As it stands for the moment, the NFL is playing its season in full come September. As the season approaches, I’m going to be taking a look at the landscape of the NFL, position by position, over the course of the next several weeks. We’ll be talking about the who’s who of the NFL in our own little version of the NFL Network’s “Top 100 Players” bit they do every year. Up next, we’re talking about the top 10 NFL tight ends for 2020!
TOP 10 NFL TIGHT ENDS FOR 2020
10. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Oh, FML, I hate to do this. But, man – ya gotta give a spot to the greatest to ever play the position, right? He hasn’t played in a hot minute, but if he and Tom Terrific can replicate even half of that previous success, the Bucs offense is going to be rolling.
9. Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns – He was 6th among tight ends in receiving yards with 787 and 6th in touchdowns with six. Hooper definitely belongs on this list, but what about that Browns offense should make us think Hooper will play better than he did in that Falcons offense?
9. Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams – Higbee quietly had a bit of a breakout year in 2019. He finished 7th among tight ends in receiving yards with 734, and he quietly ended the season as the 4th highest graded tight end per PFF. What’s particularly impressive, and what makes me think the arrow is pointing up, is the fact that Higbee concluded the season averaging 104.4 yards per game in the final five games of the season. This dude could just be getting started.
7. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles – Goedert was a top 10 tight end even serving as Zach Ertz’s backup in 2019. But, the dude is so supremely talented, and Doug Pedersen seems to find ways to utilize both tight ends pretty well, that I expect Goedert to improve upon his 607 receiving yards and five touchdowns from a season ago.
6. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens – Andrews was the second highest rated tight end in the NFL in 2019, per Pro Football Focus. He netted 852 receiving yards, good for 5th among tight ends. His 10 touchdowns, though, were good for 1st among tight ends and 2nd among all pass-catchers. I’d love to see what this guy could do if he didn’t play in an offense that had two other tight ends who would be starting anywhere else in the league. That’s a crowded tight end group in Baltimore, but Andrews is clearly the best of ’em.
5. Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints – I was expecting big things out of Cook when I saw that he was heading to New Orleans. Maybe that was a bit much, but there’s still some elite potential there. His 16.4 yards per catch average led all tight ends in 2019. His nine touchdowns were tied for 4th in the league, and 2nd among tight ends a season ago. I still think he’s one of the better pure play-makers at the position.
4. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles – Ol’ reliable is still in the conversation among the best at the position. The eight-year vet is still in the prime of his career, and the only thing hurting his potential is the fact that he has to share some of that snap count with Goedert. That’s quite the duo in Philly.
3. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders – Waller the Baller has arrived in the NFL, folks. Dude was 2nd among tight ends with 1,145 receiving yards. He seemingly came out of nowhere to provide the Raiders a spark at the position. With a couple of new playmakers on offense to help him shoulder the load, he could have another electrifying year.
2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs – Just when Rob Gronkowski retired and Kelce ascended my completely-made-up throne as the greatest tight end in football, someone else comes along and drops him back down to #2. Can’t help it. Gotta give my opinions as I have ’em folks – that’s the rule. Kelce is the most dynamic play-maker at tight end in the NFL, leading all tight ends with 1,229 yards (good for 4th among all pass-catchers). I will give you that. But…
1. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers – We’re splittin’ hairs here, but I’m going with Kittle at #1 this year with a couple of tiebreakers in mind. One, he does his thing without a supporting cast like Kelce has in KC. Two, he just seems to play with such a fire for winning that’s hard to find. Look at his big play in that Saints game a season ago. That’s real game changing ability, and I think he has more of that than Kelce. That’s the deciding factor in my book – he was third among tight ends with 1,053 receiving yards in 2019. For what it’s worth, Kittle was Pro Football Focus’ highest rated tight end and the only one at the position to grade above 90.
OTHER 2020 NFL TOP 10S
Cornerbacks
Defensive Coordinators
Defensive Lines
Head Coaches
Offensive Coordinators
Wide Receivers
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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