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John Johnson breaks down his five favorite tight-end prospects of the 2025 NFL Draft. Which players are the best rookie tight ends for the 2025 NFL season?
The tight-end position is very interesting to dive into in the NFL. It's incredibly hard to find good players at that position. This is partly because wide receivers and offensive linemen/pass-rushers simply get paid so much more, so even taller athletes are funneled into other positions to chase that sweet, sweet generational wealth.
Another reason is that it's just such a tough position to learn and execute. A good TE needs to be over 240 pounds, be able to run fast and catch the ball, run routes at a high level, and block proficiently. That requires a lot of experiential overlap and a skill set that's extremely tough to develop.
This season, though, there are multiple good prospects at the position, with a few intriguing names on top. That's quite a bit more than we usually get. So, let's dive into the top five tight-end prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft ahead of next season.
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1. Colston Loveland, Michigan
He's not the consensus No. 1 tight end in the class. That fact greatly confuses me. It makes sense that the majority of the community is enamored with Warren's upside due to what he brings in the rushing game, but Loveland is an elite tight-end prospect and has the route running and separation skills to immediately become the focal point of an NFL offense. No other prospect has that ability right now.
I feel pretty confident Colston Loveland is a full tier above Tyler Warren as a receiver because he's much faster and smoother, and I think he's going to be a better run blocker, too. Look at the length! They won't be close in my overall rankings.
Video next week.
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) April 8, 2025
The idea that Warren can make up the ground with Loveland by trucking NFL linebackers in the run game is kind of wild. It seems that often players' positive traits are magnified in the absence of other abilities so that people can mentally compensate with a faux mental evening machine to where everything just becomes equivalent when they're doing mental gymnastics about a lower-ranked player potentially being underrated.
Colston Loveland hive pic.twitter.com/ikJJLIYJXd
— Fusue (@DevyEusuf) April 8, 2025
Loveland is a better blocker than Warren and also has jump-ball skills and can make physical contested catches. He's also 6-foot-6 inches tall, has an absolutely absurd catch radius, and is an elite separator at his position. In addition, he was the undisputed top pass-catcher on his offense and put the passing attack on his back, despite having a shoulder injury that required surgery in the offseason.
Colston Loveland's catch radius is obscene pic.twitter.com/G7ce44pvjX
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) March 26, 2025
It's not possible to accurately capture just how good he is in a few paragraphs, and sadly, I'm doing him an injustice here by not being able to write more. I'll do a deeper dive and film breakdown on him later. He's an absolute stud, and if he gets a good landing spot, he should be a league-winner in Year 1.
If he gets drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers, his wheels are up. He should finish as a top-4 TE in the league in fantasy PPR points if that happens.
2. Tyler Warren, Penn State
Warren is a ridiculously strong athlete, and what he lacks in route running and separation skills, he can partially make up for with his raw physical talent. He'll need to develop his routes, though. Tight ends don't make careers off running guys over. He has great athletic upside, but he'll need time to work on running more crisp routes and separating on traditional routes.
Sources: Penn State TE Tyler Warren has just one scheduled visit — rare for a potential top-10 pick — as teams view him as “one of the cleanest prospects.”
While Warren’s already had multiple private workouts, one team picking in the top 10 canceled theirs last minute, saying:… pic.twitter.com/8m8UvUP4VW
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 6, 2025
He'll likely be selected higher in the 2025 NFL Draft than Loveland purely because of the higher purported athletic upside. And the tape does show this. That's a decision that tends to be mistaken, in hindsight, but it's unlikely to go wrong. Warren will still be a solid pick.
TYLER WARREN ALL THE WAY TO THE HOUSE
HE IS A MAN ON A MISSION
BEST TIGHT END IN THE LAND pic.twitter.com/66OSgf05qW
— Barstool Penn State (@PSUBarstool) November 16, 2024
His contributions to the run game will be a somewhat dampened version of what he did in college because NFL linebackers will be able to chase him down most of the time. And if he plans on trying to run over tacklers consistently at the next level, it's worth stating that no one does this, and it's a great way to shorten your career. Instead, he'll need to try to be more elusive after the catch, or at least minimize tackle attempts.
Still, the physical presence he provides could be impressive in short-yardage and goal-line situations, and if his athleticism translates better than I think it will, he has a glimmer of hope of being a consistent threat on screen passes and gaining yards after the catch. Though I still think Loveland is better traditionally at getting upfield with the ball in his hands and leveraging open space.
3. Terrance Ferguson, Oregon
Ferguson has the opposite problem that Harold Fannin Jr. has. He's a fantastic athlete, but the production hasn't been stellar through his career. Still, TEs with his physical tools usually find homes in the NFL quickly. Ferguson, with more development, could become a solid contributor at the next level.
Terrance Ferguson is a Top-5 TE in this class for me, with a Day 2 grade.
Great frame with very nice athleticism, he can play in multiple alignments, a very willing and talented blocker, and has very nice production within the passing game.pic.twitter.com/czGXtp8IUT
— Andy (@AndyyNFL) March 4, 2025
He shines the most after the catch, where he has the speed to outrun at least a decent percentage of linebackers, which is crucial for TEs. You don't expect them to burn past defensive backs, but being able to gain YAC in the intermediate areas of the field is beneficial.
Terrance Ferguson averaged 9.0 yards after the catch per reception last year, most among all FBS tight ends with 30+ targets.
He’s also got size and hands that will translate to the NFL.
Really big fan of his game.pic.twitter.com/j2UzknBX8b https://t.co/sObNweuG1H
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) March 11, 2025
4. Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Fannin is a tough player to evaluate. While his 1,555 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns were impressive statistical marks, he performed poorly at the 2025 NFL Combine. Going to a Mid-American Conference (or MWC) school can boost your production to mythical levels if you're able to consistently beat the poor defenders they have to offer. Just ask Ashton Jeanty.
Harold Fannin Jr. is a TE prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 7.78 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 297 out of 1331 TE from 1987 to 2025. https://t.co/k08mGmDahh pic.twitter.com/N7EqNizg8p
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 30, 2025
Fannin is a bit undersized for a TE, and his speed and explosion are just fine for a highly valued prospect. But it's his awkward, lumbering movement that likely has most teams concerned. When he's able to set his weight up properly, slow down, and plant one foot hard into the ground, he can create separation, but he's not a smooth route runner by any means.
I’m beyond intrigued to see what Harold Fannin Jr.’s role will be in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/E11N71kXrn
— Andy (@AndyyNFL) April 9, 2025
The NFL affords fewer opportunities to set up defenders one-on-one like this and have a big chunk of space to work with after making such moves, though. Framing production explicitly in terms of defenses faced isn't the best method of evaluating players -- looking at how their movement and ball skills will translate to the next level is more important. And despite Fannin's prolificity, I'm not convinced.
Will see where Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin lands, but the production profile and receiving ability is worth a look
— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) March 29, 2025
A high percentage of his production, at least based on film, came on busted coverages and horrendous play by opposing defenses. It's interesting that his one good game against a good opponent, when he played Penn State and gained 137 receiving yards and one score, is used as definitive proof that he'll be good in the NFL, as if every player who's ever had a good game against a Big Ten team goes on to have a great NFL career.
Fannin is too unathletic at a position that requires wild athleticism to succeed in. Even though his combine was fine other than his 40-yard dash, he just doesn't move well enough.
5. Elijah Arroyo, Miami
Arroyo's biggest strength is his speed. Though he's a slower accelerator, when he has more of a chance to build up his velocity, he can be frighteningly fast. This makes him an intriguing prospect because his ability to run away from cornerbacks on deep routes has to be worth something, at least.
Elijah Arroyo brings legit run-away speed at the TE position https://t.co/IrVMGz58u6 pic.twitter.com/3qMsZYEGZT
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) April 7, 2025
His route running, explosiveness out of his breaks, and separation skills leave plenty to be desired, though. He's not likely to become a centerpiece of any passing game, and his blocking isn't good enough to be a definite strength.
The Giants are hosting Miami TE, Elijah Arroyo, on a Top 30 visit on Wednesday, per @AdamSchefter
🟩6'5" 250lb
🟩73.6 PFF Receiving Grade
🟩Athleticism Score ranked 1st among 2025 Combine TEspic.twitter.com/veRx7jdA6z— SleeperGiants (@SleeperGiants) April 7, 2025
He could find a home on a team as part of a two-TE rotation and contribute modestly in the passing game. He'll need to develop his game to get beyond that.
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