This year's tight end class will be an interesting one to track for a couple of reasons.
The first is that it has a number of highly athletic, undersized options at the position. If you saw the body types that came off the board on Day 2 last spring, you know undersized is not necessarily what the NFL is looking for at the position.
The second is that with NIL, I could easily see half of the top-10 prospects listed below not even declaring when given the opportunity for the first time in January. With tight end usage exploding around the league and the position representing nine of the top 100 picks last April, teams are no longer treating their second and third tight ends as afterthoughts.
Positional rankings: IOL • S • LB • DT • TE • OT • RB • CB • EDGE • WR • QB
Note: ⭐️ represents each player's 247Sports star rating as a high school recruit
Class strength rating: 6/10
- Player type: Do-it-all tight end
- Early grade: Early Day 2
There's a very good chance Oregon claims the draft's TE1 in back-to-back years. Truthfully, Jamari Johnson already could have been TE2 behind Kenyon Sadiq last spring if he declared. He returned for his fourth season to be the top dog at the position in an Oregon offense that's turning into a tight end factory after Terrance Ferguson went 46th overall the year prior.
Johnson is a more traditional tight end than Sadiq, with a broad frame and inline potential. He doesn't possess the raw explosiveness of last year's 16th overall pick, but he's a fluid and graceful route-runner. I love the way he consistently plucks the ball away from his frame. He has the kind of game that could easily translate to a first-round selection if he sees a big leap in production this fall.
Oregon TE Jamari Johnson moves so damn well for a player of his size (6'5", 257 pounds) pic.twitter.com/I5Bs23UXzJ
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) May 6, 2026
- Player type: Do-it-all tight end
- Early grade: Day 2
Luke Reynolds is another tight end who hasn't technically been a starter yet, but obviously has the goods when you flip on the tape. He's a former five-star recruit who saw meaningful time as a freshman and sophomore at Penn State before transferring to Virginia Tech in the spring.
I love his ability to run a full route tree with fantastic footwork for a prototypically sized tight end. As a blocker, his tape was pretty advanced for a true sophomore last year. All that's missing from making him a top-50 pick is high-end production in a featured role.
Tight end Luke Reynolds with a nice move and catch. Got up and loudly yelled, “And it’s two f*^%ing feet! And it’s two f*^%ing feet!” #Hokies pic.twitter.com/uOJ8V9AZX6
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) August 6, 2026
- Player type: H-back
- Early grade: Day 2
Terrance Carter Jr. was difficult to rank because he's filling a different role altogether from anyone else on this list. He measured 6-foot-2 ¼ and 245 pounds last spring. That would make him the shortest starting tight end in the NFL currently, although it's not without historical precedent. Dustin Keller and Jordan Reed are the most productive recent examples at that height, but Carter reminds me a little of the 6-foot-1 Delanie Walker because of his blocking prowess.
Carter gets after it in the run game. With multiple tight ends becoming en vogue, his ability to block in space and on the move can be a weapon in an NFL offense.
As a receiver, he has the goods to get by as an undersized option because he moves like a running back in space. He's easily the best returning tight end with the ball in his hands and had 23 broken tackles after the catch last season. He won't be for everybody, but he can thrive in the league in a carved-out role.
#TexasTech TE Terrance Carter Jr. is at his best making players miss in the open field and creating big gains with the football in his hands. The Louisiana Lafayette transfer has had 344 of his 552 receiving yards come after the catch and is a matchup nightmare for LBs. pic.twitter.com/6CPvRjrusX
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) December 30, 2025
- Player type: Red-zone target
- Early grade: Day 2
Players with Trey'Dez Green's frame and athleticism are far more frequently found on hardwood than on turf. While we don't have an official wingspan measurement for the over 6-foot-6 tight end yet, chances are it will beat Michael Trigg's 84 ⅜ inches last spring for the longest ever recorded at the NFL Scouting Combine. That came in handy in tight situations, as his 12 contested catches last season were the second-most among tight ends in the country. It also helps that his body control and ball tracking are exceptional for a man that size.
He moves like an NBA wing on the field, with long strides that eat up ground and the ability to bend at the top of his routes. Why I have Green a little lower than some, though, is because he's really a tight end in name only at the moment. With his lanky frame, the 238 pounds he weighed last spring is very light for the position. As a result, he's a complete non-factor as a run-blocker, and he's likely around 20 pounds away from changing that. As only a rising junior, he has time, but it's not going to happen this year.
Trey’Dez Green Sophomore Season 🐯 pic.twitter.com/2o14MAu4zb
— Boppa 🧟♂️ (@ihatebbls) April 30, 2026
- Player type: Inline tight end
- Early grade: Late Day 2
Willie Rodriguez took over as Kentucky's starting tight end last fall as a sophomore and impressed on a regular basis. He's a rugged inline tight end who wants to run through contact, not around it. While he's not a high-end athlete who will run away from defenders, he separates with body control and physicality. And if he has a chance to haul the ball in, chances are he's catching it. Rodriguez hasn't dropped a single pass on 29 career opportunities.
Kenny Minchey finds TE Willie Rodriguez. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XPXAK2pAaz
— Cats Coverage (@Cats_Coverage) April 18, 2026
- Player type: Move tight end
- Early grade: Early Day 3
After waxing about the athletic ability of multiple tight ends already, you may be surprised to find out that Jeremiah Hasley recently checked in as the highest-ranked tight end on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List at No. 55 overall.
I wouldn't describe him as a "freak," but his nimble feet stand out on tape, particularly with the ball in his hands. Hasley will be limited by a catch radius that's on the smaller side for the position at only 6-foot-3. He's likely never going to be a true inline tight end because of that.
Get the ball in his hands, though, and good things will happen, as indicated by his 13 broken tackles last season.
Jeremiah Hasley would NOT BE DENIED 😤 pic.twitter.com/VYv4ygUvXV
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 7, 2025
- Player type: Tight end/receiver hybrid
- Early grade: Early Day 3
Caleb Odom was unfortunately the most frustrating watch in the entire tight end class. That's because he a) is the single most impressive athlete in the entire class, and b) has easily the worst hands of anyone on this list.
I can't remember a top tight end prospect stonewalling a higher percentage of his chances than he did last year. PFF charted him with four drops on 23 catchable passes (17.4%), but there were a couple of others on plays nullified by penalty, and I saw three more easy contested catches he failed to haul in.
While his receiving potential is sky-high, he's likely a couple of years or more away from becoming a real prospect.
- Player type: Move tight end
- Early grade: Early Day 3
If you play a receiving position at Georgia, chances are your stats won't reflect your talent level. The Bulldogs haven't had a 1,000-yard receiver in the decade that Kirby Smart has been head coach despite having 17 receivers and tight ends drafted over that span, including George Pickens, Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey.
So I'm not too put off by the fact that Lawson Luckie averaged a measly 11.3 yards per game last season after breaking out with 348 yards as a sophomore in 2024. He's a fluid mover who shows exceptional body control along his routes and when adjusting to off-target passes (when given the opportunity).
The one thing I want to see more from Luckie is inline blocking. While he's active and capable in space, Luckie was primarily the detached tight end last year while 2025 third-rounder Oscar Delp was Georgia's inline option. The encouraging thing for Luckie is that Delp had similar concerns as a run-blocker early in his career before developing into one of the best blockers in last year's draft class. For Luckie, who weighed in at 239 pounds this offseason, a similar leap would see him easily crack the top 100 next spring.
- Player type: Do-it-all tight end
- Early grade: Early Day 3
Texans second-rounder Marlin Klein may be the start of a trend with overseas tight ends coming to America's game.
Theo Melin Ohrstrom grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, and became a football fan by watching YouTube highlights. He came to Texas A&M in 2023 after attending an American football academy in his home country. He split time last season with Jaguars second-round pick Nate Boerkircher before transferring to SMU this fall.
While that limited his production, the traits as a receiver are undeniable. His ability to break off routes with ease is unique for a player his size. He should see far more targets this season in SMU's offense, which would be a great thing for his draft stock.
Theo Melin Ohrstrom (6’6 257) SMU
— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) June 10, 2026
✅ Quick to turn up the field after catching the ball
✅ Good frame and wingspan
✅ Large and strong hands
✅ Toughness over the middle pic.twitter.com/fMBlfBUiy1
- Player type: Move tight end
- Early grade: Early Day 3
DJ Vonnahme is yet another tight end on this list who I would be very surprised to see in the 2027 draft class. Any grade I give him here is really a placeholder because Vonnahme has a lot of development ahead of him.
The encouraging thing, with him being so green, is that he was already very productive when called upon. He ranked second in yards per route run (3.1) among tight ends with at least 100 receiving snaps last season. Vonnahme has legit wheels to get vertical or break angles after the catch.
If he can get stronger and add nuance to his route-running, he'll end up a lot higher than this by the time he declares.
— Performances (@NotPerformances) December 31, 2025
Three names to watch
Note: These aren't necessarily the next three players in my rankings, but rather three prospects who caught my eye for one reason or another.
Peter Clarke (Temple)
This far out from the draft, I weighted pass-catching potential far more heavily in my rankings than blocking potential. If the 2026 draft is any indication, however, the latter is growing in importance for NFL evaluators. That bodes well for Peter Clarke's prospects, as he was the most impressive run-blocker at the position that I saw on tape over the summer.
A similar skill set made Will Kacmarek a top-100 pick in April. While Clarke isn't at the former Ohio State tight end's level as a run-blocker just yet, he's relatively new to the game, as he grew up in England before attending the NFL Academy in London.
Benjamin Brahmer (Penn State)
Benjamin Brahmer possesses an NFL-ready frame (6-foot-6, 253 pounds) and plenty of experience, with three years of playing time and 1,119 career snaps under his belt. On tape, you see very natural hands and receiving ability, a rarity for someone that size.
I just wish that with his massive frame, he was more of an impact blocker. You don't see the physicality to deal with 250-plus-pound defensive ends on a consistent basis, which is why he couldn't crack the top 10. That's going to have to change this fall after transferring from Iowa State to Penn State.
Elija Lofton (Miami)
Elija Lofton is another tight end prospect with obvious receiving talent who is likely more than a year away. He weighed in at 230 pounds in the spring, meaning he's quite a bit off from the ideal range at the next level, and it showed on tape in his run-blocking.
His skill set is eerily reminiscent of former Miami tight end Brevin Jordan, who looked more like a rocked-up running back coming out than a tight end. We'll see if Lofton can develop into a more consistent threat than his predecessor, who has failed to lock down much of a role with the Texans in his career.
- Most NFL-ready: Jamari Johnson (Oregon)
- Most athletic: Caleb Odom (Ole Miss)
- Best hands: Willie Rodriguez (Kentucky)
- Best after catch: Terrance Carter Jr. (Texas Tech)
- Best blocker: Peter Clarke (Temple)
- Top non-Power-4: Theo Melin Ohrstrom (SMU)
- If only they were bigger: Dylan Wade (UCF)
- Most experienced: Hayden Hansen (Oklahoma) (1,827 snaps)
