- The 2025 NFL Draft Rankings: QBs | The Best and Most Daring Outlaws in the Wild West
- The 2025 NFL Draft Rankings: RBs | A Brand New Era
- The 2025 NFL Draft Rankings: WR | The Best New Prospects
- The 2025 NFL Draft Rankings: TE | New Cowboys and Outlaws
Continuing on with our Wild West theme, the tight end position is one of the most difficult to assess at the collegiate level for projection to the NFL. If the 2025 quarterback class is like the top outlaws—battling to be the biggest and baddest—then the tight ends are the cowboys that seemingly come out of nowhere to prominence. This article aims to wrangle these cowboys by providing 2025 NFL Draft Rankings for tight ends.
We routinely see tight ends drafted in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft that ascend to the top of the NFL’s landscape. College teams rarely feature tight ends, which leads to lower production numbers in college. Without the ability to see what these prospects can do as major contributors, we (dynasty managers) are left to assess their potential with a limited amount of information.
The 2025 NFL Draft class for tight ends is no different. Not only are there unknowns with each of these players as prospects, but NFL teams use tight ends in a myriad of ways by looking for vastly different traits. These rankings attempt to incorporate all of the unknown into a digestible format.
NOTE: These 2025 NFL Draft rankings are a living thing. They have changed since the start of the season and will eb and flow throughout the rest of the 2024 season—all the way up to the 2025 season. Check back for regular updates!
2025 NFL Draft Rankings | QB | RB | WR | TE | by Tristan Cook
TIER 1 2025 NFL Draft Rankings
TE1 | Colston Loveland | Michigan | 6’ 5” | 245 lbs.
Right now, the position with the closest thing to a consensus top player is tight end. The man at the top of that list is Colston Loveland. He is quick enough to beat linebackers and big enough to cause havoc for safeties. Most importantly, he does well in making contested catches, like this one:
Loveland is as well-rounded of a tight end prospect as you’ll find in most drafts and will likely see the field right away. While this class may not have the elite-level tight end prospect that we have seen in years past, it doesn’t mean there aren’t players that can make an impact for your dynasty roster.
TIER 2 2025 NFL Draft Rankings
TE2 | Oronde Gadsden II | Syracuse | 6’ 5” | 236 lbs.
There is a chance that Oronde Gadsden II won’t be in my tight end rankings at all by the end of the year. But, that’s only because he may be closer to a wide receiver than a tight end. He is listed as a TE on Syracuse’s roster and I believe that his skill set fits better there than out wide.
However, he’s going to need to go to a team that utilizes him as a receiving weapon rather than trying to make him into a well-rounded player. If he can be used properly (think Jimmy Graham-like role) Gadsden could be the next great fantasy tight end.
TE3 | Tyler Warren | Penn State | 6’ 6” | 257 lbs.
Another year, another Penn State tight end high in draft rankings. At 6’ 6” and 257 pounds, Tyler Warren is a massive target for the aforementioned Drew Allar. Warren is leading the Nittany Lions in all receiving categories so far in 2024.
It’s easy to scout the helmet that a player is wearing and unintentionally raise their draft stock based on players that have come before them for their school. However, Tyler Warren would be a top prospect wherever he was. It’s difficult to project where tight ends will get drafted but Warren needs to be on your dynasty radar.
TE4 | Luke Lachey | Iowa | 6’ 6” | 247 lbs.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before but… another year, another Iowa tight end high in draft rankings. Again, just because a prospect is from a program that is known to produce good NFL players at tight end doesn’t mean that he can’t also be a good prospect.
That’s exactly what we have here with Luke Lachey. He has natural, smooth hands when catching passes; is very versatile, having lined up all over the field for Iowa; and has a knack for finding open areas against defenses. It wouldn’t shock me if Lachey ends up getting drafted on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
TIER 3 2025 NFL Draft Rankings
TE5 | Mason Taylor | LSU | 6’ 5” | 255 lbs.
The next man up is LSU’s Mason Taylor. Like the names above him in my rankings, Taylor is a versatile weapon that can line up all over the field and create mismatches. He has soft hands when the ball is thrown his way. He excels at turning the ball upfield after making a catch. Taylor is closer to joining the tier above him than the prospects below are to joining his tier.
TIER 4 2025 NFL Draft Rankings
TE6 | Terrance Ferguson | Oregon | 6’5” | 255 lbs.
My fourth tier of tight end prospect features a variety of types of tight end prospects. Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson is the most-prototypical tight end prospect in this tier. He should find his way onto an NFL field quickly due to his ability as both a blocker and receiver. Assuming Ferguson returns to the field quickly and tests well during the pre-draft process, I expect Ferguson to be a draft riser.
TE7 | Harold Fannin Jr. | Bowling Green | 6’4” | 230 lbs.
Harold Fannin Jr. is one of the most challenging tight end prospects to rank. Prior to the 2024 season, Fannin was an undersized tight end prospect failing to make a large impact at a small school. After a breakout season this year, he has put himself firmly in the 2025 NFL Draft rankings for tight ends.
TE8 | Elijah Arroyo | Miami | 6’4” | 245 lbs.
Similar to Fannin, Miami’s Elijah Arroyo was quiet prior to the 2024 season. Unlike Fannin, Arroyo is much closer to a traditional tight end build. While Arroyo has not been a dominant force in the Miami passing game, he has shown flashes of a versatile red zone weapon. He is working his way up my 2025 NFL Draft rankings.
TE9 | Gunnar Helm | Texas | 6’5” | 245 lbs.
The last player in this tier, Texas’ Gunnar Helm, has jumped up my rankings from the start of the the season until now. Prior to this year, he had a grand total of 19 receptions in his college career. However, after the departure of much of the Texas offense for the NFL, Helm has become a focal point. He shows great contested-catch skills and run-after-catch ability. I’m eager to see how he progresses.
TIER 5 2025 NFL Draft Rankings
TE10 | Oscar Delp | Georgia | 6’5” | 245 lbs.
TE11 | Mitchell Evans | Notre Dame | 6’5” | 260 lbs.
TE12 | Brandt Kuithe | Utah | 6’2” | 236 lbs.
The important thing to remember is that these 2025 NFL Draft Rankings are fluid. They have changed since the start of the season and will change again before the end. I will post another update to these rankings near the end of the college football season.
The weekly College Prospects to Watch article will reflect changes between now and my rankings update. Additionally, my wide receiver and running back rankings will be released early next week.
There are a lot of good players that were not included in this list. Players like Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, Cincinnati’s Joe Royer, Pittsburgh’s Gavin Bartholomew, Clemson’s Jake Briningstool, SMU’s RJ Maryland, North Carolina’s Bryson Nesbit, and many others. Some of these prospects fall somewhere between tight end and wide receiver.
I included some of them in my tight end rankings, but they are hard to project. As the season winds down and the pre-draft process speeds up, we will learn how the NFL sees some of these prospects. Omission doesn’t mean I don’t like a player, nor does it preclude them from rising into the Top 12 by the time of rookie drafts next year.
The important thing to remember is that these 2025 NFL Draft Rankings are fluid. They have changed since the start of the season and will change again before the end. I will post another update to these rankings near the end of the college football season.
More 2025 NFL Draft Rankings
The weekly College Prospects to Watch article will reflect changes between now and my rankings update. My Quarterback 2025 NFL Draft Rankings for the incoming rookie class is here:
My Running Back 2025 NFL Draft Rankings are now live as well for this rookie class:
My Wide Receiver 2025 NFL Draft Rankings for next year’s rookie class can be found below:
Our staff is working on a new mock draft each week, so be sure to check back regularly for more 2025 NFL Draft content. In case you missed it, here’s our most recent SuperFlex Rookie Mock Draft for the 2025 NFL Draft rookie class:
