Welcome to our breakdown of 2026 Rookie Tight End Risers & Fallers After The NFL Draft!
It is Star Wars month! Unfortunately, this class did not leave us with a true “chosen one” at the TE position (as at most spots), but did give us a bunch of potentially fun secondary characters and even a couple of cult heroes from the background & NPCs. Many will want to ignore this crop as it is not as sexy as the Jedi-Master-potential types like in 2025.
Even with a bunch of padawans who are less in-tune with the Force, many have landed with Masters (teams/coaches…. Super weird to say that about people, but we will BB-8 roll with the analogy) that gives us (a new) hope that they can stay strong with the light (fantasy points) and away from the dark side.
I do not like to recycle intros, but dank farrik it fit TEs just as much as it did with QBs! Unlike QBs, the TE class was DEEP (how deep?), meaning we needed to break the drafted players list into 2 (days 1 & 2 and Day 3)! With 21 drafted players (and a handful of notable undrafted players), we will not break down everyone, but hit a few risers and fallers from each grouping.
As important and fun as they are, we will mostly be ignoring blocking-first, in-line players. For the Day 3 breakdown, we will also limit players to be friendly to word counts, even if there are a few more fascinating players (looking at you, Matthe Hibner). If you want a breakdown on everyone, feel free to reach out on Discord or Twitter!
Let us at Fantasy in Frames help with the work, giving insight into tomorrow’s stars after the Draft! Whose stock has risen and whose has fallen? Let’s dive in, not only to TEs, but the rest of fantasy positions (below)!
Aidan Weingartner and I will be breaking down offensive prospects, which can be found here: Fantasy In Frames | ROOKIES
Check out IDP Hunter’s IDP risers & fallers here: Fantasy In Frames | IDP ROOKIES
We will have mock drafts here: Dynasty Mock Drafts | Fantasy In Frames
Days 1 & 2 Selections
| Team | Name | School |
|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | Kenyon Sadiq | Oregon |
| Philadelphia Eagles | Eli Stowers | Vanderbilt |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Nate Boerkircher | Texas A&M |
| Houston Texans | Marlin Klein | Michigan |
| Los Angeles Rams | Max Klare | Ohio State |
| Chicago Bears | Sam Roush | Stanford |
| New Orleans Saints | Oscar Delp | Georgia |
| Miami Dolphins | Will Kacmarek | Ohio State |
| New England Patriots | Eli Raridon | Notre Dame |
Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets – Stock Down
In what starts out as a non-stellar class, having the top guy be a stock down is quite the bummer. This is a good spot for Sadiq, as he complements Garrett Wilson well, but the rest of the TE room and the remainder of the Jets’ draft bring questions in. Oh… and that the Jets do not have a QB of the future… that also makes it hard.
Mason Taylor was a top-40 pick last year and was solid as a rookie. Later in the first round, the Jets moved back up and took WR Omar Cooper Jr, who is another dynamic power-slot type. Many weapons are a good problem for NFL teams, but it makes it murky for the NFL ones.
Unlike many receiving TEs (cough, cough, the next one), Sadiq is a very strong blocker. Plays like the one above give him a much higher floor, as he will be able to stay on the field for a higher percentage of snaps. And as we know, more snaps = more (chances for) targets. Sadiq is strong at the catch point, runs routes well, and can make plays after the catch with S-tier athleticism. In a better spot, Sadiq could challenge for a top-5 rookie draft selection. Here, he could be a steal for rebuilding teams or contenders looking to extend their success. The Jets just need to find a QB (which has been true for decades, but details).
Eli Stowers, Philadelphia Eagles – Stock Same?
Stowers is an(other) absolute freak at the TE position, giving just as historic a Combine showing as Sadiq. However, he is far less refined as a player and an atrocious blocker. The lack of details is less concerning for an older prospect than typical, due to only being a TE for 3 seasons. That athleticism and production profile make him worthy of a 2nd round selection, especially to a spot where he will not be relied on to produce immediately.
The Eagles’ landing spot is incredibly interesting. Having a year to sit/flex behind Dallas Goedert will be helpful for his development. He will not have a reliable fantasy role this season, but has a clear path to snaps in 2027 & beyond. Like Sadiq, Stowers has some samey-ness to the round 1 WR that his team selected – Makai Lemon. Both are slot-majority players now with a QB who has refused to use the middle of the field. The fit is interesting, but the talent and role have blow-up potential. I was lower on Stowers coming in, but this spot makes his high-2nd round fantasy capital more than reasonable.
Max Klare, Los Angeles Rams – Stock Down
This one is unfortunate, as another shocking pick by the Rams. Like the Jets, they take a top TE a year after taking one in the 2nd round, adding murkiness to the room. Klare is a solid blocker, but not good enough of one to make true sense as a 12/13 personnel complement to Terrence Ferguson (though either does make loads of sense behind Colby Parkinson). The team now has 5 playable TEs, with Tyler Higbee & Davis Allen on the roster too, making this a very curious room that probably just is chaotic for fantasy purposes.
Klare is a higher level of prospect than Ferguson was to me, but similar capital and an equally loaded room do not really mean that much. I would still take Klare around the 2/3 turn, though you probably could get him closer to the 3/4 one. The receiving talent makes him a worthwhile shot in this offense, but we cannot expect him to have a high-snap role for at least the first few years of his career. I comped him to Dallas Goedert, so we may have a similar arc (or usage like Dalton Kincaid, who was another popular comp).
Eli Raridon, New England Patriots – Stock Up
Don’t you just love it when a player you liked more than consensus lands in a perfect spot? That is exactly what happened with the frustratingly underappreciated (by Fantasy Twitter & frankly Notre Dame) Raridon. He is one of the few true Y TEs who can be utilized as a blocker or receiver. He missed time early after tearing the same ACL twice, but healed enough to show true downfield chops.
If anyone can finish developing Raridon, it is Josh McDaniels. Add in that he can sit behind Hunter Henry (great receiver) and Julian Hill (great blocker) this season and learn from both, which gives a strong outlook to his future. Henry’s contract expires after this season, which would clear the way for Raridon to take his role and become a security blanket for Drake Maye. He has impressive ball skills (clip above) and the ability to move larger defenders off the edge (clip showing this is in a reply to the one above from Tice). Raridon is going after pick 30 at this point, which could prove to be a steal.
Day 3 Selections
| Team | Name | School |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | Matthew Hibner | SMU |
| Denver Broncos | Justin Joly | Justin Joly |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Tanner Koziol | Houston |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | Riley Nowakowski | Indiana |
| Cleveland Browns | Joe Royer | Cincinnati |
| Baltimore Ravens | Josh Cuevas | Alabama |
| Miami Dolphins | Seydou Traore | Mississippi State |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Bauer Sharp | LSU |
| Cincinnati Bengals | Jack Endries | Texas |
| Tennessee Titans | Jaren Kanak | Oklahoma |
| Cleveland Browns | Carsen Ryan | BYU |
| Denver Broncos | Dallen Bentley | Utah |
Justin Joly, Denver Broncos – Stock Up
Sometimes a player can fall in the draft but still end up being a stock up candidate. Joly fits that bill, falling 50+ picks farther than expected but landing with Sean Payton and co. Even if he is not the Joker (If this term gets used as much leading up to 2026 as it was in 2025, I will blow a power converter), he fits the move-TE role that Payton has loved and hoped to get from Evan Engram. Engram is still on the roster, giving Joly time to develop in a reserve role.
Joly is a poor blocker, but shows enough fight that he will still be able to earn snaps and thus, target opportunities. His ball skills and contested catching are great as well, giving him a good chance to earn snaps that way, too. He is in the mold of Jonnu Smith, which we have seen unlocked in the right offense. The lower draft slot will make him fall in fantasy drafts, but he is just as worthy of a dart throw as some of the Day 2 picks.
Jack Endries – Stock Up?
Well, here is another weird one! Endries ended up being the 18th TE selected, but may have one of the 5 best situations. This draft favored the blocking TEs, pushing some talented receivers down the board. This is a steal for the Bengals, who do have a need at the position with Mike Gesicki being… well, Mike Gesicki and Erick All being unable to stay healthy. The Bengals have been searching for a reliable third target – especially at TE – and they might have stolen one in the 200s.
Endries does not have dominant athletic traits but is perfectly steady, with great hands and a history of success with highly selected QBs, including Fernando Mendoza from their time at Cal and Arch Manning last season. The former walk-on averaged 41 catches for 450 yards over his 3 seasons as a starter, giving a good baseline for production. He has shades of Jake Ferguson in his game, another (expected) mid-rounder who found an ideal role as a 3rd target for an upper-echelon QB. Endries is one of the best sleeper bets in this class, regardless of position.
The Rest
There are still a plethora of exciting fantasy plays from this group. Matthew Hibner takes over the Isaiah Likely role for the Ravens, with plus-athleticism and alignment versatility. Tanner Koziol & Joe Royer were interesting slot-TE players with fascinating receiving skills who went to teams where they are secondary receiving TEs. Both are an injury away from playing time, where they could show off those skills and become relevant. This class is so deep that (nearly, each league is different) every fantasy team should walk away from each draft with at least one shot at this position.
