One byproduct of the tight end position being arguably as deep as it has ever been in the NFL is there will inevitably be players ranked lower than their talent suggests.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler dropped a ranking of the top 10 tight ends entering the 2026 season as voted on by a group of coaches, scouts and executives, with Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders leading the group.
Here’s the full top 10 ranking:
Just outside the top 10, Fowler listed five tight ends as honorable mentions:
There were also seven players in the “also received” votes category:
From the honorable mentions list, Fannin stands out as a potential future star if the Cleveland Browns can figure out their quarterback situation.
Even with the Browns using three different starters under center in 2025, Fannin still managed to put up 72 receptions, 731 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie.
“His arrow is up,” an NFC executive said of Fannin. “He’s a chess piece that can maneuver in space. He should be a 100-catch guy.”
Dalton Kincaid has breakout potential if the Bills’ acquisition of DJ Moore improves the passing game like they are hoping.
Even though Buffalo used three tight-end sets at a high rate in 2025, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out nearly 75 percent of its snaps in heavy personnel packages were running plays.
Moore’s presence will hopefully force defenses to respect the Bills’ ability to throw the ball outside the numbers, opening up the field for someone like Kincaid. He had arguably his best season in 2025 with 571 yards and five touchdowns in just 12 games.
Kincaid’s 14.6 yards per reception last season ranked second among all tight ends with at least 30 catches.
One of the players from the also receiving votes category to keep an eye on is Brenton Strange. Now going into his fourth season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Strange’s production has increased every year. He finished 2025 with 540 yards and three touchdowns.
Jacksonville hit its stride in the second half of the season under head coach Liam Coen. There’s every reason to think now that all of the core players are familiar with his scheme they will remain on that upward trajectory.
Oronde Gadsden is another one to keep an eye on, particularly since the Los Angeles Chargers figure to be more explosive on offense with Mike McDaniel calling plays.
A fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft, Gadsden finished fourth on the Chargers with 664 yards despite starting just seven games out of his 15 appearances.
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