Overview

• Brock Bowers and Trey McBride each posted over 147 targets and more than 1,100 receiving yards as rookies in 2024 while George Kittle delivered over 1,100 yards in his veteran season, forming a three-man elite tier.
• Analysts warn that no tight end merits a first-round pick and recommend selecting one of the top three in rounds 3–4 due to sharp positional scarcity.
• On-field multi-down players such as Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce, Tucker Kraft and T. J. Hockenson fill a reliable secondary tier but carry lower upside and are best targeted after round 5.
• Colston Loveland is the leading late-round sleeper after the Bears spent a top-10 pick on the rookie and installed him in a LaPorta-style offense under coordinator Ben Johnson.
• Jake Ferguson’s early-season pace before Dak Prescott’s injury suggests top-10 TE potential if Dallas stays healthy, and Brenton Strange stands to see a volume spike as Jacksonville’s starter following Evan Engram’s departure.