Tight End Rankings 2023 NFL Draft

Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Michael Mayer (87) catches a pass against Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Keanu Hill (1) during the second half at Allegiant Stadium.  Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports
Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Michael Mayer (87) catches a pass against Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Keanu Hill (1) during the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

TIGHT END RANKINGS 2023 NFL DRAFT

The 2022 NFL Draft was hardly a bountiful year for the tight end position, especially when compared to the 2021 class. 2023, fortunately, looks closer to 2021 thanks to Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer who looks at least in the 2022 pre-season, an almost slam dunk first-round prospect.

Mayer led the Irish in receptions the two previous years – a feat rarely achieved by a tight end. He’s got good speed – probably in the mid 4.6’s, has impressive size at 6-4 265, very soft hands, and catches pretty much everything thrown his way. He doesn’t quite have the athletic ceiling of a Kyle Pitts which probably will limit his draft stock to the mid to late first round.

After Mayer, there is a little drop off in quality although not athleticism. Darnell Washington from Georgia is huge and has the power to dominate - currently, he's more potential than production however but still likely a high day-two pick.

Sam LaPorta from Iowa is currently one of our safest prospects and he’s very much a traditional tight end with technique in spades but unexceptional overall athleticism.

The group is rounded out with a few players who probably will be picked somewhere in the third round in the form of Cameron Latu from Alabama, and Jahleel Billingsley from Texas.
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LAST UPDATED: 04/23/2023

Player Rankings - Tight End

# Player Pos Team Weight Height 40YD AVG POS RANK AVG OVR RANK Rating Summary
1

Michael
Mayer

TE
LV   Mascot
LV Mascot
249lbs 6-4 4.70 2 17.3
88.1
Mayer is a good athlete, with quickness, size, and natural instincts who is also hard to bring down in the open field and is also an elite...
2

Darnell
Washington

TE
PIT   Mascot
PIT Mascot
264lbs 6-7 4.64 5 36.6
87.6
Washington was used predominantly as a blocker while at Georgia and was impressive in his execution, he however given his frame and...
3

Dalton
Kincaid

TE
BUF   Mascot
BUF Mascot
246lbs 6-4 4.71 3 26.2
87.0
Dalton Kincaid is an elite receiving tight end, who possesses super soft hands, runs crisp well disciplined routes, and has the speed that...
4

Luke
Musgrave

TE
GB   Mascot
GB Mascot
253lbs 6-6 4.61 6 42.9
86.4
Luke Musgrave is a super polarizing prospect and is a classic potential vs production evaluation. There is no doubt Musgrave has huge...
5

Tucker
Kraft

TE
GB   Mascot
GB Mascot
254lbs 6-5 4.69 8 69.2
84.5
Tucker Kraft is a very solid pro-tight-end prospect. He has good measurables which were showcased in the combine drills, a very productive...
6

Sam
LaPorta

TE
DET   Mascot
DET Mascot
245lbs 6-3 4.59 7 59.2
84.3
Sam LaPorta while having a long way to go as a blocker is an effective first down converter. He will flourish in an air raid offense such...
7

Luke
Schoonmaker

TE
DAL   Mascot
DAL Mascot
251lbs 6-5 4.63 9 91.4
83.6
Luke Schoonmaker is an impressive athlete who has a nice combination of size, length, speed, agility, and overall explosion and finally put...
8

Brenton
Strange

TE
JAX   Mascot
JAX Mascot
253lbs 6-4 4.70 10 119.5
80.9
Strange fights his way off the line of scrimmage against press coverage, showing quick, violent hands and good balance. An excellent...
9

Josh
Whyle

TE
TEN   Mascot
TEN Mascot
248lbs 6-6 4.69 11 142.2
80.0
Varies the speed of his route, using hesitation and shoulder fakes to get the defender guessing. He’s lanky and long-armed, but Whyle has...
10

Cameron
Latu

LB
/ED
SF   Mascot
SF Mascot
242lbs 6-4 4.78 12 158.1
79.9
Latu has strong hands and is extremely competitive, and Latu has an innate sense of timing when it comes to elevating and high-pointing...
11

Will
Mallory

TE
IND   Mascot
IND Mascot
239lbs 6-4 4.54 16 209.2
78.8
Mallory can move the chains and has the skills to stand out in the red zone with sneaky foot speed and long stride to top producing tight...
12

Zack
Kuntz

TE
NYJ   Mascot
NYJ Mascot
255lbs 6-7 4.55 13 162.4
78.7
He’s equally dangerous in catch-and-run situations as Kuntz is taking the top off a defense Made Bruce Feldman's Freak's List - ranked...

2023 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Tight End

We've compared players post combine 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.

For a much improved viewing experience (with more players) please view on a larger screen.

2023 NFL Draft Athleticism Chart - Tight End

We've compared players 40 times and weight and charted them on the scatter chart below. You'll find the 40 time on the Y-axis and on the X-axis the weight in pounds.
The exceptional athletic freaks (determined by the combination of speed vs weight) will be found at the top right of the chart while the less impressive athletes will be sitting towards the bottom left.