We’re most of the way through the College Football Playoff and bowl season is wrapping up. Most prospects have finished putting out tape in their college careers, so it’s time to officially unveil my updated position rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Today I’m ranking my top 10 tight ends, and this is a fun class. There isn’t the elite, top-end talent that we enjoyed last year, but this is a deep group. If you need a tight end on Day 2, you have a lot of options, and there are plenty of role players and developmental guys available on Day 3. Plus, there is one player likely to go in the first round.

If you’d like to check out my other updated position rankings, you can do so below:

• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Offensive Tackles
• Interior Offensive Linemen
• Edge Rushers
• Linebackers
• 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 with the Boilermakers. 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 at Purdue, 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 6-5, 243 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 blocks fundamentally sound 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. I’m not sure if he’s going to test as an extreme vertical athlete, but he should be good enough.

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 phenomenal 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, 245 pounds, Sadiq is ludicrously athletic. Named to Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, he is an explosive vertical athlete, blowing past linebackers down the field and making 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’s liable to run himself into coverage rather than settling down where his quarterback can find him.

I’m a little lower on Sadiq 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: 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 after the season and had 27 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns in his first season in Oxford. In his final season, Wright had 39 catches for 635 yards and another five touchdowns, earning second-team All-SEC honors.

Ole Miss lists Wright at 6-4, 255 pounds. That seems oddly small, as Wright 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 was 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 two, the next group of tight ends are very much a “pick your flavor” type 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.

4: 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 one 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, 235 pounds, Stowers is a supreme vertical athlete and member of Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List. He threatens the defense over the top on every snap, liable to blow 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, but he won’t be able to perform traditional tight end blocking duties at all.

Teams have to know who they’re drafting in Stowers. He’s a mismatch “big slot” receiver we call a tight end. As long as they go in knowing that, though, 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. Stowers probably comes off the board in the third round and could put up some historically great numbers for a rookie tight end.

5: Justin Joly, NC State

A high school receiver and two-star recruit, Joly committed to UConn initially and played two years there, quickly transitioning to tight end upon his arrival. He made an impact as a true freshman with 18 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns, but really broke out as a sophomore, totaling 56 receptions for 578 yards and two scores. After the season, he transferred to the Wolfpack, making an immediate impact with 43 receptions for 661 yards and four touchdowns. As a senior in Raleigh, he had 49 receptions for 489 yards and seven touchdowns, making the first-team All-ACC.

Joly is well-built at 6-3, 251 pounds, but he’s out there to do one thing. He’s an elite receiver for the position, with a full route tree and versatile skillset. A plus separator, he runs routes like a receiver, creating space consistently at all levels of the field and punishing defenses over the middle of the field. He’s a great athlete, with smooth movement skills and plus short-area quickness, shaking man coverage with sharp cuts and making people miss after the catch. At the catch point, he boxes out with a veteran’s savvy, using his soft hands to reel in difficult passes.

With great hands and a large catch radius, Joly will clean up the quarterback’s mistakes as long as the pass is at least somewhat near him. He doesn’t drop balls and is great in contested catch situations, routinely beating defenders to the ball and winning with strength. After the catch, he can run through tackles as well as make people miss, gaining extra yards on each reception. Joly can line up across the formation and has a varied release package, beating press coverage and owning his assignment.

Blocking is really the only negative on Joly’s tape. He’s simply not a blocker, at least not right now. He gives solid effort when asked to do so, but he doesn’t have the frame, technique, or lower body strength to be successful. Joly is purely a receiving tight end, and he’s so good at it and such a mismatch that he can still succeed in the NFL even with his limitations. That said, in the NFL all tight ends are asked to block at least some of the time, and Joly will be limited in what he can offer there.

An elite route runner and separator at tight end, Joly is a fun third-round pick in my evaluation. He can be the second option in an NFL passing attack, making linebackers’ lives difficult with his combination of speed and skill. Teams that are looking for tight ends that can help out with run blocking will be looking elsewhere, but Joly can line up in the slot, in line, or even out wide and win against dedicated man coverage. That’s an incredibly valuable skill in the league.

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 in the sport he used to play. 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 has a lot of concentration drops on film, with focus being 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 a lot 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 6-7, 252 pounds, and he uses every bit of that frame. He has long strides that just 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 6-7 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 doesn’t have great top speed and won’t burn past safeties often. His 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 upside 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 6-4, 240 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 small and despite his best efforts is often overwhelmed at the point of attack. 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 or TE3.

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, 250 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 don’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: Josh Cuevas, Alabama

A zero-star high school recruit who also played basketball and baseball from Los Angeles, Cuevas played two seasons at Cal Poly. After redshirting in 2021, he enjoyed a major breakout as a redshirt freshman, earning third-team All-Big Sky recognition with 58 receptions for 678 yards and six touchdowns. After the season, he transferred to Washington, playing minimally but following HC Kalen DeBoer to Alabama in 2024. After playing a backup role as a redshirt junior, he got to thrive as a fifth-year senior, racking up 37 catches for 411 yards and four touchdowns.

Checking in at 6-3, 256 pounds, Cuevas is a pretty good athlete for the position and a consistent separator. Once he gets going up the field, he’ll blow past linebackers if he catches them flat-footed, with bursty speed that catches even defensive backs by surprise. After the catch, he gets vertical quickly and maximizes the yardage he gains. Cuevas is a plus route runner and can line up across the formation, getting separation against man coverage and finding soft spots in the zone to attack.

As a blocker, Cuevas has his limitations, but he plays with good technique and effort. Pound-for-pound, he has good strength, holding his own on the line of scrimmage against bigger defenders through smart leverage and positioning. At the catch point, he knows how to box out and haul in passes like he’s going for a rebound, pulling from that basketball background. In general, his positioning and football IQ is exceptional — Cuevas is always in the right place at the right time, making key plays for his team and elevating the performances of the guys around him.

Cuevas has limited length which really caps his ceiling as a blocker. There are plenty of instances on tape where he struggles to match the length of the defenders he’s going up against, getting driven into the backfield when he can’t establish a firm base and has to compensate. Cuevas won’t be making many miss after the catch and doesn’t have the quickest change of direction skills, meaning his route runner suffers at times and sticky man defenders are able to hang with him throughout the play.

Rising from unheralded beginnings to become a legitimate NFL prospect, Cuevas is a great story of a determined player who won’t let anything stop him. I like what he offers in the passing game and he’s not a complete negative as a blocker despite his limitations. I doubt he’ll ever he a TE1 in the league, but he can be a fantastic depth tight end and special teamer for a long, long time. As a result, I suspect he’ll return great value for a Day 3 pick.