2017 NFL draft rankings: Tight ends
Every NFL team craves a mismatch-creating tight end. All the better if that player can step inline and hand out a little punishment with his blocks, too. Good news for those front offices looking: The 2017 class has several prospects who fill the former void, and at least a couple who bring a complete game to the table.
Rank | Player | School | Measurables |
1 | O.J. Howard | Alabama | 6' 5", 251 lbs. |
2 | Evan Engram | Ole Miss | 6' 3", 234 lbs. |
3 | David Njoku | Miami | 6' 4", 246 lbs. |
4 | Bucky Hodges | Virginia Tech | 6' 6", 257 lbs. |
5 | Jake Butt | Michigan | 6' 5", 246 lbs. |
6 | Gerald Everett | South Alabama | 6' 3", 239 lbs. |
7 | Jeremy Sprinkle | Arkansas | 6' 5", 252 lbs. |
8 | Jordan Leggett | Clemson | 6' 5", 258 lbs. |
9 | Michael Roberts | Toledo | 6' 4", 270 lbs. |
10 | Iowa | 6' 4", 247 lbs. |
At least three tight ends—Howard, Engram and Njoku—should land within the top 50 selections, Howard and Njoku possibly pushing up into the top 20 because of their athletic upside. Don’t sleep on the group below them, though, led by Butt, once thought to be a potential Round 1 option himself but now rehabbing from a knee injury.
Roberts and Ashland’s Adam Shaheen are the lesser-known names to remember. Shaheen, especially, enjoyed a rush of attention from draft analysts before the combine.
