NFL Draft season is upon us. Every year around this time, Jim Nagy (executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl) rounds up a talented group of college players to head down to Mobile to improve their NFL draft stock at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Over the years, we’ve had plenty of diamonds in the rough emerge as fantasy stars from this wonderful event.
Marrying stats and film, I dusted off the prospect notebook and dove into the skill sets for this year’s group of NFL hopefuls. Dynasty rookie drafts will be here before you know. Now is the time to get a jump on your league mates and study up on these prospects.
It will be a glorious week of football content to reignite your NFL Draft fires. The 2025 NFL Draft starts in Mobile. Let’s check out a few players to monitor as you prepare for your 2025 dynasty rookie drafts.
- 2025 NFL Draft Guide
- 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
- 2025 NFL Mock Drafts
- Dynasty Mock Draft Simulator
Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Tight Ends
Tight Ends
Gunnar Helm (Texas)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 27th
- PFF receiving grade: 23rd
- MTF: 6th
- YAC: 3rd
Scouting report:
Helm has underrated short-area quickness. He will flash some decent release moves when lined up on the perimeter. Helm has been known to stop on a dime at times and watch defenders fly by. He doesn’t have a ton of just eye-popping plays on his reel, but there are more than a handful that will make you say, “Oh…well damn.”
- Helm has good above-the-rim skills. He wasn’t asked to sky for jump balls much, but when he was, he came down with some impressive ones. There’s some untapped red zone application here for the NFL. 50/50 balls are more like 65/35. Helm has good hands, which led to only two drops and a 50% contest catch rate last year.
- Helm uncovers quickly. He has enough short-area quickness to sneak in a whip route if a linebacker is caught napping. Helm can threaten the seam and run away at times from defenders. He isn’t a prolific tackle breaker, but he can improve in this area in the NFL if his play strength improves only marginally in an NFL strength and conditioning program.
- Helm can get tied up with physical linebackers that can run with him. His route running is solid, but I think he will need to have better hand fighting and improve the nuance in his routes to get open regularly against man coverage or with good coverage linebackers.
- Helm is a decent blocker. He’s not an earth mover, but he can punch well and sustain his blocks long enough both in the run and passing games. He’s not a player you’d want as a puller a ton, but he can operate well enough there to do it in a pinch or against a lighter defense.
Player Comp: Austin Hooper
Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 1st
- PFF receiving grade: 1st
- MTF: 1st
- 2023 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 3rd
- PFF receiving grade: 1st
- MTF: 5th
- Career:
- 52.6% slot or out wide in his collegiate career
Scouting report:
- Fannin Jr.’s calling card in the NFL will be his receiving ability. He is a functional blocker and can hold his own, but no one should be asking that to be the main ingredient of his NFL usage.
- Fannin Jr. has build up speed that he maximizes with strong footwork. His light feet cover up some slightly stiff hips and average burst. I honestly was expecting him to be more explosive off the line and in short areas with his size, but his efficient feet allow him to make the most of his raw speed.
- He was a versatile piece of the Bowling Green offense who was utilized all over the formation. Last year, he had 32 snaps from the backfield while running 31.7% of his routes from the slot and 26.2% from the perimeter.
- Fannin Jr. ran primarily up the seam, slants, drags, ins, and outs. His crisp footwork at the top of his stem and his strong understanding of leverage allow him to gain separation well and at a higher clip than his raw foot speed might suggest at first glance.
- He can create after the catch with jab steps and manufacturing poor angles for would-be tacklers. His legs are also underrated with the power that he runs with as he can run through weak tackles and poor wraps.
Player Comp: Isaiah Likely
Terrance Ferguson (Oregon)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 14th
- PFF receiving grade: 14th
- YAC per reception: 3rd
- MTF 22nd
- 2023 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 71st
- PFF receiving grade: 34th
- MTF: 5th
- 2022 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 18th
- PFF receiving grade: 70th
- Career
- In his final three collegiate seasons, he played 57.7-74% of his snaps in the slot or on the perimeter.
Scouting report:
- Ferguson has enough speed to threaten down the seam. He has decent bend in his routes. He was utilized with plenty of schemed touches with screens and chip & uncover dump offs.
- Ferguson is an underneath weapon against zone coverage. He’s a fluid athlete with solid movement skills, but he’s not explosive and doesn’t jump off the film with his abilities after the catch or at the catch point. He could develop into a middle-of-the-road starting tight end who is a third or fourth option in an NFL passing attack.
- While blocking isn’t his main attraction, he is serviceable here. You wouldn’t want Ferguson deployed as a road-clearing lead blocker, but he can sustain his blocks when in line. Ferguson has a decent punch and can anchor well enough. He’s not an earth mover and can occasionally pull out his best matador impression against incoming rushers.
Player Comp: Cade Otton
Elijah Arroyo (Miami)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 23rd
- PFF receiving grade: 21st
- YAC per reception: 2nd
- Career
- 2024: 56.1% of his snaps from the slot or the perimeter
- ACL tear in 2022
Scouting report:
- An athletic move tight end that can be a mismatch for any pass defense. Arroyo was utilized in motion, up the seam, and on screens a ton in 2024. This was done to maximize his after-the-catch abilities, give him free releases off the line, and hide some of the route-running growth that he still needs to achieve.
- Arroyo is an upright runner and long strider who can chew up space quickly in the open field. He has 4.5/4.6 speed. He has surprisingly good deceleration and nice footwork for his size. He doesn’t use his plus feet enough in his route running or off the line to this point. Linebackers that are physical and can run with him don’t have a hard time staying with him. Arroyo’s routes lack that added nuance that can allow him to separate early and late, and his release package is limited. Arroyo can succeed against zone coverage with a decent feel for finding the holes in the coverage, but he’ll need to grow his game if he hopes to become a true mismatch weapon that can match with man coverage and good coverage linebackers.
- Arroyo uses his speed well after the catch, but he needs his play strength to show up more consistently. He forced only five missed tackles in college. He has the athleticism and upper body strength (as exhibited in his blocking) to improve in this area. I’d love to see Arroyo stiff-arm defenders in the NFL.
- Arroyo is a functional blocker. He has a decent anchor, can set the edge in run blocking, and can operate as a puller. He displaces defenders, but he isn’t an overwhelming people mover.
Player Comp: Greg Dulcich
Mason Taylor (LSU)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 63rd
- PFF receiving grade: 36th
- 2023 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 99th
- PFF receiving grade: 119th
- 2022 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 94th
- PFF receiving grade: 98th
Scouting report:
- Taylor is a solid all-around tight end who can be a league-average every-down starter. Taylor has the functional play strength and technique to be a serviceable blocker in all phases. He gets after every snap trying to drive defenders back. He sustains his blocks well enough and can operate as an edge setter or puller if needed.
- Taylor isn’t a game changing talent as a receiver, but he can be a trusted underneath option for a passing attack with some selective seam shots sprinkled in. Taylor has the speed (4.7ish) to get downtown depending upon the play design, but that’s not something you want to ask of him regularly. He has the necessary footwork/short area quickness to uncover quickly and offer a passing offense a solid option against zone coverage.
- Taylor isn’t much of a YAC threat with only 5.4 yards after the catch per reception in his collegiate career and no more than five missed tackles in any season. He can operate as a trusted weapon for a quarterback though with his 1.8% drop rate in his final season.
Player Comp: Cameron Brate
C.J. Dippre (Alabama)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 62nd
- PFF receiving grade: 101st
- 2023 (only 13 targets)*
- 2022 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 24th
- PFF receiving grade: 25th
Scouting report:
- Dippre likely settles in as a dependable TE2 for an NFL team. He played 71.7% of his collegiate snaps inline. His best work on the field comes in the blocking department. Dippre is pedal to the metal in the blocking department until the final whistle. He is 110% effort and can pancake defenders, driving them back with unwavering leg drive.
- As a receiving option, he can operate as an outlet receiver or underneath against zone coverage. He’ll occasionally sneak up the seam, but he isn’t an overly nuanced route runner, and his physical limitations show up in the passing game. He has been strong in contested situations (60% career collegiate contested catch rate), which he’ll need as he isn’t the best separator, but his hands are a worry. He has had at least a 12.5% drop rate in each of the last two seasons.
Player Comp: Luke Farrell
Jackson Hawes (Georgia Tech)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 97th
- PFF receiving grade: 89th
- Career
- Hawes never had more than 21 targets, 195 receiving yards, or higher than 1.02 YPRR in any collegiate season.
Scouting report:
- Hawes will make his money in the NFL as a blocker. He is a people-moving meanie. He can anchor well in pass protection while clearing the road in run-blocking. Georgia Tech utilized him as a puller at times. He’s not the most nimble player, so his best blocking is done in line as an edge setter.
- As a receiver, he is limited by his physical attributes. Hawes can operate as an underneath option against zone coverage. Decent physical linebackers can hang with him without a problem in the passing game. He lumbers in the open field, but he can generate some YAC through his strong lower half. He can carry defenders forward and get a few extra yards after the catch.
Player Comp: Ko Kieft
Jake Briningstool (Clemson)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 59th
- PFF receiving grade: 80th
- 2023 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 66th
- PFF receiving grade: 65th
- 2022 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 57th
- PFF receiving grade: 99th
Scouting report:
- Briningstool is a solid all-around tight end, but he doesn’t possess world-beating ability in any one area. He has enough build-up speed to threaten down the seam, but he’s not explosive enough to live consistently in that world. He can win against linebackers as an underneath threat for a passing attack, but he doesn’t have the short-area agility to split out wide. He could easily develop into a league-average starting tight end who operates as a tertiary receiving option for a passing game.
- Briningstool can hold his own in the blocking department. His upper body strength and strong hands are his best assets. He can sustain his blocks in both the rushing and passing games, but he doesn’t have the bull strength in the lower half to drive defenders into the dirt.
Player Comp: Cole Turner
Moliki Matavao (UCLA)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 29th
- PFF receiving grade: 52nd
- 2023 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 14th
- PFF receiving grade: 46th
- Career
- 67.7% of his routes from the slot or perimeter in 2024 (39.7% in 2023)
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
Thomas Fidone (Nebraska)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 46th
- PFF receiving grade: 57th
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
Gavin Bartholomew (Pittsburgh)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets)
- Yards per route run: 125th
- PFF receiving grade: 72nd
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
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