Welcome to our Early Look: 2026 NFL Draft Tight End Prospects article series, where we will examine the tight end position between now and after the NFL Draft in order to examine which ones you should be targeting in your Fantasy Football leagues.
It is the (start of) the most wonderful time of the year! Scouting season and the entire draft process is my happy place, where we get to know the stars of tomorrow and see how the future of the league (NFL & fantasy alike) will take shape. This year’s Tight End crop is DEEP (how deep, one may ask), so let’s dive in!
We may be on the doorstep of a massive shift in fantasy football. The NFL is becoming more and more of a TE-heavy league, with the use of 12 and 13 personnel (2 and 3 TEs, respectively) skyrocketing, especially amongst the NFL elites. The 6th-OL on the field was a fun trend for a few years, but that player is shifting more toward a secondary (or tertiary) TE who can be used as both a blocker and a receiver. With that said, we may see a point where there are even more TEs who can be used off the waiver wire or as more “sure” shots.
The right team’s TE2 tomorrow is trending towards being almost as reasonable last second flex play as a team’s WR3. Aside/bias: Thank you, Colby Parkinson, for a championship after picking you up off the wire on the last Monday night of the season!
This class is *enter expletive of your choice*LOADED. I have a list of 15 Tight Ends below, but I honestly can not even say if they are my top-15 names. I feel confident that the top-8 names will end up as top-10/12 TEs in the class, but aside from that, I could be convinced in countless ways. Looking through this list, All-Star game rosters (my list of 15 leaves off 8 All-Star game participants), and consensus boards leave one with a list of nearly 30 TEs who could be drafted this year.
Some of those are glorified FBs or blockers, but in today’s NFL, even a Hunter Luepke or Josh Oliver can have fantasy value in the right week. The purpose of this article is to give some names to look out for, but there is a limited amount of space and words that can be written. I would love to discuss other TEs in comments/DMs, but it is now time to dive in!
Let us at Fantasy In Frames help with the work and give insight into tomorrow’s stars!
Aidan Weingartner and I will be breaking down offensive prospects, which can be found here: 2026 NFL Draft Prospects | FANTASY IN FRAMES.
Check out IDP Hunter’s positional early looks here: 2026 NFL Draft IDP Prospects | FANTASY IN FRAMES.
Aidan’s Superflex Mock v1.0 can be found here: Dynasty Mock Drafts | FANTASY IN FRAMES
And, finally, my IDP Mock 1.0 can be found here: IDP Dynasty Mock Drafts | FANTASY IN FRAMES
| Name | School | TGT/REC | Yards/TD | INL% | YAC/REC | YRR | aDoT | Drop % | CTC % |
| Kenyon Sadiq | Oregon | 67/51 | 560/8 | 27.7% | 4.9 | 1.64 | 8.3 | 10.5% | 58.3% |
| Eli Stowers | Vanderbilt | 85/62 | 769/4 | 24.9% | 6.1 | 2.55 | 8.2 | 6.1% | 41.2% |
| Max Klare | Ohio State | 54/43 | 448/2 | 42.1% | 5.2 | 1.49 | 6.9 | 4.4% | 66.7% |
| Jack Endries | Texas | 45/33 | 346/3 | 65.2% | 4.9 | 1.07 | 8.2 | 0.0% | 60.0% |
| Justin Joly | NC State | 69/49 | 489/7 | 45.0% | 3.6 | 1.78 | 7.6 | 2.0% | 60.0% |
| Eli Raridon | Notre Dame | 44/32 | 482/0 | 46.6% | 5.8 | 2.10 | 8.1 | 8.6% | 66.7% |
| Joe Royer | Cincinnati | 33/29 | 416/4 | 54.4% | 8.9 | 1.50 | 6.2 | 0.0% | 75.0% |
| Tanner Koziol | Houston | 94/74 | 727/6 | 37.0% | 3.9 | 2.25 | 6.9 | 2.6% | 74.1% |
| Sam Roush | Stanford | 80/49 | 545/2 | 65.6% | 6.5 | 1.40 | 6.3 | 12.5% | 40.0% |
| Marlin Klein | Michigan | 41/24 | 248/1 | 57.6% | 5.5 | 1.50 | 8.6 | 11.1% | 40.0% |
| Michael Trigg | Baylor | 85/50 | 694/6 | 27.2% | 4.5 | 2.18 | 11.3 | 12.3% | 41.2% |
| Josh Cuevas | Alabama | 50/37 | 411/4 | 54.4% | 6.6 | 1.25 | 5.6 | 7.5% | 50.0% |
| John Michael Gyllenborg | Wyoming | 35/24 | 211/1 | 56.4% | 4.9 | 1.18 | 6.6 | 11.1% | 33.3% |
| Carsen Ryan | BYU | 59/45 | 620/3 | 55.9% | 7.5 | 2.03 | 6.5 | 4.3% | 22.2% |
| Oscar Delp | Georgia | 28/20 | 261/1 | 73.9% | 7.8 | 1.25 | 8.1 | 4.8% | 25.0% |
Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon – 6’3, 245 lbs, projected to be selected in the top-20
In a class without many true stars, Sadiq is one. He may not be the level of prospect as a Brock Bowers or even Colston Loveland & Tyler Warren (I have him rated higher than Warren, who I was lower on than consensus). There are concerns with Sadiq’s profile due to a lack of counting statistics – especially after the departure of Terrance Ferguson – but the film shows a potential star budding. The clip below shows some of the outstanding talent, with great body control and hands.
As stated, the lack of counting stats and relatively poor stable metrics (YRR of 1.64, 560 yards). However, he is a dominant receiving threat, used in an ideal fantasy way with over 70% of snaps in the slot/outside. He is a threat from all over the field, including in the red zone. His smaller frame does not prevent him from posting strong contested-catch metrics and from showing a willingness to get his hands dirty in the run game. The freaky athlete is able to be used as a runner and all over the formation, much like a supercharged Jonnu Smith or a (far) less proven Bowers.
Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt – 6’4”, 235 lbs, projected to be selected in the top-50
Stowers is going to be a fantasy draft darling. Metrics like YRR, Slot % (both top-4 amongst TEs with at least 15 targets) will excite the masses. Pair this with a great drop rate (career 3.9%) and YAC numbers (career 6.5 yards/reception) and the fact that he has been a TE for only 3 seasons, and you can see where the hype will come from. He had a great rapport with Diego Pavia (who beat him out for the QB job at New Mexico State, prompting the position change) and was his top target for the better part of 3 seasons. He improved each season, in terms of counting stats and becoming a more well-rounded receiving threat.
The clip above shows off Stowers’ great hands and body control, which are the most exciting calling cards of his game. He has improved his route-running ability, which he hopes to continue to improve with more reps and NFL coaching. His newness to the position (again, transitioned to TE from QB in 2023 at NMSU before transferring with Coach Jerry Kill & QB Diego Pavia to Vandy for 2024/2025) negates some concerns with (breakout) age, as he will be 23 on draft day. He is comparable to Dalton Kincaid, another slot-TE who came to the position (football overall, in Kincaid’s case) late and became a highly intriguing prospect.
With the league-wide needs in the trenches (which is a strength of this class in the teens & twenties), Stowers does not expect to be a top-25 pick like Kincaid, but he should expect to be the class’s 2nd TE drafted and a potential first-round dynasty selection, depending on the landing spot!
Max Klare, Ohio State – 6’5”, 243 lbs, projected to be selected in the top-75 picks
Klare had a bit of a rough start to his time with the Buckeyes, though he found his footing as the season progressed. He was used in a different role with Ohio State than he was at Purdue, adding weight to be more of a blocking threat – a task that was a success. Klare still had solid production, as a reliable, chain-moving target while also showing a bit of creation and downfield ability when needed.
Much of the statistical struggles for Klare came as a result of the surrounding talent on Ohio State’s roster. Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate (rightfully) accounted for over 40% of Ohio State’s targets, leaving few for the former Boilermaker star. In the clip above, we see the potential Klare has, with the ability to lead a receiving corps even against a strong defense. Klare (who is my TE2) looks to be in the mold of a Dalton Schultz with Dallas Goedert upside.
Jack Endries, Texas – 6’4”, 236 lbs, projected to be selected in the 3rd round
Endries expects to go in the 3rd round this year, just 4 seasons after walking on to Cal’s roster. After 2 seasons as the Golden Bears’ starter (2023 & 2024), he transferred to Texas this year, where he showcased his skill set on a bigger stage. Like Max Klare, Endries did not have great counting stats because he was on the field with a plethora of 4- and 5-star WRs, but he was a go-to target for the Longhorns when they needed to move the chains.
In his three seasons, he has shown the ability to have a high YRR (2.13 in 2024), be a downfield target (aDoT of 8.2 in 2025), and create (YAC/Rec of 6.2 in 2024), depending on what was needed. All this while being an above-average (and improving) blocker, especially as a smaller TE.
Endries shows off great hands, with a single drop (106 targets) and 70.6% contested catch rate (17 targets) over the last two seasons. The clip above from Shrine Bowl practices shows those hands off (and some potential separation concerns). Having a few future top-5 picks (Fernando Mendoza at Cal in 2024 and Arch Manning – who, as an aside, is the real deal – at Texas in 2025) tossing him the rock helps, but the former walk-on turned himself into a massively reliable target. He projects similarly to Jake Ferguson: a solid blocker who can play in-line or in the slot, a true chain-mover, and a potential redzone threat.
Justin Joly, North Carolina State – 6’3”, 263 lbs, projected to be selected late day-2 to early day-3
Ho ho ho and have a Holly Joly Christmas! Joly is not quite a ready-made prospect, but the young TE has shown great receiving ability and is continuously improving in blocking. He is a smaller TE who will be best suited to a receiving role at the next level. He went to UConn as a WR before transitioning to TE, which culminated in a transfer to NCSU. He has very promising advanced metrics, with solid YRR, usage (high slot %), and aDoT, along with high separation scores to give hope that he can develop into a fantasy TE worth playing.
We see above the strong hands Joly possesses, along with a good understanding of zone gaps and the scramble drill. His 2% drop rate and 60% contested catch rate show the hands on a wider scale. He is not afraid to go over the middle and take hits, providing a security blanket for QBs. He needs refinement, but should go in the 3rd round with hopes of becoming a team’s top TE. Much like Brenton Strange or Isaiah Likely, he has enough versatility to be a secondary TE behind a strong starter as he learns the game more.
The Rest!
Where to go from here! Michael Trigg (Baylor) has the athletic profile and production to be a fantasy draft darling. However, the film gives some evaluators (including myself) some pause. Plays like the one in the clip below show an absurd upside, but he has just as many awful plays on film… he projects as a 3rd/4th-round pick, but needs to be more consistent to have a chance at consistent production.
Joe Royer (Cincinnati) and Tanner Koziol (Houston) are big receiving targets who I like a lot. Koziol had some highlights at the Senior Bowl, while Royer has a great receiving profile. Notre Dame’s Eli Raridon dealt with injuries throughout college, but has high-level upside as a receiver and blocker, as shown in the clips below.
There are so many other TEs to mention, from former 5-star Oscar Delp (Georgia), to German Marlin Klein (Michigan), to a fellow-Wyoming Cowboy in John Micahel Gyllenborg. We will dive deeper into the class as the process extends, from All-Star games through the Combine and Pro Day circuits.
