Tight End Rankings

It’s time to turn our attention towards the Tight Ends.  I’m going to rank 30 of them, but it’s really only the first ten that should be meaningful contributors to your team.  If they’re off the board when you’re ready to select your tight end, then you can wait until pretty late in your draft before selecting one, as the rest of the pack will all have similar stats. 

1. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys:  Witten has been an All-Pro Tight End for quite a few years now and is still the focal point in the Dallas passing game.  With the release of Terrell Owens, he could see even more looks from Tony Romo.
2. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons:  What a change of scenery for Gonzalez.  He goes from a rebuilding Kansas City team to an up and coming Falcons team.  With RB Michael Turner and WR Roddy White occupying the safeties there should be plenty of room for Gonzalez to roam across the middle.
3. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts:  In the Colts offense, Clark is used almost like a receiver and is a favorite target of Peyton Manning’s, usually the second read after WR Reggie Wayne.
4. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers:  Toe injury from last season still scares me a little bit or else I might have ranked Gates higher.  Chargers should have an explosive offense and Gates should see plenty of targets.  Will probably lead San Diego in receptions.
5. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans:  Will certainly catch his share of passes with opposing defenses concentrating on stopping WR Andre Johnson and RB Steve Slaton.  Could fly under the radar in some drafts, as he is not the household name the top four are.
6. Chris Cooley, Washington Redskins:  Cooley has plenty of talent, but had a dramatic drop in TDs last season to one.  Still heavily involved in the offense, so expect him get in the end zone more this season. 
7. Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears:  Could be a sleeper pick if he and new quarterback Jay Cutler can click from game one.  Has the skills to be the next big time tight end.
8. John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks:  The rookie came out of nowhere last season to show that he can be a very productive player when given the chance.  With a healthy Matt Hasselbeck back behind center, one has to think his production will only get better.
9. Visanthe Shiancoe, Minnesota Vikings:  Brett Favre likes to use his tight ends and Shiancoe should absolutely benefit from this.  Last season was his breakout with 7 TDs and almost 600 yards. 

10.  Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Would have him ranked higher if I was sold on the Bucs quarterback situation.  Should be leaned on a lot to help the short passing game. 

11.  Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles

12.  Kevin Boss, New York Giants

13.  Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders

14.  Dustin Keller, New York Jets

15.  Tony Scheffler, Denver Broncos

16.  Jeremy Shockey, New Orleans Saints

17.  Bo Scaife, Tennessee Titans

18.  Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins

19.  Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers

20.  Donald Lee, Green Bay Packers

21.  Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers

22.  Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions

23.  Martellus Bennett, Dallas Cowboys

24.  Mercedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars

25.  Ben Watson, New England Patriots

26.  Shawn Nelson, Buffalo Bills

27.  L. J. Smith, Baltimore Ravens

28.  Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers

29.  David Martin, Miami Dolphins

30.  Desmond Clark, Chicago Bears

This post was written by George Kurtz