Dynasty Report: An Early Look at the 2025 Tight End Class (Fantasy Football) (2024)

August 30, 2024

From Sam LaPorta taking over as a rookie to Trey McBride breaking out in his second season, the tight end landscape has changed significantly over the last two seasons. In addition, Brock Bowers now enters the league as one of the most accomplished collegiate tight ends in recent history, projected to make an immediate impact for the Las Vegas Raiders. While the 2025 draft does not have an elite producer like Bowers, next year’s class currently projects to be deeper. In fact, most mock drafts currently have four tight ends projected within the first three rounds of next year’s NFL draft, which would already exceed the total we saw this year. In addition, I expect that number to only improve as multiple prospects could still emerge during the 2024 college football season.

In this article, we’ll dive into some of the top tight end prospects that could shake up the NFL landscape. For more prospect breakdowns, keep an eye on the Dynasty Report where I will highlight one prospect every week in a segment called the Prospect Watch List!

My early pick for TE1 in the 2025 NFL Draft is Colston Loveland out of Michigan. Loveland is currently projected to be a first-round pick in next year’s class after an impressive breakout campaign in 2023. As a true freshman, he was only marginally involved as he accounted for 9.4% of the team’s receiving production playing alongside Luke Schoonmaker, who would eventually be drafted in the second round by the Dallas Cowboys. In 2023, Loveland would emerge as the TE1 for the Wolverines, finishing second on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. Even with the heavy involvement of Roman Wilson and Blake Corum, Loveland still finished the year with an impressive 20% weighted receiving dominator rating. He also averaged 1.80 receiving yards per team pass attempt as a sophom*ore, which ranks in the 94th percentile among all drafted tight ends since 2013. Athletically, Loveland checks several boxes at 6’5” and 245 pounds. He possesses the speed to be a mismatch nightmare out of the slot, and the strength to be an effective blocker in the run and pass game. In short, Loveland is likely the most complete tight end in the 2025 class. Assuming he receives day one or two capital, he will likely rank around the 95th percentile in my rookie model, alongside some of the best prospects in Tyler Eifert, T.J. Hockenson, and Sam LaPorta.

Speaking of Brock Bowers, there is now a sizable gap in the Bulldogs’ offense after he declared for the NFL draft. That opens up the opportunity for Oscar Delp to take over as the TE1 this upcoming season. A versatile receiver who can line up outside or in the slot, Delp fits the mold of a modern tight end who can operate as a reliable target all over the field. What immediately stands out in his game is his athletic prowess, showcasing his quickness and speed, especially after the catch. This should not come as a surprise as Delp clocked an impressive 4.63 40-yard dash during his recruitment process in 2021. In addition, he was hand-timed in the late 4.50s, highlighting just how explosive he can be in the open field. This bodes well for his dynasty outlook as athleticism strongly correlates with tight end production in the NFL. However, with Bowers producing at an elite level over the last two seasons, Delp’s production profile leaves much to be desired, averaging only 9.2% receiving yards market share since 2022. However, I expect that number to improve significantly in 2024 as Delp will likely be one of the top targets for Carson Beck. And while he will have to compete for opportunities with Benjamin Yurosek, who just transferred to Georgia after a productive career at Stanford, Delp should still operate as a focal point for the Bulldogs’ offense. Assuming he does break out this season, he will likely be in contention for the TE1 slot in the 2025 draft, potentially ranking in the +90th percentile in my rookie model.

Are we about to see another Iowa tight end emerge in the NFL? That could be the case with Luke Lachey entering the 2025 NFL Draft. After a quiet true freshman season, Lachey has been consistently involved in the Hawkeyes’ offense, accounting for over 10% of the team’s receiving production every season since 2021. His breakout would not occur until 2022 as he set career highs in multiple metrics, operating as the second receiving option behind Sam LaPorta. In that season, he would average about 21% of their receiving yards and 67% of their receiving touchdowns. So even with LaPorta heavily involved, Lachey was already a focal point of the offense, especially in the red zone. Fast forward to the 2023 season, Lachey’s path to becoming the TE1 was wide open with LaPorta declaring for the NFL. Unfortunately, his season was cut short, playing only two games after injuring his ankle. But even in limited action, Lachey took a significant step forward as he averaged a 41% receiving yards market share and an elite 2.38 receiving yards per team pass attempt, ranking in the 97th percentile among all senior campaigns since 2013. Lachey will look to maintain his elite production heading into the 2024 season as he enters the year fully recovered from his ankle injury. And if he can stay healthy, I would not be shocked if Lachey found himself in the TE1 conversation heading into the 2025 NFL draft.

Oronde Gadsden II’s name might sound familiar as his father was a wide receiver in the NFL, primarily known for his time with the Dolphins. And while it initially seemed like Gadsden would follow a similar path as a wide receiver, he primarily operated as a tight end for the Syracuse Orange. Despite the label, Gadsden is essentially a big-bodied slot receiver who projects to be a mismatch in the middle of the field. Especially at 6’5”, he possesses the athletic ability to be a versatile receiving threat for an NFL offense. And even though he is smaller than the traditional tight end (only 235 pounds), keep in mind that players like Evan Engram, Gerald Everett, and Jordan Reed entered the league at less than 240 pounds. But even with the lighter frame, Gadsden has proven that he can be a productive receiver no matter where he lines up. As you can see above, he dominated in his sophom*ore season, averaging a 33% weighted dominator rating and an absurd 2.79 receiving yards per team pass attempt. To put that into perspective, his production in 2022 ranks in the 99th percentile among all sophom*ore tight end seasons since 2013. Unfortunately, Gadsden was on his way to another elite year before he suffered a Lisfranc injury that forced him to miss the majority of the 2023 season. On a positive note, he was a full participant in camp in August and should once again be a focal point for Syracuse in 2024. Therefore, I fully expect a bounce-back season from Gadsden, which should further improve his draft stock as we head into the 2025 NFL draft.

With Michael Mayer dominating for Notre Dame in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Mitchell Evans was barely involved to start his career. However, with Mayer declaring for the draft, Evans finally received his opportunity to shine in 2023. He did not disappoint as he set career highs across the board. In eight games, he produced an impressive 1.88 receiving yards per team pass attempt, which ranks in the 89th percentile among all junior seasons since 2013. He was also one of the most explosive tight ends in the nation, averaging over 14 yards per reception. With his ability to be a weapon against both zone and man, Evans should be one of the top tight ends drafted in 2025. However, similar to Gadsden, Evans is coming off of an injury after tearing his ACL midway through the 2023 season. Fortunately, he should be ready for the start of the 2024 campaign, returning as the TE1 for the Fighting Irish. Assuming he can stay healthy, I would not be shocked if he continued to build on his impressive junior season and found himself drafted with day two capital. Coupled with an impressive production profile, Evans currently projects to be an 88th-percentile tight end in my rookie model.

Blake CorumBrock BowersCarson BeckDallas CowboysEvan EngramGerald EverettJordan ReedLas Vegas RaidersLuke SchoonmakerMichael MayerRoman WilsonSam LaPortaT.J. HockensonTrey McBrideTyler Eifert DynastyDynasty Fantasy FootballDynasty LeaguesDynasty RankingsDynasty ReportTEs