NFL Player News

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.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn expects James to work in tandem with No. 8 overall pick T.J. Hockenson at tight end, Carlos Monarrez of The Detroit Free Press reports.

The NFL transition is notoriously difficult for tight ends, but Hockenson is one of the few prospects with potential to fill a three-down role immediately. Detroit certainly hopes the rookie can beat out James, who in March signed a four-year, $22.6 million contract with $10.5 million guaranteed (all in the first two seasons), per overthecap.com. Even if he does win the starting job, it's hard to see how James would warrant more than three or four targets per game in an offense that also needs to find looks for Hockenson, Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones (knee), Danny Amendola, Kerryon Johnson and Theo Riddick.

The Broncos selected Fant in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 20th overall.

Denver makes this pick after trading the 10th pick to Pittsburgh. Fant is the most athletic tight end prospect in the class at 6-foot-4 1/8 and 249 pounds, with a 4.5 40-yard dash and a 39.5-inch vertical jump. His best season came as a sophomore when he caught 30 passes for 494 yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns before being slightly overshadowed by fellow first-rounder T.J. Hockenson in Iowa's offense. Fant is raw in some facets of his game and his blocking will be something that needs major work if he is to develop into an every-down piece of Denver's system. However, his athleticism and pass-catching upside can make him a mismatch up the seam if used properly. At the very least, Fant becomes the top pass-catching tight end in Denver right away.

The Lions selected Hockenson in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, eighth overall.

The Iowa product is the most complete tight end prospect since at least O.J. Howard. Hockenson also fills a major need for the Lions. He entered the year as the supposed backup tight end to Noah Fant before exploding for 49 catches, 760 yards, and six touchdowns on 66 targets. Unlike Eric Ebron, whom the Lions took in 2014 with the 10th overall selection, Hockenson enters the NFL as a polished blocker as well, which will keep him on the field as an every-down player. Hockenson can work in-line or flexed out into the slot.