Oregon Tight End Kenyon Sadiq Gets Surprising Projection in New NFL Draft Mock

Former Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq is widely considered the No. 1 overall tight end prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Which begs the question: Just how far could he drop in the first round?

Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq celebrates with fans as the Oregon Ducks face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sept. 27, 2025, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks will hope to repeat the success their former players had in the 2025 NFL Draft in April of 2026. Oregon had two players selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft (Derrick Harmon, Josh Conerly Jr.) 

For the 2026 NFL Draft, the Ducks have had multiple players mocked to be selected in the first round, one of whom is former Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq. 

Sadiq had an incredible career with the Ducks and is being heralded as the No. 1 overall tight end prospect by many analysts in the 2026 NFL Draft. Sadiq finished his 2025 season with Oregon with 51 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns. 

New NFL Mock Draft Disses Oregon Tight End Kenyon Sadiq

Jul 23, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Sadiq’s best game came at Autzen Stadium against USC when he hauled in six catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Despite this, the latest mock draft by ESPN, created by NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller, has Sadiq falling all the way to the end of round one. 

Miller has projected that Sadiq will be taken by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 23 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The fit itself makes sense, with current Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert turning 31 years old and becoming a free agent in the coming offseason. It would make financial sense for the Eagles to not pay Goedart and instead draft Sadiq, who they can have on a rookie contract for the next few seasons. 

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Kenyon Sadiq Could be a Great fit for Philadelphia Eagles

Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq talks with reporters during Oregon football’s Media Day on July 28, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The fit for Sadiq makes sense as well. Sadiq, if selected by the Eagles, would go to a franchise that is on the upswing and will be in the mix for Super Bowl appearances for the years to come. Sadiq would also be guaranteed four games a year against sub-par defenses in both the Washington Commanders and New York Giants.

The only issue with the fit for Sadiq and the Eagles is that there is only one football. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will command a ton of carries in 2026, and Eagles wide receivers AJ Brown and Devonta Smith will be fed the ball at will, leaving perhaps too thin a slice of pie for Sadiq. 

Kenyon Sadiq NFL Draft Projection

Jul 23, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The No. 23 overall pick is where Miller may lose some Ducks fans. Sadiq is widely considered the best tight end prospect in the NFL Draft, and there are quite a few teams selecting ahead of the Eagles who may want to add him to their arsenal of weapons, such as the Kansas City Chiefs, who select at No. 9 overall.

Whether Sadiq is taken somewhere in the No. 10 to No. 20 range is yet to be seen, but it is hard to fathom that a player with his talent and size would drop all the way into the back end of the first round.