Ranking the Top 10 Current NFL Tight Ends

Highlights

• The tight end position in the NFL has evolved into an integral part of both the run and pass game.
• George Kittle and Travis Kelce have long been the top two tight ends in the game.
• Younger players like Sam LaPorta and Trey McBride will look to supplant some of the greats of yesteryear.

Tight end is becoming more and more of an ambiguous position in the NFL. What started out as a glorified offensive lineman back in the day has now turned into one of the more multifaceted and nuanced positions in the game today.

Now a salient component of most passing attacks, the modern tight end isn’t only expected to be big and strong but also mobile and athletic. Tight ends have become increasingly valuable in recent years, and this upcoming season looks to be no different.

Here are the top 10 tight ends heading into the 2024 NFL season.

1 George Kittle

Kittle is the most complete tight end in the NFL today

Super Bowl 58 put a damper on George Kittle’s 2023 season. He had simply been too good and too valuable to disappear in the San Francisco 49ers‘ biggest game.

Although his meager four-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs may have tarnished his reputation a touch, it doesn’t change the fact he was the league’s best tight end by a comfortable margin last season.

Kittle is still a willing blocker who remains an integral part of San Francisco’s rushing attack and an explosive receiver in the passing game. As Kittle enters his age-31 season, he will need to learn to rely less on his athleticism and adopt a less physical playing style.

Given his propensity to embrace as much contact as possible, this will be no easy task, but Kittle is skilled and technical enough to pull it off.

2 Travis Kelce

Kelce is arguably the greatest receiving tight end ever

Travis Kelce showed signs of decline in 2023, missing time due to injury and not quite looking like himself when he was on the field. By the time the postseason rolled around, though, he was ready to go and was instrumental to the Chiefs’ championship efforts. Kelce has never been the best athlete on the field, which has allowed his game to age better than most.

Above all else, Kelce is one of the best ever when it comes to finding soft spots in zone coverage and has incredible chemistry with Patrick Mahomes. The 34-year-old is not the most complete tight end and has his age working against him, but it feels foolish to count Kelce out.

3 Mark Andrews

Health is the only thing holding Andrews back

Mark Andrews was hindered by injury in 2023, only appearing in 10 games for the Baltimore Ravens. When he was on the field, he was one of Lamar Jackson’s favorite targets and an effective receiver.

Andrews has carried a greater burden in years past than other tight ends due to the poor play from Baltimore’s receiving corps. Zay Flowers may alleviate some of that pressure in 2024, but Andrews should still get a lot of volume. At 28, Andrews has entered his physical prime and could return to his 2021 form if he can stay healthy.

4 T.J. Hockenson

T.J. Hockenson’s status with the Minnesota Vikings for the 2024 season remains up in the air, as he suffered an ACL tear late last season and is expected to miss time.

Assuming Hockenson makes close to a full recovery, there is no reason to think his Pro Bowl days are behind him. In Minnesota, the former Detroit Lion has become a security blanket and has provided the offense with toughness and reliability.

An offense that has Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison doesn’t need a field-stretcher at tight end; instead, it needs someone who works in the middle of the field and isn’t afraid of contact. Hockenson fits that bill and is among the best possession tight ends in the game today.

5 Sam LaPorta

LaPorta put together an all-time rookie season

If this list were ranking players based on their long-term upside, Sam LaPorta would be ranked much differently. For now, though, he rounds out the top five. LaPorta had an all-time great rookie season with the Detroit Lions in 2023 and was one of Jared Goff’s go-to weapons in the red zone.

LaPorta has the athletic profile to be more of a playmaker in the coming years, but it’s unclear if that’s the role offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has envisioned for him.

Scheme certainly aided LaPorta’s seamless transition to the NFL, as many of his biggest plays came off play action and pre-snap motion.

6 Trey McBride

McBride has been overlooked by many

Trey McBride was an efficient pass catcher and led all tight ends in yards per route run for much of the 2023 season.

Kyler Murray will certainly enjoy playing with Marvin Harrison Jr., but McBride will still be quite valuable to the Arizona Cardinals‘ passing attack. He’s a fluid mover and has excellent concentration when making contested catches.

McBride can’t be ranked any higher than he is at the moment, but he could easily play himself into the top five with another impressive season in 2024.

7 David Njoku

Njoku’s late-season surge earned him a spot on this list

After a tumultuous start to his career, David Njoku made his first Pro Bowl in 2023 and posted career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Much of this was due to the Cleveland Browns‘ concerted effort to get him involved in the passing game, specifically near or behind the line of scrimmage.

Njoku is a great athlete with elite burst. What is less known is how he will perform with Deshaun Watson if the two can finally play a full season together. If Watson can tap into Njoku’s reviving ability similarly to how Joe Flacco did at the end of last year, there’s no reason to think the tight end’s 2023 campaign will go down as an aberration.

8 Dallas Goedert

Goedert is a solid all-around player

Dallas Goedert wasn’t fully healthy during 2023. He missed three games with a broken forearm, and his physical playing style may have led to other lingering ailments.

Still, Goedert was a difference-maker for the Philadelphia Eagles and was able to get open at all three levels of the field. Despite his massive catch radius, he has never been much of a red-zone threat and has only reached five touchdowns once in his career.

Some of this is likely due to Philadelphia’s desire to run the ball in almost any short-yardage situation, but Goedert’s size paired and ability to highpoint the ball are too evident not to take advantage of.

9 Evan Engram

Engram showed his adaptability in 2023

Evan Engram is coming off a bizarre 2023 season, which saw him take on a new role with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The man who was once known for his speed and field-stretching ability became a high-volume receiver with a few explosive plays thrown in there.

It appears that this was mostly scheme, as the 29-year-old still moves faster than almost any other tight end on film. The Jaguars have added some big-play receivers, which could perpetuate Engram’s role with the team, but limiting him to only a possession role would be detrimental for both him and the offense.

10 Cole Kmet

Kmet is a boring yet important player in Chicago

Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet embodies what it means to be solid but unspectacular. There is nothing overly impressive about his game. He’s nearly useless after the catch, and he doesn’t have the change of direction to run a full route tree.

What he does do, however, is provide Chicago with high-effort blocking, and he works well as a checkdown option. Caleb Williams will have a plethora of talented wideouts at his disposal during his rookie season, but Kmet, who hauled in a career-high 73 catches in 2023, has been too consistent to phase out of the offense entirely.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.