RADIO
Should I draft Mason Taylor or Elijah Arroyo in dynasty fantasy football leagues? Joey Pollizze breaks down the outlooks and landing spots for Taylor and Arroyo.
We are at the point in the offseason where rookie drafts are in full swing. The 2025 NFL Draft is behind us, and most dynasty teams are getting ready to add rookies to their teams. While everyone always looks forward to the first round of rookie drafts, the second, third, and fourth rounds matter just as much.
Two players dynasty owners could be deciding between are Mason Taylor and Elijah Arroyo. Both tight ends were drafted in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft and could see opportunities right away. Taylor was selected by the New York Jets with the 42nd overall pick, and Arroyo was taken by the Seattle Seahawks with the 50th overall pick.
So, should dynasty owners select Taylor or Arroyo in rookie drafts? Let's dive in and find out.
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Mason Taylor College Production, NFL Fit, Outlook
It's hard to evaluate tight ends sometimes because it usually takes them a year or two to get going in college before they start producing. However, Taylor put together three solid campaigns in his college career at LSU. He totaled 38 catches for 414 yards and three touchdowns in his freshman season in 2022 and then caught 36 catches for 348 yards and one touchdown in 2023.
It was impressive to see Taylor total over 750 receiving yards combined in his first two college seasons, considering he battled with Malik Nabers, Kayshon Boutte, and Brian Thomas Jr. for targets in those two years. With all three of those wideouts gone entering the 2024 season, though, LSU expected more from the 6-foot-5 tight end in his final college campaign.
It's safe to say that Taylor delivered by having his best season with the Tigers. He totaled a career-high 55 catches for 546 yards and two touchdowns in 2024. There were also plenty of games last year in which the Florida native showed his receiving potential. He caught seven passes for 62 yards in a non-conference game against USC and then totaled eight catches for 77 yards against UCLA a few weeks later.
Taylor became a reliable target in that LSU offense last season, as he ranked third on the team in catches, receiving yards, and yards per game (45.5). The LSU playmaker also ranked tied for eighth in contested catches (eight) among all tight ends in FBS.
So, it's not a surprise that the Jets took him early in the second round. The tight-end position was a huge need for the team this offseason, and Taylor immediately fills that need. While the 21-year-old could be a better run-blocker, his hands are a huge boost to this New York offense in 2025 and beyond. He only dropped one pass last season and had a 69.5 PFF receiving grade.
Like father, like son.
Jason Taylor's son Mason is a New York Jet 🙌 pic.twitter.com/KR5qw3bznO
— Jets Videos (@snyjets) April 25, 2025
As a result, Taylor could be a nice pick later in the second round of rookie drafts. He just turned 21 years old on May 8 and has the potential to be a fantasy contributor in Year 1. Rich Cimini of ESPN said a few days ago that the tight end "should have a significant role as a rookie." That's certainly fantastic news for his dynasty value.
Taylor is the Jets' tight end of the future and should start over both Jeremy Ruckert and Stone Smartt in 2025. Given that New York hasn't added many weapons to its offense this offseason, it's hard not to love the LSU product later in the second round of rookie drafts.
Elijah Arroyo College Production, NFL Fit, Outlook
Arroyo didn't see many opportunities in his first three seasons at Miami (FL). In those three years, he caught a combined 11 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown. However, the 6-foot-5 tight end broke out in his final college campaign in 2024. He totaled a career-high 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns across 13 games.
It was a solid all-around season for Arroyo, and he emerged as a deep-threat option for that Hurricanes team last year. The Florida native ranked fourth in both deep catches (eight) and deep yards (255) among all tight ends in FBS. He also ranked seventh at the position in yards after the catch (8.9).
There's no doubt that Arroyo just had the best season of his college career in 2024, but there were a bunch of areas in which he struggled. He only had a 20% contested catch rate and could be a better overall blocker. Nevertheless, the Seahawks decided to take him with the 50th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
He showed a lot of great things in his final season at Miami (FL) and has the chance to be a solid tight end in the NFL one day. Arroyo had six games over 50 receiving yards in 2024, including three games over 80 receiving yards. Some of his best performances included a four-catch, 89-yard effort against Florida on August 31 and an 88-yard, one-touchdown receiving day against Virginia Tech on September 27.
So, it made a lot of sense when the Seahawks took Arroyo in the second round. Noah Fant is in the last year of his two-year deal, and the former Miami (FL) product has the skill set to eventually be Seattle's TE1. He's a big, athletic tight end with the tools to be a consistent weapon in the NFL.
Arroyo, though, has dealt with some injuries in recent years. He played in only 11 games combined during the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to a torn ACL and wasn't able to participate at his pro day in the spring due to a bone bruise in his knee.
Some Seahawks coaches questioned if TE Elijah Arroyo could be an X-Receiver
"If he didn't miss time (in college), his talent is like a Top 15 pick" pic.twitter.com/IkyY3PnIf1
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) April 28, 2025
Still, the 6-foot-5 tight end could be a solid pick early in the third round of rookie drafts. Arroyo will eventually overtake Fant as the Seahawks' starting tight end, and his receiving potential could make him a consistent fantasy option once that happens. Dynasty owners just need to be patient with the 22-year-old because he might not see many targets in this Seattle offense in 2025.
Verdict
Both Taylor and Arroyo have the chance to be solid fantasy tight ends in their careers. They showed what they can do as pass-catchers last season, which resulted in over 500 receiving yards for both tight ends. However, if dynasty owners had to choose between one of these tight ends in rookie drafts, Taylor is the better pick.
He was not only a higher selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, but he landed in arguably a better situation. Taylor should start on Day 1 for the Jets and could emerge as a fantasy option in Year 1. Contributing right away is nothing new for the LSU product, considering he totaled 414 receiving yards in his freshman season.
there’s been 25 Upside Tight Ends Drafted in the Second Round
52% have posted a TE1 Season
Mason Taylor and Terrance Ferguson should be some of your FAVORITE targets in Rookie Drafts pic.twitter.com/7Eeyp632Vx
— DynastyIM (@dynasty_im) May 1, 2025
So, Taylor should be drafted above Arroyo in most leagues. He is my TE3 in most rookie drafts, only behind Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren. Given that he also just turned 21 years old, he has the chance to have a long, productive career in the NFL. He is an athletic tight end with really good hands.
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