2025 Rookie Profiles: Tight End Tier 1, 2 & 3
The 1st of 2 Rookie TE Profile Articles - Tier 1 and 2.
Today, with the NFL draft just hours away, we move on to the top of the tight end position.
Following the NFL draft’s completion, I will have an article out talking through landing spots of fantasy relevant guys and whether their stock is up, down, or remained neutral.
Tier 1
TE1: Colston Loveland
The Good: Loveland is an awesome route runner for a tight end, and pairs this ability with elite size (6’6” 250) and severely underrated blocking ability. Along with his size, has enough speed for the position, with a 71st percentile speed score. He brings a rare combo of having the potential to being a legit Y-TE (inline) while also possessing elite receiving ability. He has the size/speed combo and movement ability to be a matchup nightmare.
From a numbers perspective, Loveland is awesome. He broke out as a 19 year old, is an early declare, and will be just 21 years old for the entirety of his rookie season. He boasts a 99th percentile dominator rating (49.6%). His 2.22 YPRR in his career is 2nd best in this class, peaking at 2.67 YPRR in 2024. His career 26% TPRR is also impressive, topping out at a ridiculous 38% TPRR in 2024.
Loveland had to deal with some horrendous QB play in 2024, and still put up great efficiency. Prior to this poor QB play, Loveland held a solid 53.3% contested catch rate, showing legitimate WR ability at the catchpoint. He is all but certain to grab first round draft capital, and could be major impact player from day 1.
The Bad: Loveland does not have the counting stats that you’d like to see from a round 1 tight end. He posted just 1,466 receiving yards in his 3 year career, having never crossed 650 receiving yards and or 5 TDs. He was relatively uninvolved as a freshman, with just 16 grabs/235 receiving yards on an inefficient 1.38 YPRR.
His YAC and MTF numbers are also a little concerning. His 5.4 YAC/Rec in his career is rather low, and his 0.07 MTF/Rec is a rather abysmal mark. While he has the athleticism + movement ability to improve on these numbers, and while his role was also more downfield than the average TE (8.5 aDOT), these figures are definitely concerning.
FF Summary: Loveland, the consensus TE2, is my TE1. He’s over 2 years younger than consensus TE1 Tyler Warren, and has a rare skillset that I think should translate nicely at the next level. He’s like a souped-up Dalton Kincaid that could block, and therefore earn a full time route share.
In rookie drafts, Loveland is a borderline round 1-2 pick. I’ll be getting a lot of shares at that price. Same goes for best ball drafts, where Loveland is the TE13 (ADP of 124.9). I think he lands a full-time role from week 1, and can be an awesome value at this price tag.
TE2: Tyler Warren
The Good: Warren had an awesome 2024, grabbing over 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards along with 8 TDs through the air. He added another 218 yards rushing and 4 TDs on the ground. The efficiency was awesome as well, posting an impressive 2.78 YPRR and 30% TPRR, along with a really impressive 0.152 1st downs per route run.
Warren’s superstar trait is his YAC ability. He posted a strong 0.24 MTF/Touch in 2024, with 6.7 YAC/Rec and nearly 5 YACo/Att on his rush attempts. While he may or may not get rushing opportunities at the next level, he was undeniably a threat with the ball in his hands this past year. He also has supreme hands, posting a really impressive career 63.9% contested catch rate, and just a 2.8% drop rate in 2024.
Warren is a lock for 1st round draft capital, and has a good chance to land inside the top-10. NFL teams recognize the weapon he could be at the next level.
The Bad: Warren’s lacking early career production is concerning. He did not break out until he was 21 years old, and will enter his rookie year as a 23 year old. He went for just 16 receptions and less than 200 yards in his first two seasons combined.
His efficiency up until his final season is also very concerning, posting a total 1.26 YPRR and 15.1% TPRR. In his first 3 seasons, he forced just 0.14 MTF/Rec, so it’s worth questioning whether or not his late-career production was a product of his “grown man strength” vs. younger college guys.
Warren gets praise for his blocking ability due to his large build (6’5”, 256 lbs), but several film evaluators have pushed back on this. If he can’t keep up as a blocker to the level many are expecting, this could be concerning for his future role. Will he be able to be a full time Y-TE, or will he be relegated to a “power slot” role where he’ll have to be better than legitimate WRs to earn a full-time route share?
FF Summary: Warren is almost certain to get a full time role from the jump, acquiring round 1 (and maybe even top 10) draft capital. He’s got some special abilities, but there are definitely concerns surrounding his age and early career production.
Because I prefer Loveland to Warren straight up, I will likely be getting minimal shares of Warren in rookie drafts as he’s a mid-1st round selection. As for best ball (TE8/ADP of 101.5), I will definitely not be above market in terms of ownership percentage, but will still get some shares due to the unique talent and draft capital.