With the 2021 NFL Draft quickly approaching, dynasty and fantasy drafts are on the horizon. Focusing on the skill-position players, here is a list of the top eight tight ends from an analytical perspective in this year’s 2021 NFL Draft class. Outside of the unicorn Kyle Pitts, the tight end position looks relatively weak this year. While most require some development, the class still provides intrigue overall, so let’s get into the 2021 rookie tight end rankings.
2021 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 8 Rookie Tight Ends
1. Kyle Pitts – Florida
Widely viewed as the top skill position player in the entire draft, Pitts is routinely mocked inside the top five picks. A true unicorn, Pitts stands 6-foot-6, 245 pounds with a 4.44 40-yard dash. Rivaling Calvin Johnson from a size/speed perspective, Pitts also put up solid production in his career at Florida.
After playing in a situational role as a freshman, Pitts fully emerged as a sophomore in 2019. The budding tight end recorded 54 receptions, 649 yards and five touchdowns, while finishing second on the team in receiving. However, Pitts’ truly elite season came in 2020 with 43 catches, 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games. An elite downfield weapon, Pitts led all college tight ends in catches beyond 20 yards (10) and overall deep yardage (331). He also recorded 11 contested catches, which ranked third at the position.
Pitts presents an uncommon mismatch for opposing defenses. Most mock drafts link Pitts to Atlanta, but he likely will receive opportunity regardless of offensive situation. With most of his damage coming from the slot, Pitts provides the true versatility to play in line, in the slot and out wide.
2. Pat Freiermuth – Penn State
After Pitts, the tight end position drops off significantly. Perhaps Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth would have received some first round buzz, but he only played four games in 2020 due to injury. Still, Freiermuth stands 6-foot-5, 251 pounds and put together a productive three-year career in college.
A three-year starter with Penn State, Freiermuth showed improvement each year on campus. After finishing with 368 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman, Freiermuth posted 507 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore. Unfortunately, injury cut short Freiermuth’s junior season, but he still recorded 310 yards and a touchdown in four games played. Unlike Pitts, Freiermuth plays more in line and only flexed into the slot on 36% of his snaps. Freiermuth doesn’t offer the same yard after catch ability as Pitts, but he also excelled in contested catch situations with eight in his four-game 2020 season.
More of a two-way tight end, teams that value blocking will look heavily at Freiermuth. However, the Penn State product also showed the ability to win in the slot and in contested catch situations. Likely a day two pick, Freiermuth should push for snaps early in his career.
3. Brevin Jordan – Miami
The former number one tight in his recruiting class, Brevin Jordan leaves Miami with multiple productive seasons under his belt. A bit undersized, Jordan stands 6-foot-3, 247 pounds and ran a 4.67 40-yard dash at Miami’s pro day. Rumored to have put on weight for the affair, Jordan may actually play closer to 240 pounds on game days.
While undersized and potentially limited to slot role in the NFL, Jordan still put together a productive college career. After catching 32 balls for 297 yards as a freshman, Jordan notched 35 receptions and 495 yards for Miami in 2019. Fortunately, Jordan took another step forward as a junior and caught 38 balls for 576 yards and seven touchdowns in just eight games played. Jordan spent about 57% of his snaps in the slot last year and projects to play that role in the NFL. Unlike the tight ends listed above, Jordan wins more after the catch. He forced nine missed tackles (4th) and averaged 9.3 yards after catch per receptions (6th) in 2020.
With his limited size, Jordan will not be on every NFL Draft board. However, he possesses strong yards after catch ability and offers versatility as a big slot in the NFL. Because of these limitations, Jordan remains more landing spot dependent than the first two tight ends on this list.
4. Hunter Long – Boston College
Another interesting two-way tight end prospect in the draft, Boston College’s Hunter Long stands 6-foot-5, 254 pounds and ran a 4.68 40-yard dash. After little production during his first two years on campus, Long emerged as a legitimate tight end prospect as a redshirt sophomore. While he doesn’t possess the elite athleticism or versatility of the early-round tight ends, Long does everything above average.
From a production standpoint, Long caught 28 passes for 509 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2019. Only starting three of 13 games, Long still didn’t show his true ceiling. Finally emerging in 2020, Long caught 57 balls for 685 yards and five touchdowns in just 11 games. Playing only 21% of his snaps from the slot, Long looks like a classic NFL tight end. He won’t create after the catch and only 28% of his 2020 yardage came after the catch. However, he only dropped four balls on 101 targets in two seasons, while recording 11 contested catches in 2020 alone.
As reliable as they come, Long provides a safe option at the tight end position. Potentially sneaking into day two, Long should push for snaps early in his career. However, without the physical gifts, he may not work as a full-time player in some offenses. This also makes him landing spot dependent.
5. Tommy Tremble – Notre Dame
One of the more curious tight end prospects in the NFL Draft, Notre Dame’s Tommy Tremble enters the NFL at 6-foot-3, 241 pounds. Fairly athletic Tremble ran a 4.63 40-yard dash and jumped 36-foot-inches in the vertical jump. Still Tremble remains a raw prospect after finishing his college career with just 35 receptions and 401 yards receiving.
Due to his limited size and excellent blocking, some scouts project Tremble to play a hybrid H-back role at the NFL level. While non-attractive for fantasy purposes, this versatility gives Tremble a chance to stay on the field for extra snaps. Notre Dame primarily used Tremble in-line and he only played 22% of his snaps in the slot. He isn’t big enough for a full-time in-line role in the NFL making his transition a curious one. He also dropped five of 40 catchable targets, making him a developmental fit at the tight end position.
However, Tremble possesses strong athleticism and elite blocking skills. While size limits him, an NFL offense may develop him into a usable gadget player at the next level. Like the other tight ends listed below, landing spot remains incredibly important for Tremble as an NFL prospect.
6. Tony Poljan – Virginia
Behind Tremble, the day three developmental prospects emerge at the tight end position. One particularly intriguing prospect is Virginia’s Tony Poljan. Formerly a quarterback at Central Michigan, Poljan has only played the tight end position for two seasons. Standing 6-foot-7, 251 pounds with a 4.83 40-yard dash, Poljan provides elite size to the position.
After playing his first three seasons primarily at quarterback, Poljan converted to tight end during his final season at Central Michigan. Poljan caught 33 passes for 494 yards and four touchdowns in 2019 before deciding to transfer to Virginia for his final season. In his ten game final season, Poljan recorded 38 catches, 411 yards and six touchdowns for Virginia. Solid as a run blocker, Virginia preferred to use Poljan in-line. Poljan didn’t particularly excel in any area as a receiver, but he showed reliability at the position as an enormous target.
Another developmental prospect, Poljan continues to learn the tight end position. However, he brings solid athleticism with his background as a former quarterback and already produced in the ACC during his final season. Teams willing to develop Poljan should be interested on day three.
7. Kenny Yeboah – Ole Miss
Another developmental tight end, Kenny Yeboah originally started his career at Temple before transferring to Ole Miss for his final season. Standing 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, Yeboah brings average size to the position. Unfortunately, Yeboah suffered an injury during his 40-yard dash, leaving questions surrounding his athleticism.
From a production standpoint, Yeboah emerged as a starter in his final season with Temple. An unflattering offense, Yeboah managed 19 receptions for 233 yards and five touchdowns in the offense. Transferring to Ole Miss, Yeboah improved in 2020 for 27 catches, 524 yards and six touchdowns with the Rebels. Yeboah played 39% of his snaps in the slot and saw his downfield usage increase. He recorded an ADOT of 11.3 with 9 yards after the catch per reception.
While these numbers bode well for Yeboah, Ole Miss’ offense notoriously creates space for their athletes to work. Not the sharpest blocker and firmly a “tweener” at the NFL level, Yeboah brings a questionable role. However, showing decent athleticism and downfield ability, the right NFL franchise could develop these gifts on day three.
8. Matt Bushman – BYU
A complete wild card in the 2021 NFL Draft, BYU’s Matt Bushman enters the league as a 25-year old rookie after taking a mission trip before college. Standing 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Bushman also tore his Achilles prior to the 2020 season. Despite age and injury concerns, Bushman still proved to be one of the most productive tight ends in the country in his three years as a starter at BYU.
Productive from the moment he stepped on campus, Bushman recorded three straight season of at least 500 receiving yards in BYU’s offense. In 2019, Bushman took his receiving skills to the next level with 47 receptions, 688 yards and four touchdowns in the program. Notably, he led the team in receiving in 2018 and 2019. Solid in multiple areas, Bushman collected five contested catches, caught eight balls beyond 20 yards and dropped only one pass in 2019.
Serviceable as a blocker, Bushman’s main concerns come off the field. Already 25 with a ruptured Achilles in the last year, Bushman will be off certain boards entirely. However, Bushman produced a productive career at BYU and likely comes off the board on day three as another developmental tight end.
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