It’s the Tuesday after week one. NFL teams have already been picked apart; seasons already determined as destined for glory or a lost cause by every overreacting talking head on ESPN. Some things haven’t changed. Despite a productive offseason, Oakland got stomped on their home turf. Green Bay’s offense was humming, but their defense struggled against the run. Tony Romo led another fourth-quarter comeback. Tom Brady was throwing touchdowns to the best tight end in the league. Fortunately for us, it appears Rob Gronkowski finally has some competition, even if it’s for second best (by a mile). This is not an overreaction piece, this is an opinion piece on four talented tight ends from the 2013 NFL Draft who look poised to vault themselves into this conversation. In no particular order…
Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals. I was all in on Eifert this year. The 6-foot-6-inch third year player out of Notre Dame was a combine darling and an All-American in his final season with the Fighting Irish. Eifert spent the majority of his rookie season playing second fiddle to Jermaine Greshman. Opening day, last year, Eifert was targeted three times in the first quarter, but suffered a dislocated shoulder that ended his season. Fast-forward to a productive 2015 preseason and I’m jumping on the bandwagon. After a stellar performance against a suspect Oakland team I am tempering my expectations. Eifert still plays on a team with Jeremy Hill, AJ Green, Gio Bernard, and Marvin Jones. Cincinnati is stacked on offense and will not be able to allocate touchdowns to their stud tight end every game. Look for Eifert to continue to be a top target (10 times this past Sunday) in a high-powered offense and emerge as a top tight end in the league by season’s end.
Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins. Jordan Reed was drafted by the Redskins in the third round of the 2013 draft. The 6-foot-3-inch University of Florida product is a coach’s favorite in Washington and appears to be a big part of the game plan moving forward. According to Rotoworld, Reed caught 7 of 11 targets for 62 yards and a touchdown last Sunday. Keep in mind, Reed was targeted by then-quarterback, Kirk Cousins 13 times in two games last season, making Reed’s recent success seem like more than a mirage. After DeSean Jackson suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline him 3 to 4 weeks, watch for Reed to become a target hog in Sean McVay’s system.
Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles. Zach Ertz was yet another All-American, and an all Pac-12 first teamer as a junior from Stanford. The 6-foot-5-inch Ertz entered the NFL Draft and was selected in the second round. Ertz has flashed a lot of potential but has continued to split snaps with veteran, Brent Celek. According to Pro Football Focus, Celek had the second best run-blocking grade in the league last year. Ertz finished high as well, but still finished sixth. This dispels any chance that Ertz will be taking many snaps from Celek going forward, barring any significant changes. Ertz only caught three passes for 46 yards Monday night. Despite this news, keep in mind the Philadelphia tight end did not play in any preseason games with new QB Sam Bradford, and fought hard to come back from a groin injury. The young tight end should be much more involved moving forward, even if he is splitting time with Celek.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs. Nicknamed “Zeus,” Kelce towers at 6 feet, 6 inches and ran a 4.6 second 40 at the combine. Kelce was also given First-team All-Big East honors his last season at Cincinnati. Despite character concerns coming out of college, the Chiefs spent a third round pick on Zeus in 2013, and are now reaping the rewards. On a team that has yet to throw a touchdown to a wide receiver since 2013, Kelce is Kansas City’s top target in the red zone. Out of the four 2013 tight ends mentioned, Kelce had the most productive 2014 campaign, totaling five touchdowns, on 67 receptions and 862 yards. Last Sunday, Kelce stacked on his success from last season and caught all six of his targets for 107 yards and two TDs. Going forward, expect Kelce to continue receiving valuable targets in the red zone in an offense that should have enough touchdowns to please Zeus, wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and running back Jamaal Charles.
Looking for a tight end fantasy flyer the next few weeks? Try Gavin Escobar. Owned in .1 percent of ESPN Fantasy leagues, Escobar caught two passes for eight yards and a touchdown pass Sunday night. According to Rotowire, 7 of his career’s 20 receptions have gone for a touchdown. And without Dez Bryant, Tony Romo may find himself looking Escobar’s way more often. The Cowboys selected Escobar in the second round of the 2013 draft, and despite presumably being Romo’s third or fourth option in the red zone, he may prove to be valuable in deeper leagues.
And 2013’s rookie tight end class, along with Gronkowski, should belong to the upper echelon of tight ends for the foreseeable future. Your team should have picked a tight end in 2013.
