NFL Player News

The Bills selected Sweeney in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 228th overall.

There figures to be a competition between Sweeney and fellow rookie Dawson Knox for the backup tight end spot behind Tyler Kroft, while Jason Croom is also in the mix. Sweeney was a four-year contributor at Boston College with 99 career receptions for 1,281 yards and 10 touchdowns. While his production is superior to Knox's, his athleticism lags behind. Sweeney ran just a 4.83 40-yard dash and his broad jump and short shuttles at his pro day were middling as well. It's not a guarantee that he breaks camp on the 53-man roster.

The 49ers selected Smith in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 176th overall.

Smith is a former five-star recruit out who possesses favorable size at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds. While he seemingly has upside as both a blocker and receiver, Smith didn't record any explosive metrics at the combine and wasn't particularly productive in the red zone at Stanford. With the 49ers, Smith seems to have decent odds of making the 53-man roster with little competition for the No. 3 tight end role behind George Kittle and Garrett Celek.

The Steelers selected Gentry in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 141st overall.

Gentry is an interesting case study as a four-star quarterback prospect who transitioned to tight end early in his time at Michigan. He was ultimately a regular starter at the position the past two seasons and he finished that tenure with 49 receptions, 817 yards and four touchdowns. With plenty of room to continue growing, Gentry has the potential to surface as an interesting complement to Vance McDonald in an offense that no longer rosters Jesse James.

The Raiders selected Moreau in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 137th overall.

The LSU product lands in a fortuitous spot here as the Raiders badly needed to beef up their tight end group following the loss of Jared Cook. Moreau is short on production but long on potential. He never had more than 24 catches or 278 yards in any of his four collegiate seasons but he's an interesting athlete at 6-foot-4 1/8 and 253 pounds, with 4.66 speed and explosive jumps at the combine. He can block a fair bit too and his fit with the Raiders should lend itself to some opportunity early in his career.

The Jets selected Wesco in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 121st overall.

Wesco (6-foot-3, 267 pounds) is a versatile prospect who can operate as a receiver or H-back, but he's arguably at his best as a blocker. While he didn't post any particularly explosive measure at the combine, the West Virginia product's tape suggests he could serve as a nice complement to Chris Herndon down the road. However, he has to move above Jordan Leggett on the depth chart first.

The Bills selected Knox in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 96th overall.

Knox was a walk-on at Mississippi and has a limited track record, but Buffalo is clearly willing to bet on the upside here. He has just 39 receptions for 605 yards to his name with zero touchdowns, but Knox (6-foot-4 3/8, 254) can move, as evidenced by his 4.58-second 40-yard dash at Mississippi's pro day. Tyler Kroft still profiles as the starter for the Bills, but Knox can earn some snaps if his pass-catching and route-running ability translate to their offense.

The Packers selected Sternberger in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 75th overall.

Sternberger wowed scouts during his lone season at Texas A&M, tallying 832 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns over the course of 13 games, but questions remain regarding his prospects as a blocker. Still, his athletic profile was more than adequate, as he posted a 4.75 40-yard dash and 31.5 inch vertical jump at the NFL Combine. That's not unique enough to make him a matchup nightmare either as an inline tight end or flexed out wide, so Sternberger will likely wait behind Jimmy Graham and perhaps even Robert Tonyan until he can develop into more of a well-rounded prospect.

The Jaguars selected Oliver in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 69th overall.

Oliver flew under the radar at San Jose State's humble program, but at 6-foot-5, 249 pounds, he possesses clearly above-average athleticism for a tight end. He turned heads with a 4.63-second 40 at the combine, then demonstrated further linear explosiveness with a 34-inch vertical and 117-inch broad jump. It's difficult for rookie tight ends to earn big workloads, so Oliver isn't really on the redraft radar for mainstream leagues. However, it's worth monitoring him this summer, in the event he turns out to be another long-shot success story like Chris Herndon last year. The Jaguars don't have much at tight end otherwise.

The Bengals selected Sample in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 52nd overall.

Sample is the second tight end taken in the second round and fourth player off the board at his position overall. His production at Washington is far from eye-popping -- he had 25 catches for 252 yards and three scores in his best and final season. An argument could be made that he was somewhat underutilized in the passing game, however. Still, Sample's best quality could be his blocking, which should help him see early playing time. Tyler Eifert still projects as the starting tight end in Cincinnati, but his lack of durability means that Sample can still have a role as a rookie.

The Vikings selected Smith Jr. in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 50th overall.

The Alabama product is the third tight end off the board in this year's class. Smith Jr. lacks ideal size for an in-line tight end at 6-foot-2 3/8 and 242 pounds but he brings athleticism (4.63 40-yard dash) and pass-catching ability to the table. He earned second-team All-American honors as a redshirt sophomore, bringing in 44 receptions for 710 yards and seven scores in an explosive Alabama offense. Smith's fit with the Vikings as it stands is interesting considering Kyle Rudolph is under contract, although his time in Minnesota may be nearing an end. If Rudolph is gone by the start of the season, Smith would suddenly have a path to plenty of targets.