2024 NFL Draft: 10 Tight End Prospects to Watch

With the college football season approaching, it’s time to take a deeper look at some of the top NFL Draft-eligible players at each position. This will help us assemble an early list of prospects to watch this fall.

2024 NFL Draft Guide
2024 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | iOL | DL | EDGE | LB | S | CB
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Tight End Prospects to Watch

Below are 10 Draft-eligible tight ends who I’ll be keeping an eye on this coming season.

Erick All (Iowa)

After missing all but the first three games of 2022 as a member of the Wolverines, All has transferred to Iowa to spend his final season of eligibility. He looked good in 2021, with a 38-437-2 line, and has prototypical size at 6’5”, 255 pounds. A smooth athlete with impressive balance and flexibility, he lined up all over the formation at Michigan, showing the ability to settle into soft spots against zone and pluck the ball away from his frame. Due to his size and competitiveness, he’s also one of the most effective blockers in the class.

Jaheim Bell (Florida St.)

This will be Bell’s first season with the Seminoles after spending the first three seasons of his collegiate career with the Gamecocks. His 2021 campaign was a disappointment, but the 6’3”, 232-pound tight end is a strong athlete who has flashed the ability to high-point the ball, make defenders miss in space, and fight for yards after contact. Interestingly, despite his frame being better suited to a flex tight end role, he actually took far more snaps inline in 2021, although he may lack the frame to excel as a blocker.

Brock Bowers (Georgia)

The consensus top tight end prospect, Bowers was so good last season that it was hard to notice eventual third-round pick Darnell Washington at times. Bowers isn’t nearly the physical specimen Washington is, but he has the ability to line up all over the formation (most frequently in the slot) and offers a very reliable pair of hands (five drops against 119 receptions over the past two years) with dynamic run-after-the-catch skills. Perhaps most importantly, the 230-pound tight end is also a very effective blocker in the run game.

Jalin Conyers (Arizona St.)

One of the more productive tight ends in college football during the second half of last year, Conyers is well-built at 6’4”, 265 pounds and caught 29 passes and five touchdowns over his final five appearances. Despite his size, he’s not the most effective blocker, and it took him until late in the year to work his way onto the field for significant snaps, especially because the Sun Devils used a fullback surprisingly often last year. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do with a bigger offensive role in 2023.

C.J. Dippre (Alabama)

Last year at Maryland, the big-bodied Dippre (6’5”, 260) established himself as a player to watch with a 30-311-3 line, typically lining up either inline or off the ball as an H-Back. His length and functional strength allows him to execute blocking assignments from the line or motion, and he shows the ability to line up opponents in space and engage with form. He’s not the most dynamic athlete at the position, but, having dropped just one pass last year, provides a reliable pair of hands as a safety valve on underneath throws.

Bryson Nesbit (North Carolina)

After a relatively quiet 2021 campaign, Nesbit caught 35-507-4 last year. He’s sort of a big receiver at 6’5”, 230 pounds, lining up primarily in the slot but occasionally releasing from more of an H-Back alignment. His main calling cards are his smooth acceleration to threaten down the seams, his wide catch radius, and his impressive flexibility for the position. He glides into zone coverage to present easy completions downfield, showing solid awareness and positioning, although he may not offer much as a traditional blocker.

Ja’Tavion Sanders (Texas)

Behind Bowers, Sanders is widely considered the second-best tight end in the class at this stage of the process. In 2022, Sanders caught three-quarters of his targets for a 54-613-5 line, primarily as an inline tight end. He has a solid build at 6’4”, 249 pounds, and his functional strength allows him to execute various types of blocks in the run game or serve as a punishing runner after the catch. He may not be the most explosive tight end in the class, but is a smooth athlete with good flexibility for the position.

Brevyn Spann-Ford (Minnesota)

Having been at Minnesota since 2018, Spann-Ford is entering his sixth season of college ball, so it was surprising that he opted to return to school. A massive 6’7”, 270-pound “Y”, he’s most frequently lined up as an inline option but can move around the formation a little bit, typically as an H-Back and occasionally in the slot. His length, base strength, and active hands could make him an effective blocking specialist, but he also broke out as a receiver last year, with career highs across the board and a 42-497-2 line.

Cade Stover (Ohio St.)

Count me among those who thought Stover should have declared for the draft last year, despite only converting to tight end full-time in 2022 after playing both linebacker and defensive end earlier in his career. He lined up all over the field, showing impressive functional strength, explosiveness, and physicality when handling various blocking assignments. He’s not the biggest target, but with his thick build and the speed to threaten down the seams, he could help an offense create mismatches at the next level.

Benjamin Yurosek (Stanford)

Weighing just 242 pounds, Yurosek isn’t quite as effective as previous Stanford tight ends in the blocking game, but has been productive as a receiver in each of the past two seasons. His 2022 campaign wasn’t as productive as 2021, but he still managed to catch 49-444-1. Able to line up all over the formation, Yurosek is a long-strider who can threaten down the seams, and looks smooth with the ball in his hands, which has led Stanford to scheme him touches on banana routes, flat releases, and even the occasional reverse.

Notice any prospects I missed? Feel free to let me know on Twitter @draftexaminer!