-2023 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2023 Draft Kit
Chiefs TE Noah Gray is destined to have limited fantasy potential as long as he's playing behind Travis Kelce. But Gray, a fifth-round pick in 2021, is an athletic pass catcher whose career is worth monitoring. Gray had 28 catches for 299 yards and one touchdown last season. He'd be a hot waiver wire pickup if Kelce were to ever get hurt.
One of the top pass-catching tight ends in a loaded rookie TE class, Luke Musgrave should have a significant 2023 role with the Packers, who had bare cupboards at the position before the draft. Musgrave is a big target (6-6, 253) and runs like a gazelle (4.61). He has the inside track to start for the Packers right away, but it's not a slam dunk. Green Bay also drafted TE Tucker Kraft in the third round, and Kraft is a good prospect himself.
An early-second-round selection in this year's NFL Draft, LaPorta should step right into a significant role with the Lions and could see decent target volume right away, particularly with Lions WR Jameson Williams serving a six-game gambling suspension at the start of the season. The 6-3, 250-pound LaPorta ran a 4.59 at the NFL Scouting Combine and posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.02. He has a chance to provide low-end TE1 value as a rookie, but TE2 production might be a more reasonable expectation.
Tucker Kraft broke out in 2021, but missed time with an injury in 2022. He's still super young at just 22 years old, and he went to the same school as Dallas Goedert. In 2021, he finished 11th in PFF receiving grade and fourth in receptions to earn a 21% dominator rating - a top-5 single season mark in the class. He tested well at the Combine posting 63rd percentile marks or better in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump and short shuttle at 6-foot-5 and 254 pounds.
Strange will provide the Jaguars with an excellent blocking tight end who also has solid run after the catch ability. Strange will likely slide in as the TE2 on the Jaguars behind Even Engram. Thor Nystrom has Strange ranked No. 149 overall and TE9 with an NFL comparison of Jonnu Smith.
The Tennessee Titans spent a fourth-round pick on tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo last year. He had an impressive rookie season and is the team's starting tight end. However, the team lost veteran Austin Hooper in free agency, hurting their tight end depth. Whyle won't replace Okonkwo as the starter in Tennessee, but he will give the team some needed depth.
Regarded by many as the top two-way tight end in the Class of 2023, Michael Mayer of Notre Dame has drawn comparisons to Jason Witten because he shines as both a pass catcher and blocker. Mayer had more than 800 receiving yards in each of his last two college seasons, scoring seven touchdowns in 2021 and nine in 2022. Mayer will replace Darren Waller as the Raiders' top tight end and should at least flirt with fantasy relevance as a rookie.
Luke Schoonmaker finished 4th in yards per route run this past season en route to a 13% dominator rating in Michigan's offense. His 418 receiving yards marked a career-high for the fifth-year senior. But at 25 years old and not much YAC-ability to offer, Schoonmaker has a low ceiling at the next level. Not necessarily somebody to be concerned about for fantasy football purposes.
It's rare for rookie tight ends to make a significant fantasy impact, but Kincaid has a chance to provide instant value. The Bills traded up two spots in the first round of the NFL Draft to land Kincaid, who was widely regarded as the best pure pass catcher in a loaded TE class. The presence of veteran TE Dawson Knox could limit Kincaid's snaps, but he should still see his fair share of targets, and those targets will be coming from one of the NFL's top quarterbacks, Josh Allen.