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Michael F. Florio offers his scouting report for the deeper options at TE in the 2025 NFL Draft, including Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Elijah Arroyo, Harold Fannin Jr., Mason Taylor, and Thomas Fidone II.
I won’t lie, in the past, I would not do much scouting on the tight ends heading into the NFL Draft. Last year, I watched Brock Bowers; prior, I watched Dalton Kincaid or Kyle Pitts. I would watch the ones who had first-round hype, and that would be it.
Why? Because in the past, tight ends would not normally make an immediate impact in the NFL. You would see them come along slowly and typically break out in their second or third season. However, in recent years, tight ends have been making more and more of a Year 1 impact.
Plus, there are a whole bunch of you dynasty players with rookie drafts coming up that need to know if you should be targeting these players or not!
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2025 NFL Draft Tight End Prospects
Tyler Warren is the crown jewel of this year's tight-end class. He is built like a house, moves well, and there is nothing he cannot do on a football field. While watching him, I wrote, “What can’t he do?” He can block, has good hands as a receiver, is a smooth runner, and can even throw at times! His best attribute is his run-after-catch capabilities, as he is incredibly difficult to take down due to his large stature. That also made him a very reliable red- and end-zone option in college, something I expect to translate well to the NFL level.
Don't see this every day.
Tyler Warren snapped the ball and then caught the touchdown. pic.twitter.com/JylEKQGPvB— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 12, 2024
While I think he is best with the ball in his hands, he can win at all three levels. He can win downfield better than most tight ends. He can also adjust to poorly thrown balls. I believe he will be a quarterback’s best friend type of receiver. As long as he lands somewhere he can get consistent volume, he should be a TE1 in Year 1, with upside similar to Bowers and Sam LaPorta in past years. He is like if George Kittle had Rob Gronkowski’s size. Another player he reminded me of was Greg Olsen.
Colston Loveland is also in play to go in the first round of the draft this season. Loveland has good speed for a tight end, and he excels after the catch. He is hard to tackle, especially for smaller DBs, and has the speed to outrun linebackers. He is also more agile than you may expect for his size. Loveland should be a mismatch for many defenders at the next level. He can consistently win across the middle and runs good comeback routes.
However, he is not the best downfield player. I would expect his usage to primarily be in the short-to-intermediate portion of the field. Loveland reminded me of Pat Freiermuth.
If there is a “my guy” at tight end, it is Elijah Arroyo out of Miami. Arroyo is fast for a tight end, and he uses his natural running ability to win in several different ways. He can create space downfield and uses his size to win. There was a lot more downfield usage than you typically see from a tight end. He can work the sidelines as well. Arroyo’s size stands out on tape, and he can use it to be a red-zone option.
Arroyo can also win after the catch as he has the speed to outrun both linebackers and some DBs. His running after the catch ability impressed me. He is not a physical tackle breaker, though. That is one area he could improve, especially considering his size. He could use some polishing as a route runner and needs work as a blocker. The biggest knock on him is that he has a history of injuries at the college level.
Still, I think Arroyo can outlive many’s expectations. He is a redraft sleeper, depending on landing spot, and would make a nice pick in the middle rounds of rookie drafts. He reminded me of Zach Ertz as I watched him. Isaiah Likely was another name I wrote down while watching him.
Harold Fannin Jr. is a player who I think brings a lot of potential to the next level. He is a great athlete who moves more like a wide receiver than a tight end. Fannin was asked to do everything in college. He was his team's go-to option, and what was impressive was that even when everyone in the stadium knew the ball was going to him, he was still able to win. And he can do so in several different ways.
Fannin can win downfield. He tracks the ball over his shoulder nicely and positions his hands exactly where he has to. He has a huge catch radius and can go up and high-point the ball when he has to. He can win after the catch as he is a very smooth and shifty runner who can make defenders miss, but is also difficult to bring down. His catch-and-run ability is the best part of his game. He is fast enough to outrun linebackers, and DBs will have a tough time getting him onto the ground.
He reminds me of Dalton Kincaid. A player who is a bit undersized but has good YAC ability and can be utilized downfield. It may take a bit of adjusting at the NFL level, but there is a lot of upside here.
Mason Taylor is a player I find myself lower on than the consensus. First, the good. He is a YAC option who is a smooth runner. He ran a lot of short, catch-and-run routes in college. Taylor is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, and it shows in his football IQ. He is able to consistently find the soft spot in zones. That is where he excels.
Taylor was not used much downfield in college, and when he was, it was inconsistent. He is also a smooth runner, but has average speed. He is not very elusive or much of a tackle breaker. He will take what the defense gives him, but do not expect him to create more than that. He is not a contested catch type of receiver, either. While watching him, I was reminded of Tucker Kraft, so there is upside here; it just will depend more on volume.
Thomas Fidone II will be a TE2 in the NFL. He is a big, reliable target with good hands. He can win in the short-to-intermediate portion of the field. He knows how to use his size and can go up and snatch the ball when he has to. But he plays slow and is not the best athlete. He is not very elusive and did not appear to be much of a tackle breaker. He had to leave his feet often and could have his routes disrupted by defenders. I comped him to Foster Moreau.
Make sure to follow Michael on X, @MichaelFFlorio.
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