As much as the modern NFL is a 3×1 league in the passing game, the ways in which teams get to that equation are very different. Last season, the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, known above all for their explosive passing game, ranked second in the league in dropbacks with two tight ends on the field — their 245 such dropbacks left them behind only the Baltimore Ravens (338 dropbacks with two tight ends), who are far better known for such things.
With two tight ends on the field, Patrick Mahomes completed 166 of 230 passes for 1,707 yards, 831 air yards, 16 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 113.4. The Philadelphia Eagles, who met the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, had the highest passer rating (127.1) with two tight ends on the field.
No team had more dropbacks with three tight ends on the field than Kansas City’s 78 (the Houston Texans ranked second with 48), and in those 3TE sets, Mahomes completed 51 of 68 passes for 714 yards, 314 air yards, 11 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 149.0.
Of course, it helps to have a generational, slam-dunk Hall of Famer like Travis Kelce on your roster when going heavy at the position, but the overarching point is that tight ends are more important to a lot of NFL offenses than you may think — and not just the ones you know about.
So, when we turn our attention to the tight ends prospects in the 2023 draft class — a class as full of talent at the position as we’ve seen in years — it’s crucial to understand that there isn’t just one type of tight end important to NFL teams. The big receivers who don’t block obviously have better stans and get the most recognition for the most part, but it’s about more than that.
Here are the eight top tight ends in the 2023 NFL draft class.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).
(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com).
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