X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

Top Five Tight Ends In The 2023 NFL Draft Class

Dalton Kincaid - CFB DFS Lineup Picks, Daily College Fantasy Football, NFL Draft Rookies

With the 2023 Scouting Combine over, teams are gearing up for the upcoming NFL Draft. If they play their cards right, they can get more hits than misses throughout seven rounds. Meanwhile, fantasy football managers in dynasty leagues are also working to find the tight ends who can put their team on top.

Tight ends are some of the most versatile players on a team. They could serve as extra blockers during jumbo sets or short-yardage plays. They could also line up and be a target in the passing game. Teams that have been creative with their tight ends can keep opposing defenses on their toes.

While several talented tight end prospects are available in the 2023 NFL draft, there’s a clear distinction between the highly-rated ones and those needing much work to excel. Here are the five best dynasty options and some honorable mentions for tight ends in this year’s rookie class.

Featured Promo: Battle it out on Bettle with your season-long lineups! Join the free RotoBaller weekly contests on Bettle -- just important your season-long lineups and enter! Winners get a free year of RotoBaller Premium access for all sports ($450 value) plus another free $50 in Bettle credits! Join Now!

 

Michael Mayer – Notre Dame, Junior

  • Height: 6’ 4.5”
  • Weight: 208
  • Age: 21 years, nine months
  • 2022 Stats: 67 receptions, 809 yards, nine touchdowns, 12.1 yards per catch
  • Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: #1
  • Player Comparison: Zach Ertz

Mayer doesn’t have blazing speed, as shown by his 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, but it’s hard to ignore his productivity, considering he had at least 800 receiving yards in his sophomore and junior seasons. Likewise, he is a great route runner who can find the soft spots on defense. Aside from averaging 60 catches in his three seasons with the Fighting Irish, he also exerts effort as a blocker.

Mayer is unafraid to get physical with defensive linemen and keeps his feet moving to win in the trenches. He is the best prospect in this class when both pass-catching and run-blocking are considered. However, his upside might not be as promising as the other tight ends, and his small hands could lead to dropped passes. Still, he could be a solid contributor to the right team from day one.

 

Dalton Kincaid – Utah, Senior

  • Height: 6’ 4”
  • Weight: 246
  • Age: 23 years, six months
  • 2022 Stats: 70 receptions, 890 yards, eight touchdowns, 12.7 yards per catch
  • Rookie WR Dynasty Rank: #2
  • Player Comparison: Isaiah Likely

Kincaid is the best bet for teams looking for tight ends who are legitimate threats in the passing game. He has the speed to outrun linebackers and the strength to dominate defensive backs. He did not participate in the drills during the Scouting Combine because he was working his way back from an injury. However, 70 receptions in one season is remarkable.

He is also impeccable in route running, helping him get open or create separation. However, his blocking needs work. At this point, massive defensive linemen can bully their way through him. Working on his strength and technique can improve his skill. Otherwise, NFL teams might not deploy him during short-yardage situations wherein extra blockers are needed.

 

Luke Musgrave – Oregon State, Junior

  • Height: 6’ 6”
  • Weight: 255
  • Age: 22 years, seven months
  • 2022 Stats: 11 receptions, 169 yards, one touchdown, 15.4 yards per catch
  • Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: #3
  • Player Comparison: Mike Gesicki

Football runs in Musgrave’s blood. His father, Doug, played quarterback for Oregon, while his uncle, Bill, played seven seasons in the NFL. Unfortunately, he is also coming off a season-ending knee campaign that limited him to two games in 2022. Despite that setback, he showed his potential during the Senior Bowl and the Scouting Combine.

He does have exceptional speed for his size, allowing him to blow past defenders. Musgrave can also shift directions on a dime and demonstrates good blocking skills. However, his health will be the biggest question, given that he only played a few games in four years.

 

Sam LaPorta – Iowa, Senior

  • Height: 6’ 4”
  • Weight: 249
  • Age: 22 years, two months
  • 2022 Stats: 58 receptions, 657 yards, one touchdown, 11.3 yards per catch
  • Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: #4
  • Player Comparison: Pat Freiermuth

Iowa has produced great tight ends like George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, and Noah Fant. LaPorta has had better numbers than them in his four seasons with the Hawkeyes. He finished with 1,756 yards and five touchdowns in 46 games. Watching him use his agility to get extra yards is a sight to behold.

He does have wide receiver skills, especially in route running. LaPorta is also good at catching the ball and going for extra yards in one motion. He is a fierce competitor who is also quite elusive for his size. However, his size and arm length allows defensive linemen to disrupt his timing. Still, he could be productive in an explosive offense, given that his alma mater ran a conservative offense.

 

Darnell Washington – Georgia, Junior

  • Height: 6’ 7”
  • Weight: 265
  • Age: 21 years, eight months
  • 2022 Stats: 28 receptions, 454 yards, two touchdowns, 16.2 yards per catch
  • Rookie TE Dynasty Rank: #5
  • Player Comparison: Logan Thomas

Washington was more of a blocking tight end at Georgia, but those who witnessed his impressive Combine performance think there’s more to his gigantic frame. He is solid as a blocker, a sixth lineman who can plow through linebackers and defensive backs. If he gets the ball, it will take more than one person to bring him down.

His route running and pass catching can be developed, and any improvement in that aspect can be scary for opposing teams. However, he is slow for a tight end, and his routes are predictable. Likewise, he also had health concerns via ankle and foot injuries. But he still is productive under the right system and thorough coaching.

 

Honorable Mentions

Tucker Kraft is a physical specimen with impressive quickness. He uses angles to block opponents and is also a good pass-catcher. Kraft finished the 2022 season for South Dakota State with 27 receptions, 348 yards, and three touchdowns. However, he must build his strength because defensive linemen can outmatch him.

Josh Whyle was one of Cincinnati's team captains last season, finishing with 32 receptions for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He makes good use of his height and frame to grab contested balls. He is also an adept pass-protection blocker and strives to make additional blocks downfield. While he runs hard after the catch, his routes can become predictable due to his average explosiveness.

Brenton Strange finished his junior season at Penn State with 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns. He is smaller than the other tight ends on the list, but he uses that advantage by evading tacklers. He is also an excellent lead blocker during sweeps. Strange can also adjust his body to catch passes. However, he might not be as good for traditional blocking duties.

Davis Allen successfully transitioned from a defensive player to a tight end. He finished his final year at Clemson with 39 receptions for 443 yards and five touchdowns. His basketball background allowed him to become a solid receiver, and he also puts his catching radius to good use. However, running the 40-yard dash at 4.84 seconds might work against him. Allen is also unreliable in breaking tackles.

Luke Schoonmaker had 35 receptions for 418 yards and three touchdowns in his final year at Michigan. He is a workhorse who dedicated himself to constant improvement. The Wolverines' pro-style offense made him an adept blocker who sustains his ground through leverage. His sure hands make him an asset in short and intermediate passing plays. There are questions about his durability, though, after missing the Fiesta Bowl due to a shoulder injury.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!




Win Big With RotoBaller

Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
Fantasy Updates
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Brandon Crawford2 hours ago

Expects To Play In Season Finale Sunday
Ja'Marr Chase2 hours ago

Wrecks Rams, Closes Buy-Low Window
Patrick Sandoval2 hours ago

Exits Early Monday With Right Oblique Tightness
Jon Gray2 hours ago

Exits Early Monday With Right-Wrist Tightness
Joe Burrow3 hours ago

Guts Out Calf Issue In Close Victory
A.J. Brown4 hours ago

Explodes For 131 Yards Against Tampa Bay
D'Andre Swift4 hours ago

Gashes Buccaneers For 138 Total Yards
Mike Evans4 hours ago

Snags Touchdown In Loss
Minnesota Timberwolves4 hours ago

Trevor Keels Signs With Timberwolves
Golden State Warriors5 hours ago

Rodney McGruder Joins Warriors
Atlanta Hawks5 hours ago

Chris Silva Joins Hawks On Exhibit-10 Deal
Julius Randle5 hours ago

Should Be Ready For Training Camp
Joe Burrow7 hours ago

Officially Active On Monday Night
Puka Nacua8 hours ago

Active Against Bengals
Alvin Kamara8 hours ago

Reinstated From Suspension
Brandon Aiyuk8 hours ago

Seen At Monday's Practice
Deebo Samuel8 hours ago

Held Out Of Monday's Practice
David Montgomery8 hours ago

Listed As Limited
Christian Watson8 hours ago

Listed As DNP Monday
Jaylen Waddle8 hours ago

Still In Concussion Protocol
Joe Burrow9 hours ago

Optimism Surrounding Joe Burrow's Monday Night Status
Garrett Mitchell12 hours ago

Could Return Tuesday
Aaron Jones12 hours ago

Could Play On Thursday Night In Week 4
Derek Carr12 hours ago

Deemed Week-To-Week With Shoulder Injury
Andy Dalton12 hours ago

Throws For 361 Yards In Loss
Pat Freiermuth12 hours ago

Scores In Week 3 Victory
Jimmy Garoppolo12 hours ago

Enters Concussion Protocol
Bryce Young12 hours ago

Uncertain For Week 4
Jonathan Mingo13 hours ago

In Concussion Protocol
Rafael Fiziev13 hours ago

Suffers Knee Injury To Cut Main Event Short
Rafael Fiziev13 hours ago

Mateusz Gamrot Victorious After Rafael Fiziev Suffers Knee Injury
Michelle Waterson-Gomez13 hours ago

Dominated In TKO Loss
AJ Fletcher13 hours ago

Drops To 1-3 In The UFC
AJ Fletcher13 hours ago

Bryan Battle Submits AJ Fletcher For Second Straight Finishing Win
Ryan Blaney14 hours ago

Speeding Penalty Costs Him Big At Texas
Francisco Alvarez14 hours ago

Dealing With Finger Contusion
Ketel Marte15 hours ago

Absent From Lineup On Monday
Mike Trout15 hours ago

Season Is Over
William Byron15 hours ago

Earns Sixth Win Of Season At Texas
Denny Hamlin15 hours ago

Secures Third Straight Top-Five Finish At Texas
Tyler Reddick16 hours ago

Late Wreck Ruins Tyler Reddick's Race At Texas
Chase Briscoe16 hours ago

Delivers Big Value At Texas
Kyle Busch16 hours ago

Championship Hopes Take Big Hit After Texas Wreck
Ross Chastain16 hours ago

Overcomes Throttle Issue To Finish Second At Texas
NASCAR16 hours ago

Bubba Wallace "Gave it Away" At Texas, Finishes Third
Chris Buescher16 hours ago

Has Another Strong Points Day At Texas
Kyle Larson16 hours ago

On Playoff Hot Seat After Wrecking At Texas
Adam Fantilli17 hours ago

Registers Two Assists In Preseason Debut
Trevor Van Riemsdyk18 hours ago

Trevor van Riemsdyk Sustains Apparent Hand Injury
Travis Konecny18 hours ago

"Banged Up"
Andrei Vasilevskiy18 hours ago

Battling Minor Injuries
Mika Zibanejad18 hours ago

Suffers An Upper-Body Injury
Kyle Palmieri18 hours ago

Set For Re-Evaluation This Week
Deandre Ayton1 day ago

To Portland A Possibility?
Damian Lillard1 day ago

Bulls, Raptors Expressing Interest In Damian Lillard
Tim Hardaway1 day ago

Pacers Reportedly Not Interested In Tim Hardaway Jr.
Buddy Hield1 day ago

To Dallas?
Francisco Alvarez1 day ago

Removed Early On Sunday
Luis Robert Jr.1 day ago

Replaced During Sunday's Game
Yandy Díaz1 day ago

Yandy Diaz Leaves Early Sunday
Ricardo Ramos2 days ago

Submitted Early At UFC Vegas 79
Charles Jourdain2 days ago

Extends Win Streak To Two
Marina Rodriguez2 days ago

Scores One-Sided TKO Win At UFC Vegas 79
Dan Ige2 days ago

Falls Short Against Another Top-10 Opponent
Bryce Mitchell2 days ago

Returns To Win Column At UFC Vegas 79
Brad Keselowski2 days ago

Feels Good About His Car at Texas
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

a Very Strong Option at Texas
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Pegged as Favorite to Win at Texas
Carson Hocevar2 days ago

Looks Impressive Again at Texas
Zane Smith2 days ago

Slow In Practice and Qualifying at Texas
Todd Gilliland2 days ago

in Downgraded Equipment for Texas
Luis Arraez2 days ago

Suffers Injury On Saturday
Ryan Preece2 days ago

Will Start 25th At Texas
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

The Top Value Play On Sunday At Texas
Ricky Stenhouse Jr2 days ago

.'s Struggles At Texas To Continue This Weekend
Joey Logano2 days ago

Makes For A Nice Bounce Back Play At Texas
NASCAR2 days ago

Bubba Wallace Wins Pole At Texas Motor Speedway
Kenley Jansen3 days ago

Returns From COVID List
Mike Trout3 days ago

Hits Off Tee
Yordan Alvarez3 days ago

Doubles In A Run, Managing Elbow Issue
MLB3 days ago

Diamondbacks-Yankees Postponed Saturday Due To Rain
MLB3 days ago

Braves-Nationals Postponed On Saturday
Nolan Arenado3 days ago

Cardinals Place Nolan Arenado On Injured List
Sandy Alcantara3 days ago

Suffers Setback After Rehab Start
Clayton Keller3 days ago

Ready To Become 100-Point Player
Nicklas Backstrom3 days ago

Feeling At 100 Percent
Oliver Ekman-Larsson3 days ago

Set To Get Look On Top Power-Play Unit
Carter Verhaeghe3 days ago

Battling Muscle Tightness
Nikolaj Ehlers3 days ago

Struggling With Neck Spasms
Logan Cooley3 days ago

Scores Wonder Goal In Preseason Opener
3 days ago

Chauncey Billups Backs Scoot Henderson To Become A "Star"
Josh Green3 days ago

Aims To Become A Bigger Defensive Presence
Josh Hart3 days ago

Set To See Minutes As Power Forward
Cade Cunningham3 days ago

Jaden Ivey Believes Cade Cunningham Will "Shock" People
DeMar DeRozan3 days ago

Ready To Shoot More Threes
Marcus Morris3 days ago

Sr. Set To Remain A Starter In New Season
Brandon Lowe3 days ago

Finished For 2023 With Knee Fracture
Salvador Perez3 days ago

On Track For Return On Sunday
Triston McKenzie3 days ago

Set To Return For Sunday's Start
Jaden McDaniels3 days ago

Timberwolves Desire To Extend Jaden McDaniels
Boston Celtics3 days ago

Celtics Signing Lamar Stevens As Bench Piece
Frank Ntilikina3 days ago

Could Be Limited At Training Camp
Jayson Tatum3 days ago

To Play More Point Guard In 2023-24?
Rasmus Dahlin3 days ago

Sabres Aiming To Lock Up Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power Long-Term
Connor Hellebuyck3 days ago

Focused On The Jets In 2023-24
Trevor Zegras3 days ago

Jamie Drysdale Absent On First Day Of Camp
Andrew Cogliano3 days ago

Hoping To Be Cleared For Season Opener
Alexander Barabanov3 days ago

Prefers To Remain In San Jose
Mattias Ekholm3 days ago

Roughly A Week Away From Skating
Damian Lillard3 days ago

Suns Considered Dark Horse To Facilitate Damian Lillard Deal
Donovan Mitchell3 days ago

Not Expected To Sign An Extension Next Summer
3 days ago

Amen Thompson Is Ready To Go For Training Camp
Mateusz Gamrot4 days ago

Seeking Victory In Seventh UFC Appearance
Rafael Fiziev4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In Win Column
Michelle Waterson-Gomez4 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
AJ Fletcher4 days ago

Set To Showcase On Main Card
Bryan Battle4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 79
Evgeny Kuznetsov4 days ago

Sees New Head Coach As "Perfect Match"
Mark Scheifele4 days ago

Open To Staying With Jets
BUF4 days ago

Buffalo Sabres Reportedly Eyeing Patrick Kane
Ricardo Ramos4 days ago

Set For First Fight In Over A Year
Charles Jourdain4 days ago

Hoping To Bring UFC Record Above .500
Marina Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets A Rematch At UFC Vegas 79
Dan Ige4 days ago

Enters UFC Vegas 79 On Two-Fight Win Streak
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back After First Career Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP