2026 Rookie Scouting Reports: TEs (Fantasy Football)
The 2025 TE class has left fantasy football fans truly blessed. I mean, Tyler Warren and Mr. Loveland started us off, not to mention guys like Harold Fannin Jr., Oronde Gadsden, and even some sparks from Terrance Ferguson and others. It seems to be universally accepted that, on the whole, the 2026 offensive positional draft class is a weaker one, at least when it comes to fantasy goodness, but that doesn’t stop us from combing the desert, seeing if we can find any potential diamonds in the rough. The TE position is where we might find one. Fingers crossed.
Editor’s Note: This article is part of our Scouting Reports series leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft. For full, detailed scouting reports on every player we have ranked in our rookie rankings, check out the 2026 Dynasty Pass.
TE Class Overview
Listed below are the seven top prospects organized by their recent NFL Mock Draft Database consensus rank.
Let’s look at the categories we are using to define and differentiate this TE class:
- Athleticism
- Route Running
- YAC Ability
- Red Zone Weapon
- Blocking
The goal is to highlight a few superlatives, give you specific insights into our scouting reports, and give you an overview of the class.
Athleticism
We often talk about how much or how little Combine performance has on future NFL success. The one position where there does seem to be an impact is TE, and 27 of them were invited this year. As friend of the show Warren Sharp said, many college TEs are drafted later to be blockers, and results from the Combine are one of the ways that we can see what rookies have the athletic ceiling to potentially become weapons in the passing game. Athleticism was on display in Indy this year, with plenty of records broken.
King of the Class
Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq is an athletic freak, and there is no question about it. At the NFL Combine was first in the 40 (4.39) and the 10-yard split (1.54). His time on the 40 was reported as a Combine record for TEs, and he even had another record on the books with his 43.5” vertical jump, that is, until it was broken moments later. Sadiq also had an 11’1” broad jump. The man is pure muscle.
As @NFL_Researcher said on Twitter:
Kenyon Sadiq at the 2026 NFL Combine was faster than Odell Beckham Jr, quicker than DeSean Jackson, jumped higher than Julio Jones, and was more explosive than Andre Johnson.
Kenyon Sadiq put on one of the best TE performances in combine history…
40-Yard Dash: 4.39 (best ever by a TE)
Vertical Jump: 43.5’’ (second-best ever by a TE)
Broad Jump: 11’1’’ (third-best ever by a TE)pic.twitter.com/VrNUO8ZNFu— Outta Pocket with RGIII (@OuttaPocketRG3) February 28, 2026
The guy who broke that vertical jump record moments after Sadiq set it? Eli Stowers from Vanderbilt. With a 45.5” vertical jump, Stowers delivered the second-highest vertical jump, regardless of position, at the Combine since 2003. He was two inches ahead of Sadiq with the broad jump (11’3), which is the longest for a TE in Combine history, dating back to 2023. He was the second fastest in the 40. These two guys left the other TEs in the dust when it came to overall athleticism.
Honorable Mentions
There were some other singular performances, but none that had such stout overall athletic profiles as Sadiq and Stowers. However, Sam Roush from Stanford came pretty close. He is 6’6″ and weighed in at 267 lbs, and managed a 4.74 40 and a 7.08 3-cone at the Combine. That is a big man moving mighty fast – the weight-adjusted 3-cone is similar to Sam LaPorta, and was faster than Darren Waller and Kyle Pitts. Roush also finished the weekend with an 83rd-percentile broad jump and an 88th-percentile vertical jump and was one of the only TEs to participate in every drill in Indy.
Sam Roush combine recap https://t.co/SfpsAVNBRV pic.twitter.com/Jv2nQ0LEks
— Max Toscano (@maxtoscano1) March 1, 2026
Route Running
TEs have become a much bigger part of the offensive picture for NFL teams as of late. In the past two seasons, we have seen the highest 12-personnel rates since tracking began, and in 2025, that was 22% of offensive snaps. But wait, there’s more. 13 personnel was up at 5% as well. TE target rates in the NFL are constantly rising, and to be targeted, we want to see these rookie TEs running solid routes.
King of the Class
Stowers is the guy here. His route running is smooth, showcasing his ability to drop his hips and cut quickly, which we saw frequently in 2025, as he ran a route on 90% of his snaps. His experience as a QB (he originally attended Texas A &M to play the position) seems to help his ability to read the defense and pivot appropriately. I also feel like Stowers has room for continued growth in this department – he has only really had three years playing this position. He has some fantastic numbers in comparison to the rest of his class here – he had 3.06 yards per route run against zone (led the class) and was targeted on just over 28% of his routes during his final year at Vanderbilt. That is the second highest. And YPPR? Stowers was the TE1 with 2.55. Sadiq was at 1.62 for comparison. Stowers really profiles more as a big-bodied WR, and you can see it through his route running in particular.
He has said frequently that he tries to model his game after Travis Kelce. The Vanderbilt offense even had a route called “Chief” that Stowers ran frequently and had much success in.
“You can tell their understanding of the game is what makes them so good at what they do,” Stowers said. “Kelce, especially, being a former QB, I think we’re similar that way. He knows how to read zones, to use leverage to beat man coverage, to use his body to create separation. He’s a QB’s best friend, and that’s why he and [Patrick] Mahomes have such good chemistry.”
Comparing route %s of NFL hybrid slot TEs with Eli Stowers
Reminder: college-to-NFL TE usage is not apples to apples. pic.twitter.com/bNUGwPwuVv
— Kyle Borgognoni (@kyle_borg) April 1, 2026
Max Klare is one of the best route runners in this class, and his experience in a top-notch program (Ohio State) seemed to help him with this. Klare looks fluid on the field and can run the full tree with success, creating separation – he looks extremely natural out there. He was also used out wide fairly often – 13.4% wide rate, per PFF, in 2025 – which was the highest among TEs in the class. When you look at his numbers and tape from 2025, you may not be blown away, but the tape from Purdue the year previous is what you should look at. He was their offense, and as the leading pass-catcher, he was targeted 74 times for 684 yards and four TDs.
Max Klare is an ideal NFL Tight End
– 6’5”
– 243 lbs
– 4.70 40-Yard DashWho’s going to find their future TE1 in Klare in the Draft 💭 pic.twitter.com/lwSm9Eix0f
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) April 9, 2026
Honorable Mentions
Sadiq has versatility in his route tree to go along with his high-end athleticism. They used his elite speed well at Oregon – almost 20% of his routes came from the slot, where 11% came from an outside WR spot. Sadiq is a good route runner, using his speed and power to create separation, and was an incredible weapon downfield. He is slightly less fluid than Stowers. Several other players had flashes of stellar route-running, but overall, most need work with their consistency.
YAC Ability
Teams are looking for their big-bodied TEs to barrel forward after catching the ball, pushing off defenders.
King of the Class
Stowers continues to be the dude here, racking up 377 yards after the catch in his final year at Vanderbilt. Even more impressive is the consistency Stowers has here – that number was 373 in 2024. In comparison to the WRs in this draft class, Stowers would have come in as WR23 when it comes to yards after the catch. Sam Roush with 319 is the next closest in YAC.
| Tgts | Rec | YAC | YAC/REC | |
| Eli Stowers | 85 | 62 | 377 | 6.1 |
| Sam Roush | 80 | 49 | 319 | 6.5 |
| Kenyon Sadiq | 67 | 51 | 248 | 4.9 |
| Max Klare | 55 | 43 | 224 | 5.2 |
| Michael Trigg | 85 | 50 | 224 | 4.5 |
| Justin Joly | 69 | 49 | 177 | 3.6 |
| Oscar Delp | 28 | 20 | 155 | 7.8 |
Red Zone Weapon
With the increase in overall targets to the TE position – according to Warren Sharp, last year they had their most collective receptions per game (5.3) in the 2000s – their use in the red zone has also gone up. In 2025, TEs averaged .42 receiving TDs per game. There were only two seasons in the 2000s where that number was lower. QBs are looking for that big boy in the corner of the end zone.
Baylor TE Michael Trigg is having himself a DAY! What a catch and stare down from the young man! pic.twitter.com/hat4ebopbs
— Daniel Harms (@InHarmsWay19) October 4, 2025
King of the Class
Michael Trigg had some high highs, as well as some low lows on tape, but either way, he played a strong part in Baylor’s red zone attack. Baylor had 19 redzone passing TDs in 2025, and Trigg had 12 targets in the redzone. He converted 42% of them (five), which is the highest rate in this class. He is a big man with big hands who is a big target – as long as he is paying attention. Sadiq is also a fantastic redzone weapon – with his size and physicality, he can battle for the ball with the best of them. He had a class-high eight TDs in 2025.
There are certainly some weapons in this class, but there are concerning stats as well. Here are a few…
- Sam Roush – seven drops in 2025, along with four receiving INTs and one fumble. He had a 12.5% drop rate.
- Michael Trigg – seven drops in 2025, 13 in his collegiate career.
- Kenyon Sadiq – six drops in 2025, which is a 10.5% drop rate.
Justin Joly had only one drop in 2025.
Blocking
A blocking TE. A sentence that sends horror through the body of any fantasy football manager. But hey, TEs have to block. You want to see a comfort level with hitting and the ability to not shy away from contact.
King of the Class
Big man Roush is one of the best blockers in this class, and with 267 lbs on a 6’6″ frame, it is easy to see that he has the tools. He fully commits on every play and every assignment and has the size to stand up to defenders. He does have one thing that hinders him – he has very short arms for his build at 30 5/8″. Sadiq is another guy in this class who is a strong blocker. I worry that both of these guys could be used more for that quality than for receiving, especially if they go to a team that likes to use multiple TEs.
Stowers is someone who has improved on his blocking the past few years, but definitely needs more work, and Oscar Delp showcased some versatile blocking during his time at Georgia. But truly concerning blocking? The prize goes to Michael Trigg, who often looks like he just isn’t interested.
Everything Else
Past all of the stats and film for this TE class, there are still the intangibles. They call it the stuff between the ears. The stuff that isn’t measured in yards or inches or routes run. But we know that character is still a big part of every scouting report. There seems to be alot of solid characters in this year’s TE class. Several NFL scouts have said that Stowers logs “countless hours” at the facility and wants to be coached “harder than the rest of the team.” He was a team captain at Vanderbilt. Joe Royer moved home to play for Cincinnati to be close to his father and family after the sudden passing of his mother. Sam Roush boasts ACC All-Academic Team honors. Eli Raridon battled back from double-knee reconstruction.
Once again, the one concern seems to be Michael Trigg. There is a lot of chatter about his character and maturity, with this perhaps the reason he moved on from Ole Miss.
You will notice very little discussion about Georgia’s Oscar Delp, even though he is currently being mocked higher than Roush. Delp was at one point the consensus top TE recruit in the 2022 class, but he found himself behind Darnell Washington and Brock Bowers, which certainly limited his playing time. He was severely underused at Georgia, finishing 2025 with only 20 catches on 28 targets for 261 yards and one TD. He is a fluid movement with solid hands, but the lack of production can’t be ignored.
Comments
Scouting TEs feels like a total gamble this year. Any sleeper picks you’re keeping an eye on?