Below, you'll find my current Top 5 tight ends for the 2025 NFL Draft.
We still have plenty of games left to play out, followed by the pre-draft process — so things can and will change. But if the draft were tomorrow, this is how my board would look:
Top 5 Tight Ends for the 2025 NFL Draft
- Tyler Warren | Penn State | 6’6/260
- Colston Loveland | Michigan | 6’4/245
- Oronde Gadsden | Syracuse | 6’5/236
- Mason Taylor | LSU | 6’5/244
- Harold Fannin Jr. | Bowling Green | 6’3/231
My other prospect ranks will be linked here, coming soon: Top 5 QBs | Top 5 RBs | Top 5 WRs
Breaking Down the TE class
Penn State’s Warren has made his star-turn in 2024, posting a monstrous 51-606-4 receiving line while also running for 87 yards and even completing both passes he’s attempted. A strong blocker in a big frame, Warren is a true dual-threat tight end with a diversified skillset that OC Andy Kotelnicki has used to great effect on trick plays.
Warren’s ascension has bumped Michigan’s Loveland from the projected TE1 line – through no fault of Loveland’s. Loveland is an extremely gifted receiver who is stuck in a bad situation this fall. Michigan’s QB play has been horrible, and the Wolverines’ lack of WR talent has rendered Loveland a marked-man by coverage units. He’s still having a great season.
Syracuse’s Gadsden isn’t really a tight end – he’s a big slot. Syracuse has played Gadsden inline a little more this fall to get other slot WRs on the field, but that’s not his forte. He’s taller but not quite as skilled as Evan Engram, a player he shares stylistic similarities with. LSU’s Taylor has really good chemistry with Nussmeier. Taylor is a good counter-point for LSU’s downfield receivers in the Tigers’ passing game. He has a really good sense of timing for chipping and getting out into his route on play-action concepts. It’s clockwork seeing Nussmeier put it on his hands out of breaks.
Lastly, Bowling Green’s Fannin is having an incredible year, with a 66-947-6 through only eight games. Fannin is a skilled receiver, but, at his size, coming up from the MAC, he’s going to have to test well or be in jeopardy of being seen as a Quadruple-A tweener.
Outside looking in
Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson just missed the cut – he’s physically what the NFL is looking for, and he’s flashed ability with the Ducks. Ferguson will have a chance to increase his stock during Oregon’s CFP run. UNC’s Bryson Nesbit and Clemson’s Jake Briningstool both have receiving skill, but each needs to add bulk for the next level. Iowa’s Luke Lachey, Texas’ Gunnar Helm, and Notre Dame’s Mitchell Evans all look like Day 3 inline prospects.
