-2024 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2024 Draft Kit
Bell will backup Hunter Henry as a rookie and isn't on our redraft radar barring an injury. He is more interesting in Dynasty leagues, where he can be considered as early as Round 4, or Round 3 in tight end premium leagues. Bell's best season in college came as a 20-year-old at South Carolina when he tied for the team lead with five touchdowns and finished second on the team with 497 receiving yards. For reference, Xavier Legette played 11 games that season and caught eight passes for 63 yards. Bell has the requisite athleticism and upside to eventually turn into a Fantasy starter, but you may have to wait a while.
The Bengals selected All in the fourth round of the NFL Draft, and he could be their tight end of the future. For this season, All isn't expected to produce much, if at all, coming back from a torn ACL in October. He's not worth drafting in redraft leagues, and he's a third-round pick at best in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. Cincinnati also has Mike Gesicki as its starter this season, so All could have a minimal role even when healthy. Prior to getting hurt in 2023, All appeared in seven games for Iowa and caught 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns. By 2025, All could be a significant contributor, but this season you can just add him off waivers if he starts out the season playing well and getting more production than Gesicki.
The Bengals grabbed Arizona TE Tanner McLachlan in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. A no-star recruit from Canada, McLachlan started his college career at FCS-level Southern Utah. His four years there included just 15 catches and a 2020 torn ACL. McLachlan missed the entire 2021 season and then transferred to Arizona. He turned in two productive seasons for the Wildcats, posting 34-456-2 and 45-528-4 receiving lines and passing Rob Gronkowski as the school’s all-time leader in receptions by a TE. McLachlan is a 6’5, 244-pounder and earned a solid 7.66 Relative Athletic Score at the Combine, highlighted by a 4.61-second 40 time. He’s a smooth athlete with reliable hands, but his route running needs refinement. That’s a bigger concern considering McLachlan is already 25 years old. He joins fellow rookie TE Erick All in Cincinnati, along with TEs Mike Gesicki, Tanner Hudson, and Drew Sample. It’s a fine landing spot, but McLachlan is well off the redraft radar and isn’t an exciting dynasty target.
Stover enters the NFL as a rookie with a dual-threat skill set and his blocking profile could land him on the field sooner than expected. He may have even more upside as a pass-catcher, which is why he's considered among the second-tier rookie options at the position behind Brock Bowers. Stover was a finalist for the John Mackey Award (given to the nation's top tight end) in 2023, and he racked up 576 yards on 41 receptions with five TDs in 12 games for Ohio State last year while serving as the second option behind Marvin Harrison Jr. While he is unlikely to make an impact in redraft leagues in 2024, he is worth consideration starting in Round 4 in rookie-only drafts.
A fourth-round pick out of TCU, Wiley is a big-bodied target with plus-athleticism. He may have fallen in the draft not only because he lacks quality speed but because he didn't break out until his fifth year of college football after transferring from Texas. He's obviously destined to be a backup with the Chiefs until Travis Kelce misses time, and even then he's not promised anything in terms of playing time. But there's a chance he eventually fills the Kelce role if he sticks with the Chiefs long enough. Patient Dynasty league managers could swipe Wiley with their last pick.
There's no better tight end prospect than Brock Bowers in this class. Or perhaps ever as Bowers is regarded as the greatest college football tight end of all time. The former Bulldog tight end broke out immediately in 2021, posting a 28% dominator rating in his first season as a true freshman with 13 TDs and 882 receiving yards. The Raiders drafted the top pass-catcher available on the board in tight end Brock Bowers, which I don't hate from a real-life perspective. But are we really honestly convinced that new LV OC Luke Getsy is going to create an offense that takes advantage of Bowers as a true big slot while feeding WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers? Let alone in an offense that HC Antonio Pierce wants to run the ball 30-plus times per game? With Aidan O'Connell/Gardner Minshew at quarterback? We know that tight ends can be the most landing-dependent offensive pieces. Frankly, I just hate the spot with LV. Simply put, rookie tight ends need good QBs to produce.
There will be a very interesting camp battle between Daniel Bellinger and Johnson to be the Giants' TE1 after Darren Waller chose to retire. Bellinger should have the early edge because of his experience in the system, but Johnson's upside is intoxicating. His 9.93 Relative Athletic Score ranks him as one of the most athletic tight ends ever to test at the combine. While Bellinger may be more prepared to help the team compete, but he played more than 80% of the team's offensive snaps in six games in a row in 2023 and totaled 138 yards in those two games. The winner of the TE1 job should only be on the radar in deeper leagues in redraft, but Johnson is still worth a Round 3 pick in rookie-only drafts. I'd like him even more in leagues where I have a taxi squad to stash him for a year.
Ben Sinnott has been - by far - the most productive tight end in the class, aside from Brock Bowers. Produced dominator ratings of 17% and 21% the last two seasons at Kansas State, capped off by finishing third in the nation in receiving yards per game among tight ends (56 yards per game). Sinnott also posted top-3 marks in the 2024 tight end class in targets share (20%), YAC/game (27.4) and broken tackles forced per reception (31%). Sinnott cemented himself in the running for TE2 in the class with elite athleticism to match his strong production with strong athletic testing at the NFL Combine • 4.68 40-yard dash (70th percentile) • 40? vertical jump (1st in the class, 97th percentile) • 126? broad jump (1st in the class, 94th percentile) • 6.82 3-cone (1st in the class, 96th percentile) • 4.23 short shuttle (81st percentile) At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Sinnott looks like a solid sleeper tight end in this draft with no "true" standouts behind Bowers. His sleeper status is further heightened after he was selected in the 2nd round by the Washington Commanders. Sinnott fits what Adam Peters (formerly of the 49ers) would want at tight end. Great after the catch, super productive at the college level, above average athleticism, and experience as a fullback. He's Sam LaPorta, George Kittle, and Kyle Juszczyk all wrapped up into a fun package. The best part is that he has a path to targets in the Commanders' offense.
Sanders profiles as more of a move tight end than a traditional Y and that's excellent news for Fantasy purposes. TEs have a better chance of producing in Fantasy if they are used in the slot and moved around the formation. Sanders didn't test as fast as expected (4.69) as a straight-line runner, but his 1.59 10-yard split was elite and showed off his quickness and burst off the line of scrimmage. He is unlikely to make a Fantasy impact in 2024 as he develops his skill set, but if he earns early playing time, he could jump on the waiver wire radar at a position always searching for production. Sanders is worth consideration in Round 3 of rookie-only drafts.
The Buccaneers selected Culp in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 246th overall. Culp is an athletic tight end who serves as a flier for Tampa Bay in the final round of the draft. He was a member of the explosive Washington offense in 2023 but was limited to only 16 catches for 208 yards. He struggled to remain on the field consistently as a tight end, but he was part of kick and punt coverage units -- which is likely also his clearest path to an NFL roster.
Tip Reiman selected No. 82 by Arizona CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals have selected TE Tip Reiman with the No. 82 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Fantasy ImpactReiman is considered an excellent run blocker. He will be useful in the short passing game, as evidenced by is 203 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 19 receptions in 12 games last season. Fantasy managers should expect Reiman to slot in behind TE Trey McBride.
Barner figures to compete for playing time this preseason with the Seahawks. A one-year starter at Michigan, Barner has good acceleration and jumping skills to assimilate into a pro-style offense. His issue is that he's blocked for playing time by Noah Fant and is in an offense that seems tailored to wide receivers, not so much tight ends. Barner is barely on the Dynasty radar as a late-round pick in rookie-only drafts.