And we’re back! Today I’ll take a look at how the Tight End position is looking. I think there were some legit sleepers taken here, should be interesting as we move forward…
- Travis Kelce – Flying Dutchmen (24)
- George Kittle – TIM! (26)
- Mark Andrews – The Kyle Bradys (42)
- Zack Ertz – BE A MAN HOGAN (57)
- Darren Waller – Nacho Team (62)
- Tyler Higbee – QAnon (63)
- Evan Engram – SECOND DECK (77)
- Rob Gronkowski – SC4Skippers (102)
- Hayden Hurst – Redbank Mallrats (118)
- Noah Fant – C Tan vs. The World (128)
- Hunter Henry – Murphy Inn-ines (141)
- Austin Hooper – The Quasars (156)
- OJ Howard – SECOND DECK (188)
- Blake Jarwin – Redbank Mallrats (195)
- Mike Gesicki – C Tan vs The World (200)
- T.J. Hockenson – The Quasars (204)
- Dallas Goedert – QAnon (226)
Seventeen Tight Ends drafted this year, and there is quite a bit of range here.
First Tier – The No-Brainers
Travis Kelvce and Geroge Kittle were always going to be the first guys off the board among this group. Both players went right in the range where they were projected and there weren’t any big surprises here, except maybe the fact that Trigger took Kelce when Kittle did so well for him last season. Either way, Timmy and Trigger locked up this position real early, and they’re not likely to regret doing so.
Tier 1A – The About to be a No-Brainer
The third TE drafted was Ravens starter Mark Andrews, who very well could have been included in the higher tier, and whom I wouldn’t be surprised to see take over Kelce’s spot at TE1 this season. The Ravens are expected to up their pass attempts this year, and with Hurst gone over to Atlanta, this should mean a lot more targets for Andrews. Kyle might have one of the better “early-round steals” with this move.
Tier 2 – The Injury Concern
Zack Ertz is in a class all to himself here. Lots of talent, lots of injuries. This is another “if he stays healthy” pick that could really pay off. There are a lot of players in Philly who are going to need targets, but if Ertz is healthy, he might lead them all. Since the end of 2014, Ertz has played all 16 games only once, and been pretty banged up in a lot of games. That is the only thing really separating him from the previously mentioned guys – it’s also the reason he was still available for John at pick #57.
Tier 3 – Boom or Bust
These guys – for the most part – are being projected by some expert somewhere to have a huge breakout year, and finally, live up to their potential.
Darren Waller (62) and Tyler Higbee (63) both showed enough last year to project them into Top Ten status, despite them both going undrafted in this league just a year ago. Can they become elite Fantasy options this season? Sure. Could they also prove to be flash in the pan sort of dudes who never live up to the potential they showed a season ago? Also Yes. Dave and Mark rolled the dice on these do based on how strongly they finished up 2019, but we’ll have to see if it is fool’s gold or not.
That brings us to the 77th pick (Second Deck) and Evan Engram, who flashed greatness for a few weeks in 2018, but has been anything but ever since. Injuries have slowed down the NYG TE and until he can prove he’s healthy enough to stay on the field, this will look risky. That said, Daniel Jones is projected to have a nice year, and a safety valve TE is often the best friend of a young QB…
How about future HOF TE Gronk?! Taken by the Skippers with the 102nd pick, helping to set a new high-water mark for “Oldest Average Age By A Team” (average of 7.1 years of NFL experience) – Gronk could flash that smile and prove some time off was good as he rekindles with Brady down in Retirement Central Tampa Bay. Or he could show his body has become brittle and totally bust out in FLA.
At 118 the Mallrats take Hayden Hurst, who recently left Baltimore for Atlanta, and is projected to be an every down TE for Matt Ryan. There is a reason that the Ravens drafted him in the first round a few years back – but there’s also a reason they let him walk. Matt Ryan says Hurst is the most athletic TE he’s ever played with – if that translates to catches is yet to be seen. Hurst has a chance to jump into elite status with an offense that made a very mediocre Austin Hooper look great last year. Or he could be proved a fraud and used primarily as a run blocker. Going in I wanted to bring back Mark Andrews from last year’s squad – but I decided to hold off and gamble on Hurst – let’s see how bad this hurts.
Tier 4 – Dart Board Time!
Noah Fant, Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, OJ Howard, Blake Jarwin, Mike Gesicki, T.J. Hockenson, and Dallas Goedert round out the rest of the class. Fant feels like a reach in the 11th round for Tan, but who knows – perhaps he’ll prove to be the best TE from the 2019 class. Jason had an interesting strategy – wait till the 12th to get your starting TE, draft someone with an extensive injury history, and then raw-dog him into the season with no backup. I love it. Sanchez is hoping for Hooper to get similar production from Baker and a run-first offense in Cleveland, that he got last year from Ryan and the pass-first Falcons. Mayfield might really come into his own this year and put up some numbers, but there are just so many weapons on this team, Hooper will need to really shine to grab a significant amount of targets. OJ Howard seems like a sneaky good pick. Gronk is not an every-down-TE play, and Howard has proven a capable blocker, which means he’ll be on the field a lot – perhaps Brady can make him the star that Winston never did. I took Witten’s replacement in Dallas, Bruce Jarwin, the dude has received a lot of praise from those in the Cowboys organization, but again, there are a limited amount of targets to go around here, and he’s not proven to be a great blocker. I’m willing to hold him for a while to find out.
Mike Gesicki, C Tan’s 2nd TE pick just lost his ‘starter’ title to some jobber named Durham Smythe, so that might not pan out. T.J. Hockenson looks to rebound from a rookie season that started out great and quickly became forgettable. If Stafford stays on the field, and TJ can avoid any more concussions, he could end up overtaking Hooper as TE1 on The Quasars. Finally, the champ dips back into the NFC East for Dallas Goedert could very well be the TE steal of the night. Despite playing second fiddle to Ertz, Goedert is still projected to be on the field quite a bit. And while he’s TE2 in Philly, he could still be Top Ten in this league.
SC League Forever 