How UW's DeGraaf Compares to Top College Tight Ends

The top five college football tight ends, according to ESPN, are all juniors, similar in size and receptions, who turn up on teams from Philadelphia to Seattle.

They range from 6-foot-4 to 6-7, and from 237 pounds to 265.

One originally is from London.

Each of them seems well positioned to become an NFL player, perhaps as early as next year for all of them.

They include the University of Washington's Decker DeGraaf, who has been on a career ascent since first arriving in Montlake, even catching a touchdown pass within the first few plays of his Husky career.

Proud of you @DeckerDegraaf! Keep working hard, son 🙌 pic.twitter.com/mdwOVtCOX6
— Keri DeGraaf, MPA (@KDegraaf) June 19, 2026

Oregon's 6-foot-5, 257-pound Jamari Johnson tops this latest list breaking down the tight-end elite for 2026. A 10-game starter last season, he caught 32 passes for 510 yards and 3 touchdowns, which included 3 receptions for 60 yards against the Huskies.

From Inglewood, California, Johnson played his first two seasons for Louisville, shared the position at times with former Husky Mark Redman, but he missed the 2024 Sun Bowl against the UW because of a season-ending injury.

Jamari Johnson celebrates a touchdown catch during the Oregon Spring Game in April. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Physically, Trey'Dez Green from LSU is the most imposing player among these tight ends, carrying a 6-foot-7, 237-pound frame to go with considerable athleticism.

Hailing from Jackson, Louisiana, Green received second-team All-SEC honors last season while starting just six of the 11 games in which he appeared. He finished with 33 receptions for 433 yards and a team-best 7 scores.

LSU tight end Trey'Dez Green (14) catches a ball against Houston in 2025. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

This tight end no longer has controversial quarterback Brendan Sorsby to throw to him, but Texas Tech's Terrence Carter Jr. still comes very highly regarded and will be expected to be highly productive no matters who's taking the snaps.

Smaller than the others at 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, Carter from Killeen, Texas, was a 12-game starter who caught 55 passes for 624 yards and 5 TDs, all of which earned him second-team All-Big 12 recognition.

Texas Tech tight end Terrence Carter Jr. scores against Kansas in 2025. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The unusual member on this list of elite tight ends is Temple's Peter Clarke, a 6-foot-6, 265-pound player from London and the NFL Academy.

A 10-game starter, Clarke caught 30 passes for 483 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2025 while emerging as a second-team All-American Conference selection.

The Huskies' DeGraaf matches up favorably with the others singled out here. The 6-foot-4, 249-pound tight end from San Dimas, California, comes off a 2025 season in which he started 11 games and hauled in 32 passes for 360 yards and 2 scores.

If spring football was any indication, DeGraaf will become more of a passing option for quarterback Demond Williams Jr. this fall, with the two continually connecting in April.

Add us as a preferred source on Google