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Tight ends are now more important than ever in today's NFL. Decades ago, TEs were just another extra body on the offensive line who sometimes contributed to the passing game. But with the rise of some legendary TEs like Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski, and Travis Kelce, the position has become integral to NFL offenses.
Naturally, that has translated into fantasy football, with several TEs having league-winning impact for their squads. Last year was the year of Sam LaPorta, the rookie who came out of nowhere to finish as the overall TE1, but can anyone from the 2024 NFL Draft have a season similar to LaPorta's 2023 campaign?
With that being said, let's look at the top prospects from the 2024 TE class and see who has the most game-changing potential.
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Brock Bowers – Georgia
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 243 pounds
Age: 21.3
2023 Stats: 56 receptions, 714 yards, six touchdowns, 12.8 yards per catch
Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: No. 1
Player Comparison: George Kittle
Easily the top tight end of the 2024 NFL Draft class, Bowers has the potential to become one of the best tight ends in the league. Bowers struggles a bit in blocking and his lack of height compared to some other TEs hinders his ability to make heavily contested catches, but those are the only weaknesses in his game. His pass-catching and route-running skills are excellent and will make him a featured part of any offense from Day 1.
"Brock Bowers size wise is similar to George Kittle..
You're gonna want to flex him out & get him into space because the run after catch stuff is legit..
He runs a 4.4 in his sleep & has legit speed"@MoveTheSticks #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/t9STajjFMM
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 27, 2024
Bowers also knows how to fit in seamlessly. You don't see many true freshmen come into a big college like Georgia and dominate, but that's exactly what Bowers did in 2021. With just three seasons as a Georgia Bulldog, Bowers finished with the fifth-most receiving yards and the second-most receiving touchdowns in the school's history.
Bowers has the tools to become the focal point of a poor NFL offense from Day 1, and his young age means that he has the potential to get even better.
Ja'Tavion Sanders – Texas
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 245 pounds
Age: 21.0
2023 Stats: 45 receptions, 680 yards, two touchdowns, 15.2 yards per catch
Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: No. 2
Player Comparison: David Njoku
Ja'Tavion Sanders needs to add some more muscle to his frame in order to be better as a blocker, but he has excelled as a receiving TE so far. Sanders can run deep routes to perfection and can open up the passing game in a big way for NFL offenses. He is also able to make catches in traffic.
Happy Birthday to Ja'Tavion Sanders
Here he is fighting for 49 yards on a pass from Quinn Ewers
Texas Longhorns at Baylor Bears
Sept. 23, 2023 pic.twitter.com/Nsmy1PjtcB— Longhorn🤘Highlights (@LonghornClips) March 27, 2024
As said before, the only real concern is his blocking ability, which could limit his number of snaps on the field. But seeing as he just turned 21, Sanders has all the time in the world to get stronger and become a better blocker. This makes him an ideal draft pick for dynasty managers who can keep Sanders until he becomes a full-time starter and begins putting up numbers.
Cade Stover – Ohio State
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 247 pounds
Age: 23.8
2023 Stats: 41 receptions, 576 yards, five touchdowns, 14.0 yards per catch
Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: No. 3
Player Comparison: Jake Ferguson
By far the oldest player here, Stover used to be a linebacker, but eventually changed his position to tight end and broke through in 2022 by becoming one of C.J. Stroud's favorite targets. Stover kept up his production and got even better after Stroud left, showing that he can still work with a different quarterback.
Cade Stover pic.twitter.com/clZ0MHUWQg
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) March 20, 2024
Just like Sanders, however, he needs to add more muscle to his frame to become a better blocker, as he is weak in that area of the game. His age and the fact that he has only a few years of experience playing the offensive side of the ball remain big concerns as well. But his quickness, agility, and overall athleticism can't be taught, and he still has a few years to polish his game before he falls off athletically.
Theo Johnson – Penn State
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 259 pounds
Age: 23.0
2023 Stats: 34 receptions, 341 yards, seven touchdowns, 10.0 yards per catch
Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: No. 4
Player Comparison: Cole Kmet
Theo Johnson has a perfect build, eerily similar to Bears TE Cole Kmet. But he is still a work in progress and has limited time to polish his game. Like most TEs in this class, he's weak in blocking, but his pass-catching also leaves a lot to be desired. Penn State ran a spread offense and Johnson only ran a few select routes, so it'll be interesting to see how he'll do in an NFL offense.
Theo Johnson is a TE prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.99 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 2 out of 1105 TE from 1987 to 2024.
Splits projected, Shuttle would have kept him that 10.00, but Cone lost it.https://t.co/HuWxnxJn85 pic.twitter.com/sjJ15iseny
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024
But we have to consider that players with Johnson's combination of size, speed (4.57 40-yard dash), and overall athleticism don't grow on trees. NFL teams will take it slow and steady with Johnson until he develops his game, which makes him an ideal player for the future. He has a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.99, the second-highest number by any TE since tracking began in 1987. Just imagine how good he can be with his size if he improves his skills. He has the potential to be scary.
Ben Sinnott – Kansas State
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 250 pounds
Age: 21.8
2023 Stats: 49 receptions, 676 yards, six touchdowns, 13.8 yards per catch
Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: No. 5
Player Comparison: Tyler Conklin
Easily the best blocker in the top five, Sinnott used to be a fullback but then he added 40 pounds to his frame to improve his blocking ability. However, he might need to add even more size if he wants to be a good blocker at the NFL level. He has solid speed (4.68 40-yard dash), but will he get slower if he adds even more weight?
Ben Sinnott 🤝 Sam LaPorta
⬇️⬇️⬇️
Photo 📷: RAS comparison
Video 🎥: Ben Sinnott talking about which NFL player he models his game on at this years Senior Bowl and highlighting Sam LaPorta pic.twitter.com/M6b1x88SFD
— Matt FF Dynasty 🏈 (@MattFFDynasty) March 2, 2024
As far as the passing game goes, Sinnott is a good pass-catcher in traffic and knows how to get yards after contact. He also has a good feel for the game, knowing how to track the ball's trajectory when it's thrown to him. His unofficial Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.75 ranks him third among major TE prospects, only behind Johnson and Tip Reiman. That is a freakishly high score and athletes like him always have the potential to be stars in this league.
Honorable Mentions
Speaking of Tip Reiman, he has an RAS of 9.93, and although his game is nowhere near NFL level yet, he's a prospect to keep an eye on. Standing at 6-foot-2, Jaheim Bell is a short TE, but his speed (4.61 40-yard dash) makes him a good pass-catching threat.
Tip Reiman is a TE prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.93 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 9 out of 1105 TE from 1987 to 2024.
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/tXzjZqSdGf pic.twitter.com/zxNt9waGIK
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024
Dallin Holker is a solid TE who can contribute from the start due to his knack for catching touchdowns in the red zone. AJ Barner is just coming off a National Championship win with Michigan and has excellent size at 6-foot-6, so he could develop despite his low volume of numbers. Lastly, Erick All was replaced by Barner at Michigan and is an injury-prone player, but has the potential to develop if he stays healthy.
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