticism to beat defenders one-on-one, coming out of his breaks with a suddenness that creates separation against man schemes. After the catch, he can make some things happen, getting upfield quickly with some burst to maximize the yardage gained.

Endries is one of the most reliable pass catchers in this class — he doesn’t drop anything. He didn’t have a single drop in 2025 and is a plus in contested catch situations, adding impressive body control and a wide wingspan to his soft hands to haul in all sorts of passes. As a blocker, Endries is willing and showcases improving technique, taking a step forward in that department as a redshirt junior.

That said, Endries is often overwhelmed at the point of attack, despite his best efforts. He doesn’t have the pound-for-pound strength that he’d need to hold up better in this department, and his hands often get too wide, adding to his struggles. I don’t know that he can put on more weight, either, as his frame looks pretty maxed out. Endries isn’t a plus lateral athlete and struggles to make tacklers miss in space, as well.

Endries is a classic mid-round pick who can be a fantastic depth tight end. As part of a rotation, his plus route running and willingness to block will be useful, and he could be a big-play threat when he sees the field. I’m not sure I see the ceiling of a starting tight end in the league, but his strengths outweigh his weaknesses when he’s in the right role, and he can be a positive NFL contributor as a TE2.

9: Marlin Klein, Michigan

A three-star recruit from Cologne, Germany, Klein only started playing football in high school, beginning as a high school freshman in Germany before going to a boarding school in Georgia as a junior and senior. He redshirted his first year in Ann Arbor in 2022 before seeing the field a little in 2023 but only catching one pass. As a redshirt sophomore, he played next to Colston Loveland, and in 2025, he finally got a chance to take over as the full-time starter. Klein had 24 receptions for 248 yards and a touchdown as a redshirt junior.

A member of Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, Klein measures 6-6, 248 pounds. He’s raw but extremely athletic, with elite fluidity and twitch in his movements. He ran the three-cone drill faster than his former teammate Loveland, and that blend of speed and flexibility shows up on the field. When he’s cut loose, he simply dusts linebackers and safeties. They can’t keep up with him. His ability to start and stop on a dime creates instant separation whenever he wants it, and he can create a little after the catch.

As a blocker, Klein shows a lot of potential. He’s really strong, locking onto larger defenders and holding his ground in some difficult situations. With good mirroring ability and solid footwork despite his inexperience, he can play on the end of the line of scrimmage as easily as he can line up in the slot. He’s not the kind of tight end you have to hide in the blocking game, and he could easily add more weight and strength in the NFL.

As I said, Klein is still very raw. His route tree is limited and a lot of what he runs doesn’t even look like traditional routes, almost like he’s freelancing out there and just getting open. Physically, he still has some development to do, and an NFL strength program will do him wonders. Klein is still a ways away from making a positive impact on an NFL field.

If the league had a “draft and stash” program like the NBA does, Klein would be the perfect candidate. He might not play much at all as a rookie, but the high-end upside with him is worth chasing once you get into the middle of Day 3. Few plays have his combination of strength, agility, and speed, and Klein’s upside is pretty immense as a result.

10: Oscar Delp, Georgia

A four-star recruit and the top tight end in the 2022 class, Delp stayed in his home state of Georgia and got off to a slow start in his collegiate career. Working behind Brock Bowers, that’s understandable, and after flashing his potential in a limited role for two seasons, Delp was expected to break out in 2024 after Bowers left for the NFL. That never really happened, as he posted 21 receptions for 248 yards and four touchdowns that year, following it up with 20 receptions for 261 yards and a touchdown in 2025.

Standing at 6-5, 245 pounds, Delp is an impressive athlete for the tight end position. His straight-line speed and explosiveness are both elite, and he has the versatility to line up all over the formation. He can be deployed as a big slot, an in-line option, or even as an H-back in the backfield. The Bulldogs certainly got a lot of utility out of him, and he’s a reliable option no matter where he lines up. Delp is a true vertical threat who can punish defenders for not giving him enough cushion off the line.

With soft hands and only one drop in 2025, Delp is a natural hands-catcher who is a security blanket for his quarterback over the middle of the field. An advanced route runner, he creates separation at all three levels of the field, burning zone coverages by finding soft spots to settle into. As a blocker, Delp is both willing and capable, standing his ground and holding the line of scrimmage with impressive pound-for-pound strength.

Delp’s leaner frame is an issue in several areas of his game. He can get walked back when run0-blocking, lacking the core strength to be a significant drive-blocking threat. His career contested catch rate is abysmally low, and he had several passes jarred loose through contact from hunting safeties and roving linebackers. Delp is limited after the catch despite his plus athleticism, with a poor tackling-breaking profile that seems at odds with his natural gifts.

It’s fair to say Delp didn’t live up to expectations at Georgia, but he was still a valuable secondary piece of their offense. He shows upside as both a blocker and a receiver, with the kinds of athletic gifts that you don’t want to pass up on. I’d take him in the middle rounds with the expectation that he can be a TE2 for you down the line, if he gets a little stronger. I think there’s a chance he’s better in the NFL than he was in college.

The Next Ten

11 — Joe Royer, Cincinnati: A 6-5, 247-pound Ohio State transfer, Royer is a good athlete and a monster over the middle of the field. He doesn’t drop anything and he’s a master of using his big frame to haul in unbelievable catches in traffic, but he doesn’t offer much as a blocker.

12 — Josh Cuevas, Alabama: A 6-3, 245-pound transfer from Cal Poly via Washington, Cuevas is a versatile receiving weapon who runs a diverse route tree and can make plays after the catch. He has reliable hands and great feel against zone coverage.

13 — Tanner Koziol, Houston: A 6-6 and a half, 247-pound Ball State transfer, Koziol has great size and alignment versatility. You can line him up in the slot or in-line, and he is a reliable hands-catcher with an explosive lower half.

14 — Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M: A 6-5 and a half, 245-pound former Nebraska walk-on, Boerkircher is a blocking tight end with some limited receiving upside. He can serve as an extra offensive lineman at times, a true road-grader in the trenches.

15 — Justin Joly, N.C. State: A 6-3 and a half, 241-pound Connecticut transfer, Joly is a limited athlete but a refined receiving threat. He’ll mostly operate from the slot, but he’s an advanced route runner who knows how to attack all sorts of coverages.

16 — Riley Nowakowski, Indiana: A 6-2, 250-pound former walk-on at Wisconsin, Nowakowski is reliable in all three phases of tight end play. He has soft hands and some wiggle after the catch, while also holding his own as a blocker despite his smaller frame.

17 — Dallen Bentley, Utah: A 6-4, 253-pound JUCO transfer, Bentley is an experienced receiving tight end. He eats up zone coverage, with a versatile route tree and extremely reliable hands — he hasn’t dropped a pass in two seasons.

18 — John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming: A 6-6, 249-pound late arrival to the sport, Gyllenborg is an impressively athletic receiving threat at the tight end position. He doesn’t offer a ton as a blocker, but his combination of vertical separation and alignment flexibility gives him untapped upside.

19 — Miles Kitselman, Tennessee: A 6-5, 251-pound Alabama transfer, Kitselman is a blocking tight end through and through. He has a strong anchor in pass protection and can get out and block in space, offering versatility across multiple schemes.

20 — Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma: A 6-2, 234-pound two-way high school star, Kanak is a true speedster and “big slot” option at tight end. He can stack defenders vertically and has soft, reliable hands.