[ad_1]
The tight end position is one of the most complex in the NFL. While all of those players have the same title, their roles can be very different, as some can be used simply as a blocker along the offensive line, while others can position themselves primarily in the slot as more of a wide receiver. Those who offer a solid mix of both blocking and receiving turn out to be some of the more valuable players in the entire league.
Below we’ll be rolling out our list of the top 10 tight ends heading into the 2023 season. Of course, there was a wide variety of factors that helped us round out this list, including how the player has played in recent seasons, health, and a forecast of how he will fare in the future. Let’s get down to business.
Honorable Mentions: Evan Engram, Jaguars; Zach Ertz, Cardinals; Dawson Knox, Accounts.
Kyle Pitts was one of the more frustrating players trying to get on this list. From a talent standpoint, he’s among the very best at the position and should probably be higher than 10. He was impressive as a rookie and put in a 1,000-yard season, but Pitts has gone downhill since then, so we’ll settle for him to just sneak in here.
He played 10 games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury, but the games he took part in didn’t leave much to get excited about. On Atlanta’s offense, he was not the primary weapon and only had 28 receptions while averaging 35.6 yards per game. He also only caught 47.5% of his targets. Again, that may speak more to the Falcons’ offensive approach last season than to Pitts’ ability, but it wasn’t a thrilling start to the long-awaited career of the No. 4 overall. If he can recover from this injury and Atlanta throw more football with sophomore quarterback Desmond Ridder, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pitts back in shape and look more like a tight end in the top five. In the meantime, we’ll keep it at 10.
Dalton Schultz is still in Texas, but no longer has the Cowboys star on the side of his helmet after making a deal with the Texans in free agency. While his last season in Dallas wasn’t as productive as his previous two campaigns, he’s still among the top pass-catching tight ends in the league and should be a solid outlet for CJ Stroud, No. 2 overall rankings. He’s also an underrated blocker, scoring the fifth best run-blocking tight end in the league in 2022 according to Pro Football Focus. One thing that was a little concerning about Schultz last season was his diminished efficiency. After a 2021 season in which quarterbacks had a passer rating of 118.6 when aiming for him, this dropped to 77.8 in 2022. Schultz also had a career-high six drops last season.
Njoku seemed to loosen something last season. The former first-round pick set career highs almost across the board, totaling 58 receptions and 628 yards. His four receiving touchdowns also tied a career-high. What stood out most about Njoku was his noticeable increase in efficiency. He caught 72.5% of his targets, which is the highest of his career and the only time he went above 70%.
Njoku is also one of the more explosive players at his position and has a ridiculous catch radius, which was on full display in Week 12 of last season against the Buccaneers.
Freiermuth is one of the more exciting young tight ends in the game. After a solid rookie season in 2021 that saw him haul in seven touchdowns, the 24-year-old followed that up with a solid sophomore campaign playing alongside rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett. Freiermuth’s 2022 numbers are on par with 49ers star tight end George Kittle, albeit with Kittle playing one less game in the regular season. Of his 63 catches last year, 37 resulted in a first down, ahead of Kittle, Schultz, Njoku and Evan Engram (who just missed out on the top 10). Freiermuth is also a tight end who has been a willing blocker throughout the early stages of his career, but it will be fascinating to see what the addition of rookie Darnell Washington could do to free him up as a receiver in 2023.
Darren Waller is another tight end who will find himself in a new situation in 2023 after being traded to the New York Giants. The 30-year-old is routinely talked about as a top-five tight end in the league, but we’ve got him just off this list due to durability. Waller has played no more than 11 games in the past two seasons and was limited to nine in 2022. When he’s on the field, however, he’s a huge receiving threat with two 1100-yard seasons on his resume. It will be fascinating to see how head coach Brian Daboll – a former coach with tight ends – uses Waller’s talent on the New York offense this season. The Giants desperately needed high-level passcatchers to be injected into their offense and will get them in Waller, if they’re healthy. Waller could easily re-establish himself as a top-five tight end in the league with a solid season in New York.
Hockenson was a revelation to the Minnesota offense after being acquired in a midseason trade with the Lions last year. In 10 games he played for the Vikings, he racked up 60 passes for 519 yards and three touchdowns. If you take the period when he first arrived in Minnesota and project that over an entire season, Hockenson would have posted over a hundred catches with Kirk Cousins as his quarterback. His 20 contested catches were also eight more than any other tight end, according to PFF. In a similar vein, there’s also the possibility of his touchdown totals rising in 2023 in the wake of Adam Thielen – who had 21 red zone goals last season – being released this offseason.
While the former top-10 pick already has a solid record going into 2023, we’re optimistic he could be on the cusp of a career year.
Once the Eagles gave Goedert the keys to the castle as the primary tight end, he became one of the more prolific players in the league. Even as the Eagles ramp up their spacious reception area, Goedert remained an influential player on the Philadelphia offense, catching 79.7% of his goals last season (a career record). That number rose to 88.9% in the playoffs en route to an appearance in the Super Bowl. The Eagles quarterbacks also had a passer rating of 123.6 as they targeted Goedert in the 12 games he was eligible for in the regular season. That figure is better than both Travis Kelce (117.2) and Mark Andrews (90.8). Goedert was also the second-seeded tight end in the NFL last season, according to the Football Outsiders DYAR statistic, which reflects the value of their performance on plays where they caught the ball. He is an elite weapon in every sense of the word and probably still a bit underrated.
3. Mark Andreas
Andrews has been one of the top tight ends in the league for some time and has often masked Baltimore’s lean, wide receiver space as he has been a strong outlet for Lamar Jackson. Like the player just above him on this list, Andrews is a well-rounded tight end who can also help as a strong run-blocker in what has been a run-heavy scheme in Baltimore in recent years. As a pass catcher, he ranked sixth among tight ends in DYAR and was solid in the red zone last year, catching 10 of his 17 targets for five touchdowns. It’s arguable that he’ll be even more efficient in 2023 now that the Ravens have bolstered their wide reception area with Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers. With those guns taking some of Andrews’ attention away, he could have a bigger impact.
2.George Kit
George Kittle is arguably the most complete tight end in the league. While some are strictly blockers or passcatchers, Kittle can not only do both, but also at an extremely high level. According to PFF, he is routinely among the top blockers at his position and was ranked the third-best run-blocking tight end last season. Kittle is as dynamic as a receiver and can stretch the field at the seam and destroy potential tacklers after the catch. Surprisingly, the 2022 season marked the first time in his career that Kittle managed to produce double-digit touchdowns, with 11 scores during the regular season. As long as San Francisco has its quarterback situation under control, Kittle should continue to be among the best in the game.
1. Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce is one of the greatest receiving threats in the entire NFL, let alone just the tight end position. With the Chiefs departing Tyreek Hill for the 2022 season, Kelce was asked to take on an even bigger workload on Kansas City’s passing offense, scoring a career-high 152 goals. He took those extra looks from Patrick Mahomes and turned them into career highs in receptions and receiving touchdowns, while ranking eighth among all passcatchers in receiving yards. Kelce was also a force during the Chiefs’ run to a Super Bowl LVII title, including an 81-yard, one-touchdown performance in Kansas City’s victory over the Eagles, where he caught all six of his targets.
While Kelce is best known for his prowess as a receiver, he wasn’t too shabby as a blocker in 2022 either, ranking 15th among tight goals according to Pro Football Focus.
Kelce is just on a different level to the rest of his fellow tight ends right now.
[ad_2]
Source link