2019 class · 16 prospects

Tight end TE

Athletic profile + receiving share + age. Volatile because role usage swings the projection.

Likeliest career, by the outcome model.

How many tight ends land in each career bucket as the model's single most likely finish. This is a different question from the board grades below — a prospect can be a Day 3 grade and still have “starter” as his likeliest outcome. The tails (elite, bust) are where the model separates; the middle two buckets sit close to a coin flip.

Elite
2
Pro-Bowl-caliber career
Starter
5
Multi-year NFL starter
Role
4
Rotational / depth
Bust
5
Likeliest outcome is a bust
Likeliest career across the TE class
Elite
2
Starter
5
Role
4
Bust
5

The board.

All 16 tight ends with a draftable grade on Draftanomics's 2019 board, tier by tier.

Blue Chip0 players

The top shelf is bare: no tight end in the 2019 class earns a blue-chip grade.

1st Round1 player

The first-round shelf is one name deep: T.J. Hockenson out of Iowa, pegged at No. 24 overall. The break below is soft: Noah Fant projects just 9 projected picks after Hockenson, so the tier line is a label more than a wall. T.J. Hockenson is the tier's dissent — the room ranks him No. 7, our board waits until No. 24.

24
T.J. Hockenson
Iowa· 6'5" · 251 lb· consensus #7
A first-round grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 7.
1st Round
bust risk 1%
Day 24 players

The Day 2 tier runs from Noah Fant at No. 33 down to Josh Oliver at No. 103. No cliff at the bottom, either: Dawson Knox is 9 projected picks behind Oliver. The risk in the group is Kahale Warring: 72 percent by a bust model that has earned trust at tight end.

33
Noah Fant
Iowa· 6'4" · 249 lb· consensus #16
A Day 2 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 16.
Day 2
bust risk 16%
59
Kahale Warring
San Diego St.· 6'5" · 252 lb· consensus #136
A Day 2 grade the room hasn't caught up to — consensus No. 136.
Day 2
bust risk 72%
68
Irv Smith Jr.
Alabama· 6'2" · 242 lb· consensus #42
A Day 2 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 42.
Day 2
bust risk 16%
103
Josh Oliver
San Jose St.· 6'5" · 249 lb· consensus #126
A Day 2 grade the room hasn't caught up to — consensus No. 126.
Day 2
bust risk 21%
Day 311 players

Dawson Knox leads a 11-deep Day 3 group — the meat of the TE board — starting at a projected No. 112 overall. Foster Moreau is the tier's dissent — the room ranks him No. 105, our board waits until No. 184.

112
Dawson Knox
Mississippi· 6'4" · 254 lb· consensus #133
A Day 3 grade the room hasn't caught up to — consensus No. 133.
Day 3
bust risk 17%
129
Drew Sample
Washington· 6'5" · 255 lb· consensus #146
A Day 3 grade the room hasn't caught up to — consensus No. 146.
Day 3
bust risk 15%
131
Jace Sternberger
Texas A&M· 6'4" · 251 lb· consensus #79
A Day 3 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 79.
Day 3
bust risk 70%
147
Kaden Smith
Stanford· 6'5" · 255 lb· consensus #128
A Day 3 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 128.
Day 3
bust risk 24%
184
Foster Moreau
LSU· 6'4" · 253 lb· consensus #105
A Day 3 grade, though the room is higher on him — consensus No. 105.
Day 3
bust risk 9%