-2025 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2025 Draft Kit
Luke Lachey was a 7th round draft pick (255th overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft, selected by the Houston Texans. Lachey is a long-shot to make the Texans' final roster. Even if he does, he'll be competing for playing time with other tight ends on the Texans depth chart, including Dalton Schultz and Brevin Jordan.
The Panthers selected the Notre Dame alum in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. He walks into a crowded tight end room with Tommy Tremble and Ja'Tavion Sanders sitting atop the depth chart. Evans is a better all-around option than either of them. Evans recorded solid blocking scores during his time at Notre Dame and excelled as a receiver. Evans wasn't nearly the same in 2024 as he recovered from a torn ACL. When he was operating at the height of his powers in 2022, he ranked sixth in yards per route run and seventh in receiving grade (per PFF). He's not a top-shelf athlete, so the upside is ultimately capped for him in fantasy circles, even if he can secure the full-time role. That doesn't mean that he can't develop in a TE2 with top-15 upside if it all comes together. Pick him up off waivers and stash him.
Rookie Terrance Ferguson has a chance to make an immediate contribution to the Rams, who took him in the second round of the draft. A terrific athlete who posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.30, Ferguson has more than 40 catches in each of his last two college seasons at Oregon. Playing in Sean McVay's offense and catching passes from Matthew Stafford has its perks, but there might not be much target spillover for Ferguson with WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams around.
The Jets addressed an offseason need at tight end by spending a second-round pick on LSU's Mason Taylor, the son of former Dolphins sack artist Jason Taylor. The younger Taylor has good size (6-5, 250) and athleticism, and he'll have a chance to contribute immediately. But considering that Taylor never had more than 546 receiving yards or three TD catches in any of his three college seasons, we should probably keep expectations in check for his rookie year.
Harold Fannin put up absurd numbers at Bowling Green last season, catching 117 passes for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns. The good news about Fannin's NFL landing spot is that the Browns spent a third-round pick on him. The bad news is that Cleveland already has David Njoku as its primary tight end. Fannin's hands and movement skills should translate to the NFL -- eventually. But at 230 pounds, Fannin might not be an every-down tight end. The prospects of a fantasy-relevant season for Fannin in 2025 seem remote at best.
Tyler Warren posted absurd numbers for Penn State in 2024, with 104 catches, 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. He has an angry playing style reminiscent of Georget Kittle. Warren is not easy to tackle. The Colts landed Warren with the 14th overall pick of the draft. It seems like a suboptimal landing spot given the Colts' uncertainty at quarterback. But Warren did some damage as a runner last year at Penn State, adding 218 rushing yards and four TD runs. That's one possible way for Warren to pad his value. But it's probably best to temper expectations for Warren in his rookie season.
Bartholomew took my curiosity captive during the NFL Draft process. His film and athleticism didn't make his lackluster analytical profile. He has an 8.8 RAS score, a 4.7 40-yard dash, an 89th percentile 3-cone, and 91st percentile or higher vertical and broad jumps. This type of athletic ability shows up on his film as he has good bend in his routes and displays decent ball tracking in a limited sample. Bartholomew has intriguing movement skills that give hints that another evolution of his game could occur at the next level. The Vikings selected him in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. He's currently the TE3 on the Vikings depth chart, but he could be the backup to T.J. Hockenson next year as Josh Oliver is a free agent after this season. In tight-end premium formats or deep leagues, he's worth a taxi squad spot.
Most people expected Penn State's Tyler Warren to be the first tight end selected in this year's draft, but the Bears took Loveland 10th overall, while Warren went 14th to the Colts The 21-year-old Loveland is a talented young prospect who joins a Chicago offense that appears to be on the rise. Loveland will be playing for new Bears head coach Ben Johnson, who helped coax a TE1 overall finish out of rookie TE Sam LaPorta in Detroit in 2023. But Loveland faces stiff target competition in his rookie year, since the Bears have D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden at wide receiver, plus veteran TE Cole Kmet. For now, Loveland is a more appealing asset in dynasty leagues than in redraft leagues, since it seems unlikely he'll make a major impact in his first NFL season.
Second-round rookie Elijah Arroyo will be given every chance to replace perennial underachiever Noah Fant as Seattle's top tight end. One of the more athletic members of this year's talented rookie TE class, Arroyo had 595 receiving yards and seven TD catches in his final college season at the University of Miami-Fla., then stood out in Senior Bowl practices. A major rookie-year impact seems unlikely, but Arroyo is certainly worth monitoring.
Hawes won't be a viable fantasy option unless you play in a point-per-pancake league. He's a devastating blocker, but he ranked only 97th in yards per route run last year (per PFF). Bills fans will love him more than Fantasy GMs.
Helm concluded his collegiate career with a productive final season at Texas. He ranked 27th in yards per route run, 23rd in receiving grade, third in yards after the catch, and sixth in missed tackles forced. He destroyed his ankle at the NFL combine and continued testing anyway, which led to some horrid numbers. It's safe to say that I don't think Helm is an elite-tier athlete, but we can chuck those numbers in the trash. The Titans added him in the fourth round of the draft as they were shopping in the skill player bargain bin. Helm could be the team's Week 1 starter, as Chig Okonkwo isn't someone to really worry about holding him off. Helm could develop into a solid/top-15 fantasy type of tight end if everything breaks right for him. Add him to your taxi squads, and let's see what happens.