Making the Case
Making The Cases For & Against The 2025 Rookie TE’s
- FOR Tyler Warren
- FOR Colston Loveland
Before we talk about the 2025 rookie TE’s – let’s talk about the TE position in general.
What do the collegiate profiles of successful NFL TE’s look like?
What “matters” when scouting TE’s?
In order to answer these questions – I created my own “TE Anatomical Checklist” (inspired by Jax Falcone’s “Anatomy of a Top-12 Dynasty TE”).
The goal was to chart *every* relevant metric in order to get a holistic “view” of each profile.
I’ll touch on each metric individually – but these are the benchmarks I’ve found to be strong indicators for future NFL production:
- RD1-RD3 Draft Capital
- 4.70 40 (or faster)
- 33”+ Vertical Jump
- 70th+ Percentile Catch Radius
- 12.0+ Career YPR
- 18%+ College Dominator
- 1.80+ Career YPRR
- 5.0+ YAC/reception or 10+ MTF
- 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade
- 6.10+ NFL.com Grade
- Early-declare (Bonus)
Now let’s talk about why these metrics matter.
First – let’s talk about draft capital.
Even if we ignored EVERY OTHER metric on this list – we would greatly improve our hit-rates simply by following draft capital.
Check out this thread by the (recently retired) “DFBeanCounter.”
To summarize – there’s a very clear pattern when sorting players by draft capital.
We have over 15 years of results.
These are the hit-rates for a Top-12 finish:
RD1 ~ 93%
RD2 ~ 42%
RD3 ~ 28%
RD4 ~ 21%
RD5 ~ 16%
RD6 ~ 17%
RD7 ~ 0%
TE’s drafted in RD1 produce *at least* one Top-12 finish at over a 90% hit-rate.
That hit-rate falls to 20% (or less) for TE’s drafted on Day 3.
George Kittle is the ONLY current Top-12 Dynasty TE who was drafted outside of RD1-3.
DC is particularly relevant to the 2025 class as we had 2 (TWO) TE’s drafted Top-15 overall.
- Colston Loveland –
- Tyler Warren
The only other TE’s drafted Top-15 since 2000:
- Bubba Franks
- Jeremy Shockey
- Kellen Winslow Jr.
- Vernon Davis
- Eric Ebron
- Kyle Pitts
- Brock Bowers
The last 5 TE’s drafted Top-15 overall have posted *at least* one NFL season with 1,000+ yards or 10+ TD’s.
Loveland & Warren are near-locks to do so (or at least come close).
Athleticism is also key to success for TE’s.
Raw 40 time is strongly correlated to yardage per-season.
EVERY SINGLE TE currently valued Top-12 in Dynasty runs a 4.70 40 or faster.
Brock Bowers – DNP
Trey McBride – 4.56
Sam LaPorta – 4.59
George Kittle – 4.52
TJ Hockenson – 4.70
Kyle Pitts – 4.49
Dalton Kincaid – DNP
Mark Andrews – 4.67
Tucker Kraft – 4.69
Evan Engram – 4.42
David Njoku – 4.64
Travis Kelce – DNP
EVERY SINGLE Top-12 Dynasty TE (except Mark Andrews) also posted a 33”+ vertical.
Brock Bowers – DNP
Trey McBride – 33”
Sam LaPorta – 35”
George Kittle – 38.5”
TJ Hockenson – 37.5”
Kyle Pitts – 33.5”
Dalton Kincaid – DNP
*Mark Andrews – 31”
Tucker Kraft – 34″
Evan Engram – 36”
David Njoku – 37.5”
Travis Kelce – DNP
Generally speaking – TE’s need to at least be “functional” athletically.
EVERY SINGLE TE valued Top-12 (except Mark Andrews) also has a 70th+ percentile catch radius.
Brock Bowers – N/A
Trey McBride – N/A
Sam LaPorta – 78th percentile
George Kittle – 95th percentile
TJ Hockenson – 92nd percentile
Kyle Pitts – 85th percentile
Dalton Kincaid – N/A
*Mark Andrews – 43rd percentile
Tucker Kraft – 73rd percentile
Evan Engram – 93rd percentile
David Njoku – 94th percentile
Travis Kelce – N/A
Athleticism is often reflected statistically in the efficiency department.
EVERY SINGLE TE valued Top-12 in Dynasty (except Sam LaPorta) averaged 12.0+ YPR in their collegiate career.
Brock Bowers – 14.5
Trey McBride – 12.8
*Sam LaPorta – 11.7
George Kittle – 15.4
TJ Hockenson – 14.8
Kyle Pitts – 14.9
Dalton Kincaid – 13.2
Mark Andrews – 15.8
Tucker Kraft – 12.2
Evan Engram – 14.3
David Njoku – 16.6
Travis Kelce – 14.8
A lot of people think college production “doesn’t matter” for TE’s – but the data strongly suggests otherwise.
EVERY SINGLE TE currently valued Top-12 in Dynasty had an 18%+ College Dominator Rating (yardage share + TD share, divided by 2).
Brock Bowers – 27.2%
Trey McBride – 46.3%
Sam LaPorta – 25.5%
George Kittle – 23.2%
TJ Hockenson – 24.0%
Kyle Pitts – 24.1%
Dalton Kincaid – 34.1%
Mark Andrews – 18.0%
Tucker Kraft – 21.2%
Evan Engram – 29.5%
David Njoku – 24.6%
Travis Kelce – 27.6%
Mark Andrews (who played with BOTH CeeDee Lamb & Marquise Brown in college) is the only Top-12 TE who was below a 20% Dominator Rating.
EVERY SINGLE TE valued Top-12 also averaged 1.80+ YPRR for their collegiate career.
Brock Bowers – 2.64
Trey McBride – 2.11
Sam LaPorta – 1.89
George Kittle – 1.91
TJ Hockenson – 1.99
Kyle Pitts – 2.36
Dalton Kincaid – 2.32
Mark Andrews – 2.46
Tucker Kraft – 2.33
Evan Engram – 1.99
David Njoku – 2.03
Travis Kelce – N/A
College production DOES matter – even for TE’s.
YAC/tackle-breaking ability is another important factor.
EVERY SINGLE TE valued Top-12 averaged 5.0+ YAC/reception for their collegiate career or posted 10+ MTF in their best season.
Brock Bowers – 8.5 YAC & 18 MTF
Trey McBride – 5.5 YAC & 5 MTF
Sam LaPorta – 5.6 YAC & 20 MTF
George Kittle – 7.1 YAC & 4 MTF
TJ Hockenson – 7.3 YAC & 8 MTF
Kyle Pitts – 5.4 YAC & 5 MTF
Dalton Kincaid – 5.2 YAC & 16 MTF
Mark Andrews – 6.0 YAC & 8 MTF
Tucker Kraft – 6.6 YAC & 16 MTF
Evan Engram – 6.9 YAC & 7 MTF
David Njoku – 9.8 YAC & 15 MTF
Travis Kelce – N/A
Film Grades are also a strong signal.
I track PFF & NFL.com Grades.
EVERY SINGLE Top-12 TE posted a 75.0+ PFF Receiving Grade in college.
Brock Bowers – 91.6
Trey McBride – 95.0
Sam LaPorta – 85.3
George Kittle – 91.2
TJ Hockenson – 90.8
Kyle Pitts – 96.1
Dalton Kincaid – 91.8
Mark Andrews – 81.4
Tucker Kraft – 89.1
Evan Engram – 80.5
David Njoku – 76.3
Travis Kelce – N/A
David Njoku is the only one who didn’t post an 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade.
EVERY SINGLE Top-12 TE (except George Kittle) also received a 6.10+ NFL.com Grade.
Brock Bowers – 6.71
Trey McBride – 6.31
Sam LaPorta – 6.18
*George Kittle – 5.90
TJ Hockenson – 6.80
Kyle Pitts – 7.19
Dalton Kincaid – 6.48
Mark Andrews – 6.20
Tucker Kraft – 6.28
Evan Engram – 6.40
David Njoku – 6.80
Travis Kelce – N/A
It’s also a “bonus” if a TE declares-early.
Early-declare TE’s have had better hit-rates than late-declares across the board.
I would consider early-declare status a “bonus” & not a prerequisite, however.
There are actually twice as many late-declares (8) as early-declares (4) in the current Top-12 TE’s.
The position tends to have a longer developmental timeframe (there are 9 early-declares & only 3 late-declares amongst the Top-12 Dynasty WR’s, comparatively).
TO SUMMARIZE:
These are the thresholds which the top batch of NFL TE’s have consistently cleared:
- RD1-RD3 Draft Capital
- 4.70 40 (or faster)
- 33”+ Vertical Jump
- 70th+ Percentile Catch Radius
- 12.0+ Career YPR
- 18%+ College Dominator
- 1.80+ Career YPRR
- 5.0+ YAC/reception or 10+ MTF
- 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade
- 6.10+ http://NFL.com Grade
- Early-declare (Bonus)
Soooo…
How do the 2025 Rookie TE’s stack up?
Let’s start with Colston Loveland & Tyler Warren.
We already know – just based on draft capital – they’re near-locks to post *at least* one NFL season with 1,000+ yards or 10+ TD’s.
Colston Loveland was drafted first (10th overall) – & he comes into the NFL with a squeaky-clean profile.
Loveland was a highly-recruited player (4-Stars; 91 Prospect Grade).
He was involved as a true freshman at Michigan (16/235/2; 5th on the team in receiving yards).
He finished 2nd on the team in receiving as a sophomore (45/649/4).
& he led the team in receiving as a junior (56/582/5) despite playing in just 10 games.
No other player on the team had more than 250 receiving yards.
“Loveland’s 34.7% receiving yardage market share is the most by any power conference TE in at least 15 years” – via @ScottBarrettDFB.
“Loveland is the only RD1 TE prospect to post a 30%+ target-share in their junior season” – via @dynasty_im.
After his junior season – Loveland declared-early for the NFL.
Loveland did not participate in athletic testing – but he checks EVERY SINGLE box where we have data.
(I’m going to assume Loveland & Warren both would’ve cleared the athletic thresholds, although neither has elite speed in their repertoire).
Here’s Colston Loveland’s full profile:
COLSTON LOVELAND
✅ RD1-RD3 Draft Capital (RD1, 10th Overall)
❓ 4.70 40 or faster
❓ 33”+ Vertical Jump
❓ 70th+ Percentile Catch Radius
✅ 12.0+ Career YPR (12.5)
✅ 18%+ College Dominator (49.6%)
✅ 1.80+ Career YPRR (2.22)
✅ 5.0+ YAC/reception or 10+ MTF (5.4)
✅ 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade (90.2)
✅ 6.10+ NFL.com Grade (6.70)
✅ Early-declare (Bonus)
The one “blemish” on Loveland’s resume (other than the lack of athletic testing) is that he just barely clears the YAC-threshold (5.0 career YAC/reception) while having just 4 MTF in his best season.
Loveland’s production marks were superb despite his lack of YAC-ability, however.
My comp for Loveland is a rich man’s Zach Ertz (as a prospect). TJ Hockenson is another similar comp in terms of collegiate production, draft capital, & grading (although I would consider Loveland to be a bit more fluid as an athlete & Hockenson to be a bit more rugged & tough after-the-catch).
Tyler Warren’s profile isn’t quite as “clean” as Colston Loveland’s (Warren’s a 5th year-declare who barely produced over his first 3 seasons) – but Warren’s checklist profile is arguably just as, if not more impressive, than Loveland’s.
Tyler Warren was not productive early in his career (0, 5, & 10 receptions his first 3 seasons) – but do NOT miss the forest for the trees.
These are the TE’s who were ahead of Warren at Penn State:
Pat Freiermuth – 4 Star Recruit (90 Prospect Grade), Class of 2018, RD2 NFL Draft pick
Brenton Strange – 4 Star Recruit (90 Prospect Grade), Class of 2019, RD2 NFL Draft pick
Theo Johnson – 4 Star Recruit (96 Prospect Grade), Class of 2020, RD4 NFL Draft pick
It’s hard to fault Warren (3 Star Recruit, 88 Prospect Grade, Class of 2020) for being stuck behind higher-recruited, more established, NFL-starting caliber TE’s – especially considering Warren didn’t even start playing TE until he arrived at Penn St…
Tyler Warren “played runningback, fullback, & linebacker” before high school, & he was a QB in high school.
Warren originally committed to Virginia Tech as a QB – before ultimately deciding to switch positions & commitments to TE & Penn St.
Freiermuth & Strange were given seniority – but Warren was able to overtake Theo Johnson even before his final season (he had as many receptions & more yards than Johnson while tying for the team-lead in receiving TD’s in 2023).
& look at what Warren did when he finally got his opportunity as full-time starter in 2024…
104/1233/8 receiving + 26/218/4 rushing.
Nearly 1,500 yards & double-digit TD’s (2.77 YPRR; 93.3 PFF Receiving Grade).
Penn State was even lining him up as a wildcat QB just to get him the ball.
Warren broke the single-season yardage record TE’s from a power conference (1,451) – 400 yards more than previous leader Brock Bowers.
Warren broke 19 tackles on receptions – not to mention another 11 broken tackles on just 24 attempts as a rusher.
Warren’s 30 total broken tackles were easily more than Brock Bowers or Sam LaPorta ever posted in a collegiate season.
To further put things in perspective – Warren had more broken tackles just against USC (5) than Colston Loveland had in the entire 2024 season (3).
Warren is a big boy at 6’5 1/2″/256 – & he sure as hell plays like it.
Warren also has great ball-skills – he caught 13/21 contested-targets (61.9%) in 2024, & was at or above a 50% success-rate in each of his other 3 seasons (career 63.6% success-rate).
Warren’s career 1.98 YPRR is also well above the threshold I look for (1.80+ YPRR) & for what it’s worth – he also finished 2nd on Penn State in receptions (34) & receiving yards (422) in 2023, while leading them in receiving TD’s (7). Warren has more than “just 1 season” on his resume.
We don’t have athletic testing for Warren – but Warren also “checks every box” (other than early-declare).
TYLER WARREN
✅ RD1-RD3 Draft Capital (RD1, 14th overall)
❓ 4.70 40 or faster
❓ 33”+ Vertical Jump
❓ 70th+ Percentile Catch Radius
✅ 12.0+ Career YPR (12.0)
✅ 18%+ College Dominator (30.2%)
✅ 1.80+ Career YPRR (1.98)
✅ 5.0+ YAC/reception or 10+ MTF (6.6 & 19)
✅ 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade (93.3)
✅ 6.10+ NFL.com Grade (6.77)
❌ Early-declare (Bonus)
Warren’s final season was as productive as Colston Loveland’s entire career (Loveland had 1,466 yards in 3 seasons; Warren had 1,451 yards just in 2024).
Warren also hits every production threshold I look for – despite having very little production through his first 3 seasons.
I wouldn’t sweat the landing spot either. Warren is going to get lots of manufactured & easy touches (screens & low-ADOT targets near the line of scrimmage) – targets which aren’t typically as affected by negative QB play.
Warren’s also likely to have a wildcat package designed for him throughout his career.
I prefer Tyler Warren to Colston Loveland & have him ranked TE1(A) in this class. Warren’s play style comps to TE’s like George Kittle & Rob Gronkowski.
Terrance Ferguson is my TE3(A) in the 2025 Class.
Ferguson was a 4-Star Recruit (90 Prospect Grade).
He was a 4-year starter (18/209/2, 32/391/5, 42/414/6, & 43/591/3 in 4 seasons).
& he’s extremely athletic (4.63 40, 39” vertical).
Ferguson’s 9.84 RAS score ranks Top-20 all-time – amongst over 1,000 TE’s.
Ferguson was also a weapon after-the-catch (career 7.0 YAC/reception, 13 MTF in his best-season).
& he hit the film grade thresholds I look for (77.4 PFF Grade; 6.14 NFL.com Grade).
Ferguson falls shy of the production threshold’s I look for (1.80+ career YPRR; 18%+ Dominator), however.
Here’s his full profile:
TERRANCE FERGUSON
✅ RD1-RD3 Draft Capital (RD2, 46th Overall)
✅ 4.70 40 or faster (4.63)
✅ 33”+ Vertical Jump (39”)
✅ 70th+ Percentile Catch Radius (90th)
❌ 12.0+ Career YPR (11.5)
❌ 18%+ College Dominator (14.6%)
❌ 1.80+ Career YPRR (1.51)
✅ 5.0+ YAC/reception or 10+ MTF (7.0 & 13)
❌ 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade (77.4)
✅ 6.10+ NFL.com Grade (6.14)
❌ Early-declare (Bonus)
Ferguson projects as a #3 or #4 target at the NFL level; I’d consider it unlikely he ends up as a Top-2 target for an NFL team.
Ferguson reminds me a bit of Tucker Kraft in that he’s athletic, has YAC-ability, & projects as a secondary target in a good offense (although Ferguson has more long-speed & can add more as a vertical-threat). I would have had Ferguson graded slightly-higher than Ben Sinnott in last year’s class, for reference.
Elijah Arroyo is my TE3(B).
Arroyo – like Warren – was not involved his first 3 seasons (5/86/1, 5/66 in 5 games, & 1/11 in 6 games).
But Arroyo flashed in his final season (35/590/7 receiving; 1.69 YPRR; 73.6 PFF Receiving Grade) & received Top-50 NFL draft capital.
We don’t have any athletic testing for Arroyo – but there’s on-field evidence suggesting Arroyo has above-average athletic traits.
That athleticism showed up in the stat sheet; Arroyo was EXTREMELY efficient as a vertical-threat (16.4 YPR).
Arroyo’s career 16.4 YPR is the 2nd-highest figure amongst ANY Top-40 Dynasty TE; only David Njoku (16.6 YPR) averaged more yards per-reception in college.
The only TE’s to average 15+ YPR for their collegiate career & get drafted in the first 2 rounds:
(Since 2010, min. 40 receptions)
- Rob Gronkowski
- Lance Kendricks
- Coby Fleener
- Eric Ebron
- Maxx Williams
- OJ Howard
- David Njoku
- Elijah Arroyo
Arroyo’s able to gain yardage in chunks (career 8.8 YAC/reception), although he’s not much of a tackle-breaker (just 3 MTF in his best season).
Here’s how his whole profile stacks up:
ELIJAH ARROYO
✅ RD1-RD3 Draft Capital (RD2, 50th Overall)
❓ 4.70 40 (or faster)
❓ 33”+ Vertical Jump
❓ 70th+ Percentile Catch Radiu
✅ 12.0+ Career YPR (16.4)
❌ 18%+ College Dominator (15.1%)
❌ 1.80+ Career YPRR (1.61)
✅ 5.0+ YAC/reception or 10+ MTF (8.8)
❌ 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade (74.0)
✅ 6.10+ NFL.com Grade (6.24)
❌ Early-declare (Bonus)
It’s tough to find 1-to-1 comps for Arroyo based on his unique efficiency as a vertical threat.
In terms of athleticism & draft capital – Arroyo compares somewhat similarly to his current teammate, Noah Fant.
Arroyo could also become “what we wanted Greg Dulcich to be” (a deep-ADOT pass-catching field-stretcher).
Mason Taylor is my TE3(C).
There are some positives to Taylor’s profile.
Taylor was a true freshman breakout at LSU (38/414/3) – finishing with more receptions & yardage than Brian Thomas Jr. in 2022.
He’s an early-declare & RD2 NFL Draft pick.
He also received a very strong 6.40 NFL.com Grade.
Mason Taylor’s production profile is very concerning, however.
Taylor averaged just 1.00, 1.03, & 1.23 YPRR in 3 seasons (career 1.09 YPRR).
Taylor’s 1.09 career YPRR would be the lowest amongst any current Top-20 Dynasty TE.
The only other TE’s in the Top-25 Dynasty TE’s with a career YPRR below 1.15 are Brenton Strange (1.09) & Chig Okonkwo (1.11).
His figures require some context (if you put Mason Taylor on Bowling Green & Harold Fannin Jr. on LSU, we’d be looking at different production profiles, for example), but it is a red flag nonetheless.
Taylor was also a very average YAC “threat” (career 5.4 YAC/reception; 5 MTF in best season).
Taylor didn’t test at the combine, although he tested decently at his Pro Day (4.65 Pro Day 40, 28 bench reps).
Here’s his full profile:
MASON TAYLOR
✅ RD1-RD3 Draft Capital (RD2, 42nd Overall)
✅ 4.70 40 or faster (4.70)
❓ 33”+ Vertical Jump
❓ 70th+ Percentile Catch Radius
❌ 12.0+ Career YPR (10.1)
❌ 18%+ College Dominator (11.5%)
❌ 1.80+ Career YPRR (1.10)
✅ 5.0+ YAC/reception or 10+ MTF (5.4 & 5)
❌ 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade (70.0)
✅ 6.10+ NFL.com Grade (6.40)
✅ Early-declare (Bonus)
Taylor should start right away in NY but he is not likely to be more than a #3 target for an NFL roster. My comp for Taylor is somewhere between Hunter Henry & Ja’Tavion Sanders.
Harold Fannin Jr. was one of my favorite TE prospects in the pre-draft cycle.
Fannin was an unranked recruit, but led Bowling Green in receiving yards as a sophomore & junior while shattering the NCAA single-season record for receiving yards by a TE (1,555 yards in 2024 – 200+ yards more than the previous record).
Fannin posted 90.0+ PFF Receiving Grades each of his final 2 seasons & was PFF’s highest-graded receiver at any position in 2024.
Fannin averaged an earth-shattering 3.77 YPRR in 2024 & almost 3.00 YPRR (2.99) for his career.
Bowling Green even created a wildcat package for Fannin to get him rushing attempts as well (Fannin had another 10/53/4, 14/41/0, & 9/65/1 rushing in 3 seasons).
Fannin was excellent with the ball in his hands (career 8.1 YAC/reception; 7.4+ YAC/reception every season; 9.0+ his first two seasons).
Fannin’s 34 broken tackles on receptions in 2024 are the most by any TE in a single season since PFF started tracking the data almost 15 years ago.
Fannin’s the only TE to ever clear 30 broken tackles on receptions in a single season.
Fannin also showed up against opponents from bigger conferences (11/137/1 against Penn State; 8/145/1 against Texas A&M).
Fannin was positionally-versatile (38.3% in-line, 31.7% slot-rate, 26.2% out-wide in 2024), although he probably won’t see a ton of time in-line as a pro.
Fannin is a tad undersized (6’3″/241) & he’s not a special athlete (4.71 40), but he’s functional (34″ vertical, 6.97 3-cone, 22 bench reps).
Fannin’s 67th percentile “SPORQ Score” could limit his ceiling; TE’s below the 75th percentile have produced a Top-6 finish in their first 3 years just 6% of the time – via @RyanJ_Heath.
Fannin’s not likely to play a ton as a rookie behind David Njoku, but Njoku is heading into his age-29 season & is in the final year of his contract.
Fannin was drafted high enough (67th overall) to indicate the NFL views him as a potential starter.
You may just have to be patient.
Here’s how Fannin compares to other successful small-school TE’s Dallas Goedert & Tucker Kraft (who both played for South Dakota State & were drafted RD2-3 in the NFL Draft):
COLLEGE DOMINATOR RATING
Goedert – 30.7%
Kraft – 21.2%
Fannin – 49.9%
BEST-SEASON YPRR
Goedert – 3.00
Kraft – 2.38
Fannin – 3.76
CAREER YPRR
Goedert – 2.83
Kraft – 2.33
Fannin – 2.99
CAREER YAC/RECEPTION
Goedert – 7.7
Kraft – 6.6
Fannin – 8.1
BEST-SEASON BROKEN TACKLES
Goedert – 12
Kraft – 16
Fannin – 34
BEST-SEASON PFF RECEIVING GRADE
Goedert – 94.7
Kraft – 89.1
Fannin – 96.8
NFL.COM GRADE
Goedert – 6.30
Kraft – 6.28
Fannin – 6.18
EARLY-DECLARE
Goedert – No
Kraft – No
Fannin – Yes
Here’s Fannin’s complete profile:
HAROLD FANNIN JR.
✅ RD1-RD3 Draft Capital (RD3, 67th Overall)
❌ 4.70 40 or faster (4.71)
✅ 33”+ Vertical Jump (34”)
❌ 70th+ Percentile Catch Radius (54th)
✅ 12.0+ Career YPR (13.3)
✅ 18%+ College Dominator (49.9%)
✅ 1.80+ Career YPRR (2.99)
✅ 5.0+ YAC/reception or 10+ MTF (8.1 & 34)
✅ 80.0+ PFF Receiving Grade (96.8)
✅ 6.10+ NFL.com Grade (6.18)
✅ Early-declare (Bonus)
Fannin comps to TE’s like Tucker Kraft, Jonnu Smith, Isaiah Likely. He may not have a huge role in YR1 – but he has the highest ceiling out of any TE in this class not named Loveland/Warren.
As far as I’m concerned – those are the 6 TE’s who “matter” in the 2025 Class.
If I was going to pick one more “sleeper” – it would be Oronde Gadsden II.
Gadsden was extremely productive (25.9% Dominator; career 2.04 YPRR) & he tested well at his Pro Day (4.59 Pro Day 40, 34” vertical).
Gadsden is not highly-graded (RD5 pick; 5.91 http://NFL.com Grade) & his lack of YAC-ability (career 3.7 YAC/reception) is questionable, at best.
But he has a fantasy-friendly skillset & he lands in a high-scoring LAC offense with a wide-open TE depth chart. He’s one of my favorite rookies to target on waivers post-rookie drafts (I have him ranked as an early-4th).
Gunnar Helm & Mitchell Evans are the only other TE’s who I feel deserve end-of-bench/taxi squad consideration.
The rest of the TE’s in this class project as blockers & role-players IMO (Ouzts is a FB). Luke Lachey (Iowa TE!!) has the best production profile of the late-round darts, but he should be considered a longshot to produce anything of merit as a RD7 NFL Draft pick.
Here’s how the entire 2025 Class charts.
