It’s a position that seems only to get extremely good or bad press, but the tight end spot remains one of the most important in a modern NFL offense. You only have to look at how many NFL offensive architects have a tight end background, from a former tight end coach in Sean McVay to an actual former tight end in Dan Campbell. In his annual pre-draft conference call, NFL Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah spoke about some of the top prospects in this year’s class, starting with the top two players who both seemed destined to be picked on the event’s first night.

“I think there is a gap between Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren and the rest of the group,” he confirmed. “I think those two guys are two of the top seven players in the (entire) draft class.”

Jeremiah stresses that these two blue chippers, though playing the same position, offer varying skills that may make them attractive in the eye of the beholder.

“Loveland, a little more quickness off the line, a little more quickness at the top of routes, can really create separation; Warren is just a big, massive bully who is going to wall guys off down the field,” the analyst explained. “I think Warren’s better on the move, whereas Loveland, if you are talking about gearing down and working back to the quarterback, he’s going to be a little more comfortable there. I think Warren, you run him down the seam, you’re running on overs, doing those types of things. And he’s just a bully when the ball is up in the air, and he’s a pain to get on the ground.”

A player whose name has been heard with increasing frequency in recent weeks is Mason Taylor from LSU, son of Hall of Fame pass rusher Jason Taylor and nephew of former Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas. Jeremiah sees Taylor as a ‘safe player’ and a player who is ‘going to start the next eight, ten years’ and goes in ‘the back half of round one, at worst early on day two’.

Jeremiah also spoke about the ‘traitsy’ Elijah Arroyo out of Miami, noting that he has had to deal with some injuries throughout his college career, and the ‘ton of production’ amassed by Harold Fannin from Bowling Green, who led the entire FBS with 117 receptions and 1,555 receiving yards in 2024. Jeremiah has these players, along with Taylor, in a tier just beneath Loveland and Warren but notes that, as with all players, it can depend on a team’s individual preference.

“There are teams that have Fannin over Taylor — he’s a tight end darling, a really good player,” Jeremiah noted. “I think he’s going to go in the second round when it’s all said and done. When you go up against Penn State and do what he did and then you show against Texas A&M when you are running away from everybody. It looks a little different watching him run. He ran 4.7 once. He didn’t blow it out, but he’s faster than you think, and he just has a knack for getting open, separating, and it’s kind of a different-looking kind of waddle that he uses as a runner. He covers ground. He can make people miss.”

Jeremiah believes the Seahawks ‘would have a hard time passing on them’ if either Warren or Loveland were still on the board when they come to make their first-round selection, while also suggesting that the Jets could take a look at Arroyo in the second round if they address their offensive tackle needs with their first pick.