Welcome to the latest edition of our 2024 NFL Draft prospect rankings! All the football heads at 1010XL/92.5 FM have gathered to preview the upcoming draft in April. Today, we’ll be focusing on tight ends.
Here’s how our internal panel of experts ranked* this year’s class.
*Subject to change. Final rankings will be released in a full Draft Guide in March.
Here’s more information on our consensus top-five prospects.
Brock Bowers, Georgia
Our consensus rank: 1 | National consensus rank: 1
Bio: Bowers was a four-star recruit and the second-ranked tight end in his class out of Napa High School, where he set a school record with 14 receiving touchdowns and earned Napa County Player of the Year as a junior. Though his senior season was canceled due to COVID-19, Bowers was still named to the All-American Bowl, and he committed to Georgia. Bowers set a program record for receiving touchdowns (13) as a true freshman to earn SEC Freshman of the Year. He then won consecutive John Mackey Awards for being the nation’s best tight end, becoming the award’s only two-time winner. Bowers was a second-team All-American in 2021, a first-team All-American in 2022, and a unanimous All-American in 2023. He finished his three-year career with three first-team All-SEC selections and two national championship titles. Bowers received tightrope surgery in October for a high ankle sprain.
Player comp: Dallas Clark with a hint of Luke Cafferty
Strengths: Physicality, speed, balance
Weaknesses: In-line blocking, size, route tree
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
Our consensus rank: 2 | National consensus rank: 2
Bio: Sanders was a five-star recruit out of Billy Ryan High School, where he played wide receiver, defensive end, and center in baskerball. He committed to Texas as an “athlete” and settled into the tight end position as a freshman. Sanders was a special-teamer in his first year but recorded over 600 yards receiving as a sophomore and junior to earn consecutive first-team All-Big 12 honors.
Player comp: Bigger Evan Engram
Strengths: Speed, hands, balance
Weaknesses: In-line blocking, power, route tree
Cade Stover, Ohio State
Our consensus rank: 3 | National consensus rank: 3
Bio: Stover was a four-star recruit out of Lexington High School, where he was named Ohio’s Mr. Football and Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior and set the school’s all-time scoring record in basketball. He committed to Ohio State and rotated between linebacker, defensive end, and tight end in his first two years. Stover became a full-time tight end in 2022 and earned a third-team All-Big Ten selection before being named to the first-team the next season. He won Big Ten Tight End of the Year in 2023 and finished his four-year career with 1,058 yards and 10 scores.
Player comp: Kyle Rudolph with a hint of Dawson Knox
Strengths: Frame, burst, hands
Weaknesses: Speed, vision, experience
Theo Johnson, Penn State
Our consensus rank: 4 | National consensus rank: 4
Bio: Johnson was a four-star recruit out of Holy Names High School in Ontario, where he played Canadian football. He was selected to play in the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game and committed to Penn State. Johnson improved his stat line in each of his four years on campus, for 4 catches as a true freshman to 34 as a senior.
Player comp: Jack Doyle
Strengths: Frame, blocking, burst
Weaknesses: Speed, route tree, balance
Jaheim Bell, Florida State
Our consensus rank: 5 | National consensus rank: 5
Bio: Bell was a three-star recruit out of Valdosta High School, where he played tight end and wide receiver. He originally committed to Florida before flipping to South Carolina. Bell had 1 catch for 29 yards as a true freshman, then 30 for 497 as a sophomore, but then 25 for 231 as a junior. He transferred to Florida State for his senior season and enjoyed a career-high 39 catches for 503 yards to earn second-team All-ACC honors.
Player comp: Brevin Jordan
Strengths: Speed, agility, balance
Weaknesses: Power, physicality, frame
Follow along as we rank each position group leading up to the draft!
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