Top 10 Tight Ends in the 2018 NFL Draft
- Mar 5, 2018
- 5 min read
There are some incredible athletes in this years NFL Draft, and the Tight End position is often one that produces its fair share of these. Think about some of the best Tight Ends in the NFL, Gronk, Ertz and Kelce, they are all immense athletes. The tight end position doesn’t just require the ability to catch, you have to be able to block just as well.
Here are my top 10 Tight Ends entering the 2018 NFL Draft:
Hayden Hurst – South Carolina – 6’5 – 250
2017 – 44 Receptions – 559 Yards – 2TD’s
Hayden is an exceptional prospect in this years draft and many scouts have commented on how excited they are to see him workout at the combine. He is the one they are watching. They say that he is the only tight end in this years draft that is on the same level as some of the more notable draft picks in 2017. Hurst has good hands and impressive speed for a man of his size, the one thing that will need some development in the NFL is his blocking. College schemes tend to use Tight Ends less as blockers as opposed to the NFL who use Tight Ends as blockers in many of the schemes ran at pro level. This however isn’t specific to Hurst, this is just typical of the college football schemes. Overall Hurst is impressive and will go high and go above the rest of the Tight End prospects, however, there is one thing hanging over his head, his age. Hurst will be 25 when the NFL season starts, this will hurt his draft stock. Teams will worry about the level of investment they are making compared to the output of production he will bring etc. His career will naturally be shorter due to his age and that’s a concern.
Dallas Goedert – South Dakota State – 6’5 – 260
2017 – 72 Receptions – 1,111 Yards – 7TD’s
Dallas is a dangerous receiving threat and has the size and athletic ability to make big plays after the catch. His speed and power are more than enough to be of value in the NFL. His route running is something that needs to be worked on and will need to spend some developmental time wherever he is drafted. It’s clear from watching film that Dallas isn’t a plug and play guy, however a year or two behind a vet, would really propel Dallas into the player he has the potential to be. He routinely makes some incredible catches that will catch the eyes of the scouts and the admiration and intrigue from fans.
Mike Gesicki – Penn State – 6’5 – 242
2017 – 57 Receptions – 563 Yards – 9TD’s
Gesicki plays well as a receiver and catches the ball with excellent efficiency. He is a very talented athlete with some real speed. Part of his ability is his body control and leaping ability. He often jumps over defenders to extend plays and is a great weapon for QB’s as they are able to put the ball high for him to jump and get, not to mention the defences inability to match him in cover. He is a great route runner with excellent vertical speed making him great at extending plays downfield. As mentioned above for other prospects, blocking is a struggle for him. He is lanky and therefore his centre of gravity isn’t fit for blocking. As a receiving tight end, much like Kelce, he will be an immense red zone threat.
Mark Andrews – Oklahoma – 6’5 – 250
2017 – 2 Receptions – 958 Yards – 8TD’s
Andrews is a great athlete and is a dangerous receiver down the stretch and with the ability to extend plays. There is no denying that Andrews has some true potential as a revciiving Tight End in the NFL. One of the main things that will drop Andrews draft stock is his inability to block. Andrews is basically a big bodied receiver and some scouts have said he is the worst blocking Tight End in this draft. Whichever team picks him, he will bolster their passing game by a long margin, however, he will not be used to block as this simply is not his strong point.
Will Dissly – Washington – 6’4 – 267
2017 – 21 Receptions – 289 Yards – 2 TD’s
Dissly is one of the best blocking Tight Ends in this draft. He his not too tall and he is heavy making his centre of gravity perfect for blocking. He is also good in the passing game and has good hands and great speed. He will be a mismatch at slot receiver for many defences. Whoever picks Dissly will need to sit him behind a vet and use him on special teams as a blocker in order to develop him further.
Dalton Schultz – Stanford – 6’6 – 240
2017 – 22 Receptions – 212 Yards – 3 TD’s
Unlike many of the prospects I have discussed, Dalton is by far one of the best blocking Tight Ends in this year’s draft. He has great hands and his ability to make difficult catches is made even greater due to his size and his athletic ability. Out of all the Tight Ends bar 1 or 2, he outranks them all on his ability to catch and block. When you look at his numbers and film, it’s clear to see he is used to block far more than he is used to receive. We could see Dalton go in the early 2nd round.
Durham Smythe – Notre Dame – 6’5 – 235
2017 – 15 Receptions – 244 Yards – 1TD
Whilst the numbers don’t look as impressive as some there are reasons for this. Notre Dame used a running quarterback in 2017 meaning the numbers look low due to a lack of opportunity. Looking at his film, Smythe is clearly a solid blocker and also plays well in the receiving game when given the chance. In 2016 there were a string of injuries which hindered him and force him to miss 10 games. These were mostly shoulder and knee problems. He could be a good prospect in the NFL but his main objective must be to stay healthy.
Jordan Aikens – Central Florida – 6’3 – 246
2017 – 32 Receptions – 515 Yards – 4TD’s
Jordan is predominantly a receiving Tight End and its on that basis that he will be drafted. His blocking skills are like many other Tight Ends in this class, minimal. However, his receiving skills were shown off during his week at the Senior Bowl. He will need to improve on his blocking when he gets to the NFL. There are some teams that have a 3rd round projection on him.
Tyler Conklin – Central Michigan – 6’2 – 252
2017 – 35 Receptions – 504 Yards – 5 TD’s
Tyler is a solid receiving Tight End and had the production stats of a serious contributor to Central Michigan’s offence in 2016 and 2017. He has great hands and is athletic. He needs some work when he gets to the NFL to improve on his blocking skills. Conklin had a solid week at the Senior Bowl.
Chris Herndon – Miami – 6’4 – 252
2017 – 40 Receptions – 477 Yards – 4TD’s
Chris has played in a lot of double tight end schemes throughout his college career. He was highly regarded by Hurricane staff and was given plenty of playing time even though he was outshined by David Njoku.
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