Tight End Analysis

Despite the widespread belief that the tight end position is best filled in later rounds, the position sees the usual rate of decline on a per-round basis as most roles, with a steady drop off. While there are a few true gems at the position unearthed in later rounds, it is more likely to find a difference-maker early on. However, there’s a note of caution to be had here that might be buried in a simple chart.

A third of all second-round tight ends and half of all third-round tight ends fail to accumulate a thousand yards in their first five years. More than a quarter of the tight ends drafted on Day Two average less than one touch down per season in the first five years–and 60% of the fifty-one tight ends drafted in Rounds 1-3 will fail to start 40 games in the first five years. 

Of course, all of this overlooks the hard-to-quantify role tight ends play in blocking. Still, teams do not value tight ends as heavily as other positions, with only 14 taken per year, unlike the 23.5 per year of running backs or the 31.5 of wide receivers.