College Football Draft Kit: Tight Ends

Welcome to the final installment of our positional previews for the draft kit. We're taking a look at the undervalued tight end position, a position that is notoriously shallow. However, despite that lack of depth, there is always a number of standouts who can sometimes be kingmaker in a given league, like Missouri's Albert Okwuegbunam or Iowa's Noah Fant in 2017. Without further adieu, let's dive into this year's crop of top tight ends.

Editor's Note: The following article also appears in Rotowire's annual Fantasy Football Magazine, coming to newsstands in July of 2019.

1.)Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri, Senior

Okwuegbunam's game is every bit as imposing as his name, and he heads into 2019 as a candidate to emerge as the nation's top tight end. A shoulder injury that ended his season at nine games last year should be a non-issue by the time fall camp arrives, in which case Missouri will again lean heavily on Okwuegbunam after throwing 59 targets to him in nine games last year, which he turned into 43 receptions for 466 yards and six touchdowns. Okwuegbunam totaled an absurd 29 receptions for 415 yards and 11 touchdowns on 37 targets the prior year, his redshirt freshman season.

2. Jared Pinkney / Vanderbilt / Senior

Pinkney was identified as a good player well before the 2018 season, but he still surprised with the breakout season that ensued. Pinkney saw his target count more than double from 34 to 88 from 2017 to last year, catching 50 for 774 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games. He might be a candidate for regression, both because he set the bar high generally in 2018 and because his quarterback (Kyle Shurmur) graduated. The team hopes one of Deuce Wallace or Riley Neal can replace Shurmur, in which case Pinkney might be able to repeat last year's numbers after all.

3. Harrison Bryant / Florida Atlantic / Senior

Few tight ends nationwide offer the fantasy upside Bryant poses this year. He'll look to build on a two-year run where he's turned 106 targets into 77 receptions for 1,070 yards and nine touchdowns, leaving him with a superb 72.6 percent catch rate at 10.1 YPT. The FAU offense lost three of its leading producers from scrimmage this offseason, too, with Devin Singletary, Kerrith Whyte, and Jovon Durante leaving a truly mammoth void behind. With that sort of usage up for grabs and the talent he's demonstrated to this point, it's exceedingly difficult to imagine Bryant disappointing in 2019.

4. Grant Calcaterra / Oklahoma  /Junior

Calcaterra's anticipated breakout following Mark Andrews' departure fell a bit flat, but he was still productive overall. He caught 26 of 43 targets for 396 yards (9.2 YPT) and six touchdown, but fellow tight end Lee Morris outshined him with more touchdowns and yards. Both are back this season, which is why Calcaterra is outside the top three here. Still, Calcaterra has a starting role in the Oklahoma offense and his speed makes him a Mark Andrews-esque threat down the seam and in the red zone.

5. Pat Freiermuth / Sophomore / Penn State 

Filling Mike Gesicki's shoes would've been a tall task for anyone in 2018, let alone a true freshman. Freiermuth managed to do that without having much of a dropoff from his predecessor, catching 26 of 47 targets for 368 yards (7.8 YPT) and eight touchdowns. His eight scores led the team and his 368 yards were second only to KJ Hamler. Penn State had some skill position attrition this offseason that'll make Freiermuth's presence all the more vital in the Nittany Lion offense. Few returning tight ends have a more featured role in their offense than Freiermuth.

6. Hunter Bryant / Washington / Junior

Knee issues have kept Bryant from reaching his lofty potential and held him to just 13 games in his first two seasons. A former top-five recruit at his position, Bryant got off to a torrid start as a true freshman by catching 22 of 28 targets for 331 yards (11.8 YPT) and a score before getting hurt. He showed some hints of his former self in the 2018 Apple Cup with three grabs for 108 yards and a score. Now healthy and with Jacob Eason at quarterback, Bryant positioned to establish himself as one of the game's top tight ends.

7. Colby Parkinson / Stanford / Junior

No one churns out tight ends quite like Stanford does, and the early returns with Parkinson indicate he might be their best one since Austin Hooper. Through his true sophomore season he's turned 71 targets into 39 receptions for 582 yards and 11 touchdowns, a profoundly high per-target touchdown rate. Basically functioning like a wide receiver, Parkinson is just too big for corners and safeties to match up with at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds. With Kaden Smith (68 targets in 2018) out of the way and standout quarterback K.J. Costello returning, Parkinson could catch fire in 2019.

8. Jake Ferguson / Wisconsin / Junior

Wisconsin always skews toward the run, and with good reason. But when the Badgers go to the air, tight ends are often involved, and Ferguson is more than just a safety valve. He was second on the team in receptions (36), receiving yards (456) and touchdowns (4) while averaging a strong 8.5 YPT, which ranked 11th among tight ends with at least 50 targets. Wisconsin's other top pass catchers will be back this year as well, but it's clear that Ferguson will be a staple in this passing game once again in 2019. 

9. Mitchell Wilcox / South Florida / Senior

Wilcox's role more than doubled in 2018 as he went from 17 catches for 158 yards on 26 targets as a junior to 43 catches for 540 yards on 64 targets in just 10 games. His touchdown total stangated at two, which prevented him for finishing among the top tier of tight ends. Still, his role remains the same heading into 2019, his second working with quarterback Blake Barnett. His projected volume makes him a safe option, and if he can up his touchdown rate, Wilcox will finish as a Top-10 tight end. 

10. Tre' McKitty / Florida State / Junior

There's not much in McKitty's profile that implies truly standout fantasy upside, but he's a former coveted recruit who has flashed the stuff to project as a viable affordable starter at tight end in what should be an improved offense. The arrival of offensive coordinator Kendal Briles should help, because at Houston the Briles scheme directed 33 receptions toward tight end Romello Brooker, who finished last year with 409 yards and seven touchdowns. McKitty reached the five-catch mark in three games last year, flashing upside that could manifest more consistently in Briles' uptempo approach.