This is a pretty good TE class, there isn’t a Brock Bowers type but Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are going to be first round picks. The WR class isn’t all that great and I could see a few teams grabbing a playmaking TE like Harold Fannin Jr. instead of a WR they aren’t crazy about. There should be some depth here and that will make this class interesting.
Tight Ends
1. Tyler Warren (Penn St.): Warren had a breakout season with Penn St. He became Drew Allar’s go-to receiver as Penn St. wasn’t great at WR. He’s a big target at almost 6’6 and 260 lbs. He has the size and athleticism to be a great receiving TE and still has the strength and bulk to be a blocker. He’s tough and versatile. He was a QB at one time and Penn St. used him in the running game, he’s a jack of all trades.
2. Colston Loveland (Michigan): Loveland came into the season as the TE1 but Michigan’s less than stellar offense didn’t help him at all. He also missed a couple of games with an injury and he was simply less productive than he was last year. However, at 6’5 245 lbs. with the athleticism he has and the production he showed last year, he’s still an elite TE prospect. Someone is going to get a very good TE in the latter half of round one. Loveland is going to be a productive NFL TE.
3. Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green): Fannin is one of the most unique prospects in the draft. He’s a 6’4 230 lbs. TE who is basically just a big WR. He was ridiculously productive at Bowling Green with 117 catches this year but he just won’t fit the typical TE spot. If you have a plan to use Fannin than feel free to draft him, if you think he’s going to fit into a typical TE role, stay away and draft someone else.
4. Mason Taylor (LSU): Taylor is the son of former Dolphins Hall of Famer Jason Taylor and while he’s not the superstar athlete his father was, he’s a pretty good TE. Taylor was productive for the most part and at 6’5 255 lbs. he has the size to be a good NFL TE. He’s not going to be an All-Pro but he can be a starting NFL TE for a long time.
5. Elijah Arroyo (Miami): Arroyo had a breakout season becoming one of Cam Ward’s most dangerous targets. He’s not the biggest player and he’s not a major blocker at 6’4 245 lbs. but he’s a really terrific athlete and catches the ball well. He won’t fit every team’s needs but someone will find a way to use him.
*Other player to mention: Luke Lachey (Iowa): Lachey has fallen down the draft boards after a tough year. Coming off a season ending injury the year before, Lachey didn’t look like the player he was before the injury. It didn’t help that Iowa’s passing game was, once again, terrible. I would still bet on his talent and his size and the training he had at Iowa and he will outplay his draft slot.
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