2020 NFL Draft Rookie TE Landing Spots (Fantasy Football)
The NFL draft has wrapped and it’s time to start evaluating where the rookies stand on their new teams. Tight ends typically have less first-year fantasy impact than any other position and 2020 may be the weakest class at the position in recent memory. It hasn’t taken this long for the first tight end to come off the board since 2015. Of the 12 tight ends drafted, none of them came off the board in the first round, five were selected on day two, and the remaining seven names were called on the third day of the draft.
To get a deeper look at the 2020 rookie class, make sure to check out our 2020 Rookie Player Profiles.
Cole Kmet – Chicago Bears
Round 2, Pick 43 overall
The Bears have been the butt of many jokes this offseason due to their ever-expanding tight end room. That isn’t likely to end after they spent their first-round pick on yet another tight end. Kmet, like most tight ends, will likely need at least a year or two to develop into a fantasy-relevant player. At just 21 years old and playing behind the 33-year-old Jimmy Graham, Chicago has pegged Kmet as their tight end of the future, though their quarterback of the future may still be in question.
2020 Competition: Jimmy Graham, Demetrius Harris, Adam Shaheen
Devin Asiasi – New England Patriots
Round 3, Pick 91 overall
Asiasi is the first tight end drafted by New England since 2010 when they picked both Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The Patriots are relatively thin at the tight end position, so the versatile tight end out of UCLA may get a chance to see the field sooner than later. Even so, you can’t expect much fantasy production out of a third-round rookie tight end on a Patriots team entering its first season in two decades without Tom Brady.
2020 Competition: Matt LaCosse, Dalton Keene, Ryan Izzo
Josiah Deguara – Green Bay Packers
Round 3, Pick 94 overall
Deguara put up some productive college seasons with the Cincinnati Bearcats, but it’s unclear how his game will translate to the NFL. He may transition to more of a fullback or H-back with the Packers, who recently lost Danny Vitale to New England. If you want to take a shot on a breakout tight end in Green Bay this season, you’re better off targeting last year’s third-round pick, Jace Sternberger.
2020 Competition: Jace Sternberger, Marcedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan
Dalton Keene: New England Patriots
Round 3, Pick 101 overall
Keene joined Asiasi as the second tight end drafted by New England in the third round. He’s been described as a Swiss Army knife at Virginia Tech and profiles as more of an H-back. In a rare occurrence, the Patriots actually traded up to select Keene, though that doesn’t necessarily guarantee any fantasy production.
2020 Competition: Matt LaCosse, Devin Asiasi, Ryan Izzo
Adam Trautman – New Orleans Saints
Round 3, Pick 105 overall
As an athletic tight end from a small school, Trautman has drawn comparisons to Dallas Goedert. In New Orleans, he’ll get to develop behind veteran Jared Cook. The combination of landing spot and athletic talent make Trautman a great tight end to target in dynasty rookie drafts.
2020 Competition: Jared Cook, Josh Hill, Taysom Hill
Harrison Bryant – Cleveland Browns
Round 4, Pick 115 overall
In case you didn’t already know, Kevin Stefanski loves him some tight ends. He ran the second-most frequent two-tight end sets in the NFL last year when he was in Minnesota, just behind the Eagles. He’s clearly behind Austin Hooper and David Njoku on the depth chart, but it should be noted that they both missed multiple games to injury last season.
2020 Competition: Austin Hooper, David Njoku
Albert Okwuegbunam – Denver Broncos
Round 4, Pick 118 overall
Albert O made a name for himself as the fastest tight end at the combine. Now he lands on a Denver team that has committed to loading up on offensive weapons. He already has chemistry with Drew Lock after posting his most productive seasons at Missouri when the two were teammates. For now, however, he’ll be stuck behind Noah Fant on the depth chart and isn’t going to earn any playing time as a blocker.
2020 Competition: Noah Fant, Jeff Heuerman, Jake Butt, Troy Fumagalli
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Colby Parkinson – Seatle Seahawks
Round 4, Pick 133 overall
The Seahawks are another team that’s deep at tight end. They’ll have future Hall-of-Famer Greg Olsen along with Will Dissly returning from another season-ending injury in 2019. Even Jacob Hollister had some fantasy value in 2019. Needless to say, Parkinson isn’t likely to make an impact in Seattle anytime soon.
2020 Competition: Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, Luke Willson, Jacob Hollister, Stephen Sullivan
Brycen Hopkins – Los Angeles Rams
Round 4, Pick 136 overall
Some analysts had Hopkins as their number one tight end of the class headed into the draft. As talented as he may be, falling to the end of the fourth round doesn’t bode well for his immediate value. Tyler Higbee broke out for the Rams at the end of 2019, but Hopkins could push Gerald Everett for second-string.
2020 Competition: Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett
Charlie Woerner – San Francisco 49ers
Round 6, 190 overall
Woerner may get on the field in 2020 as a blocker, but the sixth-round pick with a limited pass-catching profile won’t be making any fantasy noise anytime soon, if ever.
2020 Competition: George Kittle, Ross Dwelley
Tyler Davis – Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 6, 206 overall
Davis started his college career as a quarterback at Connecticut and finished it five years later as a tight end for Georgia Tech. He only caught 17 passes during his senior season with the Yellow Jackets and will be a long shot to make the Jaguars final roster, let alone climb the depth chart.
2020 Competition: Tyler Eifert, Josh Oliver, James O’Shaughnessy
Stephen Sullivan – Seattle Seahawks
Round 7, 251 overall
Sullivan converted to tight end from receiver during his time at LSU. He also posted the second-fastest 40-time at the combine. He’s raw and will take time to develop, but the fact that Seattle traded future picks to get back in the draft and select him is positive for his long term outlook.
2020 Competition: Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, Luke Willson, Jacob Hollister, Colby Parkinson
Thaddeus Moss – Washington Redskins
Undrafted Free Agent
Usually, there would be no reason to mention an undrafted free agent rookie tight end in a fantasy football article, but when you’re the son of one of the best receivers in NFL history, an exception can be made. He showcased his talent with LSU on the biggest stage, catching two touchdowns in the national championship win over Clemson. He wasn’t drafted after a pre-combine exam found a broken bone in his foot that precluded him from participating. The benefit of being a UDFA is that you get some say in your landing spot, and Moss landed on the team with arguably the most wide-open competition at tight end.
2020 Competition: Jeremy Sprinkle, Richard Rodgers, Logan Thomas