Considering where the tight ends will land in the 2020 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is just around the corner and there are plenty of anonymous scout quotes and rumors floating around NFL media as teams try to jockey for trades. This draft is also strange in that teams couldn’t have individual workouts with players, instead, needing to do interviews remotely due to coronavirus. But, in the end, teams will have their draft boards and likely do just as well as they would in a normal year.

Below, I’ll take us through the top tight ends in the draft and where I believe they’ll go and why. The tight end position is quite weak in the 2020 draft and I would be surprised if any go in the first round. If Chase Claypool is converted into tight end, he’s the No. 1 pick at the position, but his development could go either way.

Cole Kmet, Cincinnati Bengals, 65th overall

The Bengals could easily look elsewhere here due to plenty of need, but Kmet would be a stable piece to add for new starter Joe Burrow. I don’t like him as much as others do, but for some reason Kmet is getting buzz to go in the first round. He doesn’t have that kind of upside though. I’d prefer these next picks over Kmet for the most part, but I’ll bend to peer pressure here and have him as my No. 1 tight end off the board at a weak position.

Adam Trautman, Washington, 66th overall

Washington needs a tight end to help out second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins after losing Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis and Trautman makes for a strong pick. He likely has the best upside of all the tight ends and would be a longterm piece in Washington’s rebuild.

Hunter Bryant, Jacksonville Jaguars, 73rd overall

Bryant’s injury trouble keeps him from being a slam dunk pick but he is one of the most offensively ready tight ends in the draft. The Jaguars haven’t had a tight end they can count on in a long while and Bryant is a guy who should be able to contribute early in a system that uses tight ends well.

Harrison Bryant, Indianapolis Colts, 75th overall

Bryant could be a nice replacement for Eric Ebron, as he was extremely productive in college and could quickly get into the two-TE offense used by Frank Reich. I also had Chase Claypool going to the Colts in another draft and if that happens, they likely won’t go after a tight end. But, with the Colts in win now mode with Philip Rivers, I do expect them to add some big bodied underneath receivers to help him out.

Albert Okwuegbunam, New England, Patriots, 87th overall

Okwuegbunam is a 6’5” 258 pound tight end who ran a 4.49 40. As you would expect, his best trait is running a seam route and blowing by linebackers. He still needs work as a route runner and blocker, but he has the makeup to be a big help in replacing Rob Gronkowski as a receiving threat.