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2026 NFL Draft Tight End Rankings: CFN’s College Football Perspective
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- 2026 NFL Draft Tight End Rankings: CFN’s College Football Perspective
There are plenty of good tight ends in the 2026 NFL Draft, but there's only one worth the hype.
Oregon
's Kenyon Sadiq
has the elite speed and skills to be an offense-changing pick early in the first round, and after him are at least ten good prospects who'll be terrific pros.
They're not exactly interchangeable, but they fit the modern day tight end mold with size, athleticism, and elusive skills.
Basically, we're all taking for granted just how good the position has become.
From the college football perspective - doing this since 1998 - here are CFN's 2026 NFL Draft Tight End rankings.
At a Glance: CFN Top 2026 NFL Draft Tight Ends
- Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon) – Fast, tough, a franchise tight end
- Sam Roush
( Stanford
) - Solid receiver, amazing blocker
- Max Klare
( Ohio State
) - Elite athleticism about to shine
- Justin Joly
(NC State) - All-around talent and field stretcher
- Eli Stowers
(Vanderbilt) - Pure receiver with upside
CFN 2026 Position Previews
QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
| OTs
| OGs
| Cs
Edge/DEs
| DTs
| LBs
| CBs
| Safeties
Aug 30, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the Montana State Bobcats at Autzen Stadium. © Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
CFN 2026 NFL Draft Tight End Rankings: Amazing Depth After the Duck
Best of the Rest Tight Ends
(In alphabetical order, with the projected draft round in parentheses) Nate Boerkircher
, Texas A&M
(4); Will Kacmarek
, Ohio State (4); Marlin Klein
, Michigan
(3); Riley Nowakowski
, Indiana
(4); Michael Trigg
, Baylor (6)
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Joe Royer
CFN TE Rank:10
College: Cincinnati
Projected Draft Round:4
Height/Weight:6-5, 247
2025 Stats:29 catches, 416 yards, 14.3 ypc, 7 TD
The wow isn't there compared to others in this draft, but he's productive when given the chance. He'll be a wonderful No. 2 tight end.
Tanner Koziol
CFN TE Rank:9
College: Houston
Projected Draft Round:6
Height/Weight:6-6, 247
2025 Stats:74 catches, 727 yards, 9.8 ypc, 6 TD
Don't overthink this. He won't do much as a blocker, but he's an elite receiver with 237 career catches and over 2,200 yards.
Jack Endries
CFN TE Rank:8
College:Texas
Projected Draft Round:5
Height/Weight:6-5, 245
2025 Stats:33 catches, 346 yards, 10.5 ypc, 3 TD
He might not be all that fast, but he's a great receiver with a wonderful frame. He won't do anything as a blocker, but that's not what you're looking for.
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Eli Raridon
CFN TE Rank:7
College:Notre Dame
Projected Draft Round:4
Height/Weight:6-6, 245
2025 Stats:32 catches, 482 yards, 15.1 ypc, 0 TD
Very big, tough, and has the wheels to get deep when needed. The knock? Knee problems, and no TDs last year.
Oscar Delp
CFN TE Rank:6
College:Georgia
Projected Draft Round:4
Height/Weight:6-5, 245
2025 Stats:20 catches, 261 yards, 13.1 ypc, 1 TD
Delp has the right height and can move, but he still has to show off as a receiver. There's boom upside after the first wave of tight ends are gone.
Eli Stowers
CFN TE Rank:5
College:Vanderbilt
Projected Draft Round:2
Height/Weight:6-4, 239
2025 Stats:62 catches, 769 yards, 12.4 ypc, 4 TD
Diego Pavia
's main man, the former quarterback has the athleticism and receiving skills, but he's not much of a blocker.
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Justin Joly
CFN TE Rank:4
College:NC State
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-4, 241
2025 Stats:49 catches, 489 yards, 10 ypc, 7 TD
More like a big fullback with fantastic all-around athleticism, he'll both battle for the ball and stretch the field.
Max Klare
CFN TE Rank:3
College:Ohio State
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-4, 246
2025 Stats:43 catches, 448 yards, 10.4 ypc, 2 TD
Ignored too much in a Buckeye attack loaded with receiver stars, the sky is the limit with his NFL tools. Forget about the blocking - throw him the ball.
Sam Roush
CFN TE Rank:2
College:Stanford
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-6, 267
2025 Stats:49 catches, 545 yards, 11.1 ypc, 2 TD
There's nothing splashy about him as a receiver, but he's good enough. He'll make his money as the best blocking tight end in the draft.
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Kenyon Sadiq
CFN TE Rank:1
College:Oregon
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-3, 241
2025 Stats:51 catches, 560 yards, 11 ypc, 8 TD
There's one tight end everyone must have, and there's everyone else in this draft.
Sadiq has rock-solid size, great hands, and 4.39 speed to be a matchup nightmare against any defensive back. Powerful, he'll blast away as a blocker, but his worth will be as a go-to target who can be used even more than he was in Eugene.
Sep 26, 2025; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Houston Cougars tight end Tanner Koziol (9) runs the ball for a touchdown after the catch against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. © Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
Best Value Prospect
Sam Roush, Stanford
It depends on what you're going for. He's a good enough target to be used more in a passing game, but he'll be more of a mid-range receiver who blasts away on everyone.
There are plenty of good pass-catching tight ends in this draft. No one pops blocks like Roush does.
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Top Sleeper Prospect
Tanner Koziol, Houston
Everyone will try to compare him to all the other tight ends, and that's not quite right.
He's a true tweener who's not athletic enough to be a wideout, and not nasty enough to be a big-hitting tight end, but whatever. He'll catch lots and lots and lots of passes for a Day Three draft pick.
Will Go Too Early
Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
It's only because we're grading on a curve here. He'll be a terrific pass catching pro, but there's a good chance he'll be the second tight end off the board, and it might be too soon.
There are enough mid-level options to wait around, but someone might jump at Stowers in the top 50.
CFN 2026 Position Previews
QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
| OTs
| OGs
| Cs
Edge/DEs
| DTs
| LBs
| CBs
| Safeties
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Related: 2026 NFL Draft WR Rankings: CFN's College Football Perspective
This story was originally published by College Football News on Apr 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL Draft section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
