2026 NFL Rookie Tight End Dynasty Rankings: Kenyon Sadiq, Eli Stowers lead the way

The 2026 NFL Draft is just around the corner, meaning it's past time to start ranking the prospects. My rankings have a slight lean toward fantasy football — dynasty leagues in particular — though I largely think that the tight ends who are the most productive for fantasy purposes are the best from a real-life perspective. Blocking also helps keep tight ends on the field and earns them high-leverage play-action and red zone looks. So, even as fantasy managers, we want our tight ends to be good blockers. We just don't want them to be blocking specialists. With that preamble out of the way, here are my top 10 rookie tight ends.

Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

Sadiq’s analytical profile is weak for a first-round pick. There will be plenty of positive attributes mentioned in a moment, but I’m starting with the negatives. His best season by overall production was in 2025, when he took over the starting role at Oregon from Terrance Ferguson. Sadiq averaged 1.6 yards per route run and 1.4 yards per team pass attempt in his lone season as a starter. His YPTPA (Receiving Yards Per Team Pass Attempt) ranks 23rd out of all first-round tight ends since 2000. He ranks dead last in YPRR (only looking at peak production season) since 2017. Hayden Hurst narrowly edged him out. Between these marks and his touchdown-fueled 20 percent dominator rating (percentage of team passing yards and touchdowns), Sadiq draws three statistical comparisons: Hurst, O.J. Howard, and Noah Fant.

Digging a little deeper, there are aspects of his game to like. Sadiq averaged 2.1 YPRR as a sophomore and created an absurd 10.1 YAC per catch, albeit at an average target depth of just 2.4 yards downfield. He also broke 10 tackles on just 25 catches. The Ducks bumped his aDOT up to a normal 8.3 in 2025 and he was solid in that role, totaling 51 grabs for 560 yards and eight scores. Sadiq's first-round bona fides were locked in at the NFL Combine, where he set the 40-yard dash record at 4.39 seconds. Vertical and broad jump numbers above the 99th percentile likely propelled him into the top half of the first round. With the NFL moving toward more multi-TE sets, his 6-foot-3, 241-pound frame won’t be viewed as an issue by almost any team.

Sadiq looks the part of a 4.39 runner on tape, reaching top speed in an instant and gliding by defenders with ease. His top-notch burst numbers are also littered throughout the tape.

Though he doesn’t have inline size, he’s a serviceable enough blocker even when attached to the line of scrimmage. Sadiq fits the trend of move tight ends making early impacts in the NFL, though I see him as more landing-spot dependent than players like Brock Bowers or Colston Loveland. His lack of production and the infatuation with his 40 time will likely make me lower on him in dynasty and redraft formats.

Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt

A former quarterback, Stowers transitioned to tight end and transferred from Texas A&M to New Mexico State for his first season at the new position. He took to the role quickly, posting a 34/366/2 line in 2023 while also running for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns, primarily as a wildcat quarterback. He then transferred to Vandy, where he totaled 111 receptions for 1,407 yards and nine scores over two seasons. Stowers averaged 2.5 YPRR and 2.1 YPTPA at Vanderbilt, though his dominator rating peaked at 26 percent in 2024 and fell to 18 percent in his final season. Stowers arguably has a better statistical profile than Sadiq, but that is outweighed by a few factors, the biggest of which is the fact that he spent five years in college compared to three for Sadiq.

Like Sadiq, Stowers’ 6-4, 239-pound frame could have turned some NFL teams off. His combine showing should put any of those concerns to bed. While Stowers’ 4.51 40-yard dash was not record setting, his jumps were. He set the vertical leap record at 45.5” and the TE broad jump record at 11’3”. Athleticism isn’t all that matters at tight end, but it’s more predictive here than most other positions. Stowers has it in spades.

One final red—more like a burnt orange—flag is Stowers’ reliance on slot routes. His 66 percent slot rate was the fourth-highest in the country last year. However, he was successful on his limited reps from an inline position. Stowers averaged 3.4 YPRR as an inline tight end, the third-highest mark among all tight ends with at least 50 inline routes. Stowers’ size could limit him to a Dalton Kincaid-style role in the pros, but his production profile and athleticism suggest that could be more of a floor than a ceiling.

Max Klare, Ohio State

Klare was the top tight end recruit in his class before committing to Purdue. He erupted in his third season for 685 yards and four scores on 51 grabs while accounting for 31 percent of his team’s receiving yards and touchdowns. For reference, Brock Bowers’ peak dominator rating was 29 percent. Klare then transferred to Ohio State, where they mostly asked him to block. He fell to 448 yards and his dominator rating was cut to 10 percent. Playing alongside receivers Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, two potential top-five draft picks, will do that. To his credit, Klare drastically improved as a blocker, going from a PFF run blocking grade of 53.8 in his final season at Purdue to 71.6 in 2025.

Klare opted not to test at the NFL Combine or Ohio State’s Pro Day. Without any reporting suggesting he was injured for either event, it looks like any athletic testing would have hurt his draft stock, hence the opt-out.

If I want to understand a prospect’s ceiling, I start with their best season. When everything comes together, what do they look like? For Klare, that’s a true No. 1 receiver playing at tight end. Then I look at their entire body of work to pin down how likely that ceiling is to occur. A player who has three elite seasons is more likely to translate than someone who failed to hit that mark on multiple occasions. This is what makes Klare a high-variance bet. At his best, I see him as a future TE1 for both real-life and fantasy purposes. At his worst, he gets lost in the shuffle as a receiver and doesn’t steal the show in the trenches.

Justin Joly, NC State

Joly began his journey at UConn as a reserve. That lasted all of one month before he carved out a larger role. That held into his second season when he went for 578 yards and two scores on 56 grabs. Joly then transferred to NC State, where he amassed 92 catches for 1,150 yards and 11 scores over two seasons. Joly averaged at least 1.8 yards per route run in all four of his collegiate seasons. He posted a dominator over 20 percent in every season except for his freshman campaign. A career mark of 5.5 YAC per catch is solid and Joly’s rate of inline snaps went up in each of his seasons. He also secured 66 percent of his contested targets. As far as production goes, Joly’s profile is extremely well-rounded.

The bad news is that Joly measured at 6-4, 241 pounds at the Combine and did not participate in any testing. At that size, he will be pigeonholed into a pure F tight end role in the pros. Joly has a strong production profile and an all-purpose game as a pass-catcher. He can run routes at all depths of the field and still brings plenty of YAC production to the table. His size and limited blocking ability likely give Joly an Evan Engram-like ceiling.

Tanner Koziol, Houston

A three-year starter at Ball State, Koziol quickly proved to be a class above his MAC competition. He scored seven times as a true freshman. That number fell to three in his sophomore season, but a trio of scores was good for a third of his team’s passing touchdowns. Koziol finally put it all together as a junior with a 94/839/8 receiving line. He then got called up to Big 12 ball at Houston, where he went for 727 yards on a conference-high 74 grabs. It was his first season with a higher share of team receiving yards than touchdowns.

Koziol is a player a younger Kyle would have loved. He earns targets. What more can you ask for? Well. Some YAC would be nice. He averaged just 3.5 YAC per catch throughout his career. On top of that, nearly 28 percent of his targets were contested. For reference, Max Klare had a contested target rate of 12 percent. Justin Joly sits at 22 percent. This could speak to a lack of nuance in Koziol’s routes, which scouts have been quick to point out. At 6-6 and 247 pounds with a 4.7 40-yard dash, Koziol has the frame of an NFL Y tight end. His blocking grades, however, were universally underwhelming. Koziol looks like a high-upside developmental project for his future NFL team.

Sam Roush, Stanford

Roush isn’t an awfully exciting pass-catcher. He peaked at a 20 percent dominator in his final season, which featured 545 yards and two touchdowns. Roush averaged just 1.4 YPRR but did add 6.5 YAC with every catch. He reeled in 40 percent of his contested targets, a market slightly behind his career average of 47 percent.

Roush didn’t have much appeal in fantasy formats before the Combine. He participated in all of the tests and earned a 9.94 RAS at 6-6 and 267 pounds. A 9.94 is an elite mark for any player, but doing so without skipping any testing — typically the agility drills — is wildly impressive.

Though his PFF grades as a blocker aren’t stellar, draftniks are sold on him as a plus blocker. His massive frame certainly helps. Roush’s lack of production and efficiency still make him a weak fantasy bet, but his ability to play on all three downs and as an inline or a slot tight end are appealing. He profiles as a run-of-the-mill TE2 early in his career, in the mold of a Luke Schoonmaker or Cade Stover.

Eli Raridon, Notre Dame

Raridon had amassed just 141 receiving yards in total after three seasons at Notre Dame. As a senior, the 6-6, 245-pound tight end put up 482 yards on 32 grabs but scored zero touchdowns. Touchdowns aside, it was a true breakout season for Raridon, highlighted by his 2.2 YPRR. Raridon has the frame of a solid blocker, but PFF charted him with middling grades in run and pass pro for most of his career. With a little more weight and a better feel for leverage, Raridon should develop into a plus blocker in the pros.

Raridon doesn’t have much wiggle with the ball in his hands, but his straight-line speed alone was enough to produce 5.5 career YAC per catch. He avoided a grand total of nine tackles. Raridon also leveraged that speed toward an FBS-leading eight catches and 281 yards on deep targets (20+ yards downfield). He will likely need a year or two to round out his game, but Raridon could develop into a Dalton Schultz-level starter down the road.

Michael Trigg, Baylor

It took Trigg four years and three schools to find a fit in college, but that finally happened in 2024 at Baylor after stints at USC and Ole Miss. He broke out as a seam-stretching F tight end, going for 395 yards during his first season as a Bear and 694 in his second and final season at Baylor. Trigg averaged over two yards per route during these two seasons. No matter where he was playing, Trigg’s coaches universally agreed on using him as a downfield weapon. He posted a career aDOT of 10.5, which is higher than plenty of wideouts in this class. He saw 15 deep targets in 2025. No other tight end even hit double-digits. Trigg’s highlight reel might be the best in the class.

The lows are also ever-present in his game. Trigg’s seven dropped passes led the country and he brought down just 45 percent of his career contested targets. He didn’t participate in the combine, meaning the long-speed that is integral to his game hasn’t been verified. Given that he isn’t a particularly crafty route-runner, not having a 40 on file is slightly concerning. Trigg strikes me as a Noah Fant or Mike Gesicki-style third pass-catcher for a team willing to focus on his strengths. On the other hand, even a team that finds a role for him will likely sub him off the field to mask his weaknesses.

Dae’Quan Wright, Ole Miss

Wright flashed potential at Virginia Tech for two seasons before finding a better home at Ole Miss as an upperclassman. As with all Lane Kiffin pass-catchers, it’s hard to tell where the scheme ends and the player begins. Wright averaged an absurd 10.1 YAC per catch in 2025. That ranked second in the country. Even though that was a career high, Wright still averaged nearly eight YAC/reception as a Hokie. He also posted over two YPRR as a true freshman, a feat he would repeat in 2025. Kiffin’s offense helped, but the VA Tech numbers confirm that Wright is a playmaker.

Wright’s absurd YAC production comes from his ability to catch the ball in stride and blow by slower defenders. He brings little to the table when jammed up in traffic. His 27 percent career contested catch rate is abysmal and a 9.6 percent drop rate will be an issue, though he started to get that issue in check at Ole Miss. At 6-4, 246 pounds, Wright profiles as a move tight end who can shift inline when needed. Even when he does put his hand in the dirt, his coaches won't ask him to block often. PFF charted him outside the top 250 tight ends in run-blocking last year, and that’s on par with his grades from previous seasons.

Rohan Jones, Arkansas

I’m pre-accepting my “Fell for it Again” award here. Jones didn’t get a combine invite, nor did he make the trip to any of college football’s showcase games. This was despite him leading the country in the following metrics:

• Yards per route - 5.03
• YAC/reception - 11.5
• PFF receiving grade 92.7
• aDOT - 14.0
  

Jones ran over 70 percent of his routes from an inline alignment and was unguardable in the SEC. He averaged a mind-bending 27.3 yards per catch en route to 519 yards and four scores. Jones also punched in one touchdown on the ground. On the other hand, I sort of get why he isn’t seeing any buzz. Jones ran 106 routes in 2025. The starting tight end on his team ran 209 routes. He is a four-year player with three of his collegiate seasons coming at the FCS level (Maine and Montana State). Then there’s his athleticism, or lack thereof.

Jones wouldn’t be the first tight end with below-average athleticism to hit at the NFL level, but he would be an outlier. All in, Jones is somewhere on the Jaheim Bell - Isaiah Likely spectrum.