Top 5 2025 NFL Draft Tight End Rankings
The 2025 NFL Draft features a strong class of tight ends, with several prospects showcasing elite receiving skills, versatility, and high-end athleticism. From Tyler Warren’s dominant final season at Penn State to Mason Taylor’s upside as a potential Travis Kelce successor, these five tight ends offer intriguing options for teams looking to add dynamic playmakers to their offenses.
1. Tyler Warren, Penn State
The Nittany Lions gave Warren a limited opportunity over his first four seasons, resulting in 49 catches for 606 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2024, he became the focal point of their offense, highlighted by a league-high 104 catches with 1,233 receiving yards and eight scores. Penn State also gave him chances in the run game (26/218/4) to up his overall value to the team.
Warren had a beast outing (17/228/1) on the road against USC. His other two 100-yard receiving games came away from home (@PUR – 8/130/2 and @MIN – 8/102). He even had six pass attempts on the year (3-for-6 with 35 yards and one touchdown). He had a floor of six catches in 10 of his 16 starts.
Sexy, impact tight ends are hard to find in NFL drafts. Warren wins contested passes, gets open over the short and intermediate areas of the field, shows open-field running, and plays with speed and quickness. His blocking has a reasonable floor on quick-hitting run plays, but Warren must prove himself vs. elite pass rushers when asked to chip and secure in pass protection.
For a team looking for a tight end with similar qualities as Travis Kelce, Warren should shine brightly in the first round. His game will have further growth at the next level, and he’ll command the ball quickly in his NFL career. The fantasy market will be following his draft stock closing in 2025, as Warren could land into a favorable situation in his rookie campaign.
2. Colston Loveland, Michigan
Over three seasons at Michigan, Loveland caught 117 passes for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns over 39 games. He set career highs in catches (56) and touchdowns (5) in 2024, but his yards per catch (10.4) was significantly lower than the previous year's average (14.4). His best showing came against Oregon, where he recorded 7 receptions for 112 yards. Loveland missed the final three games due to a shoulder injury. He finished with six catches or more in six of his 10 games.
Loveland plays with a physical style and wins with strong hands. He has a knack for finding openings in the short areas of the field while possessing the agility to get behind a defense if it is overlooked in coverage. His route running is above average, but he needs to get off the ball more effectively at the next level to create early wins.
His blocking does have risk in pass possession when asked to match up with bigger bodies at the line of scrimmage. The next step in his development is tempo in route running.
Over the past two seasons, Michigan averaged 23.9 pass attempts and 16 completions, creating a lower ceiling in his overall receiving opportunity. In the NFL, Loveland should have more chances in the passing games. Tyler Warren holds an edge over him in the open field after the catch, but the gap between the two is much closer in many other areas. The Chargers (22nd pick in the first round) could be the favorites to land Loveland due to his ties with Jim Harbaugh, but will another team select him earlier?
3. Mason Taylor, LSU
The LSU Tigers used Taylor close to the line of scrimmage over the past three seasons, based on his career yards per catch (10.1). He caught 129 passes for 1,308 yards and six touchdowns over his 38 games, highlighted by his improvement in 2024 (55/546/2). LSU threw the ball 534 last season (most in the SEC), and Taylor ranked third on the team in overall receiving production.
Taylor turns 21 on May 8th, giving an edge in age and development time over Tyler Warren and Colston Warren. His 40-yard dash time (4.65) ranked at the top end of this year’s draft class for his position. He also performed well in the bench press (28 reps of 225 lbs.), but Taylor still needs work on his hands and fire in the blocking game.
His route running is trailing due to questionable tempo and selling points at the top of his breaks. He relies on his edge in quickness and speed to get wins vs. linebackers. Taylor brings winning hands, which helps him succeed in catching the ball in tight quarters.
Entering the NFL, his overall skill has room for growth, and some of that will come from coaching and experience. The Chiefs would love an opportunity to draft a talented, upside tight end, especially with Travis Kelce getting closer to hanging up his cleats. Taylor should be a shining option they desire, but they may have to move up in the draft to acquire him.
4. Elijah Arroyo, Miami
The Hurricanes barely used Arroyo over his first three seasons (11/163/1) due to his missed time in 2022 and 2023, which was caused by multiple injuries. Last season, he caught 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging an impressive 16.9 yards per catch. Arroyo only had more than three catches in four matchups (4/89, 6/79, 5/44/1, and 4/64/1).
He tore his right ACL in 2022, and his knee wasn’t 100% this following season. Arroyo opted out of the NFL due to lingering issues with his repaired knee. His release is trailing, along with a dull foundation in his route running. Arroyo runs with eyes in his pass patterns, looking for daylight to receive passes. He must improve his blocking skills to earn more playing time at the next level. His frame (6’4” and 235 lbs.) makes him more of a big wideout rather than a true tight end.
When reviewing his college highlights, Arroyo excels at gaining yards after the catch when given opportunities close to the line of scrimmage. He flashed elusiveness, along with the wheels to beat a defense over the long field when given spacing past the second level of a defense. If Arroyo didn’t have previous knee issues, he would be an intriguing tight-end option for a team with strength already at quarterback and wide receiver.
The further he slides in the NFL draft due to his medical record, the less risk a team has to take on his upside profile. I don’t expect him to be fantasy-relevant early in his career, but I’m rooting for him to stay healthy to see where his natural talent takes him in pro ball.
5. Thomas Fidone II, Nebraska
Over the past two seasons, Fidone had a minimal receiving role (25/260/4 and 36/373) in the Cornhuskers’ passing attack. Their offense averaged 33.4 passing attempts last year, which paints an even lower receiving opportunity in 2024. He gained over 50 yards receiving three times in his college career (6/91, 4/55, and 5/50).
Fidone tore his ACL in his left knee in 2021, which had a setback and surgery the following spring, leading to two lost seasons and development time. His speed (4.70 40-yard dash) ranked in the top five for tight ends this season, but his results were recorded on his pro day at Nebraska.
His blocking skills have a reasonable floor while needing to get stronger and add bulk to handle the top defenders in the NFL. Fidone has a better-than-expected foundation in his route running with the speed to take the top off a defense.
On tape, Fidone is a high-cut runner who can labor out of brakes when asked to gear down on change of direction moves. Nebraska gave him plenty of chances past the second level of defenses, where he found open space with secondary moves in his pass patterns. I don’t expect him to evade defenders with the ball in his hands.
Similarly to Elijah Arroyo, Fidone’s injury history will hurt his draft price. He appears to have overcome his previous knee issue, which is likely to attract more interest from NFL teams. He projects to get selected on the third day of the draft.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.