As we transition to the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, who are the preliminary 10 top tight end prospects in the upcoming class?
There might not be a blue-chip prospect this season like there was in 2024, but the 2025 TE class has plenty of high-quality depth to peruse.
Way-Too-Early Top 10 TE Prospects in 2025 NFL Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft class had one of the best TE prospects in recent memory with Las Vegas Raiders first-round pick Brock Bowers. Past Bowers, prospects Ben Sinnott, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Theo Johnson, and Jared Wiley also commanded respect.
The 2025 class, though, lacking a Bowers-level talent, may have just as much volume to boast.
10) Gavin Bartholomew, Pittsburgh
Gavin Bartholomew enters the 2025 NFL Draft cycle as a four-year senior, but if he declares, he’ll be just 22 years old by the end of the draft.
Young but also experienced, Bartholomew already commands attention as a potential mid-to-late-round target for teams. Across his three-year career with the Panthers, he’s amassed 67 catches for 935 yards and seven scores.
Pittsburgh’s QB play has been sporadic since Kenny Pickett’s graduation, but Bartholomew has remained a steady presence and a willing blocker.
9) Jack Velling, Michigan State
The hope is that Michigan State’s passing attack will find its stride again with a contingent from Oregon State leading the way in its revitalization.
Head coach Jonathan Smith and quarterback Aidan Chiles loom large, but so, too, does TE Jack Velling.
In 2023, Velling was a top target for DJ Uiagalelei at OSU, racking up 438 yards and breaking the school record for touchdowns by a tight end with eight.
At 6’5″, 246 pounds, Velling is an incredibly smooth receiving threat with great deceptiveness in his route running.
8) Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Every cycle, there are at least a few lower-conference prospects who distinguish themselves as legitimately draftable talents. Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is in the running after a 2023 season that included 44 catches for 623 yards and six TDs.
At 6’4″, 230 pounds, Fannin is an incredibly natural receiving threat who combines quickness, foot speed, and burst with sharp spatial intelligence, tempo, and body control at the catch. He’s also a wholly competent blocker who plays square to defenders.
7) Tyler Warren, Penn State
The New York Giants selected Penn State TE Theo Johnson in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was highly regarded, but there were more than a few evaluators who viewed Tyler Warren as the better prospect before he returned to school.
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Warren might not be quite as explosive as Johnson on the linear plane, but his route tree is more expansive, his hand technique is more consistent, and he makes his presence felt as a blocker, both in-line and out in the slot. His utility is extremely appealing at the position.
6) Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
Just two cycles ago, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a TE1 candidate in Michael Mayer who went on Day 2 to the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2025, Mitchell Evans could be in a similar conversation after a productive 2023 campaign was cut short by injury.
Evans isn’t quite the athlete that Mayer was, and athleticism may be a separating factor between him and other tight ends.
At 6’5″, 260 pounds, Evans is a relatively smooth and nuanced separator with good bend on breaks and incredibly sturdy hands over the middle and through contact.
5) Bryson Nesbit, North Carolina
Drake Maye was a top-tier quarterback prospect, and he has Bryson Nesbit to thank for some of his production over the past two seasons.
Nesbit was one of Maye’s favorite targets, and in 2023, he notched career highs in all categories with 41 catches for 585 yards and five touchdowns.
Nesbit isn’t the same asset as a blocker as other tight ends on this list, but the 6’6″, 245-pound prospect carries plenty of value as a seam and red-zone threat. He’s a streamlined athlete and a natural zone-dissecting force who can create chunk plays over the middle.
4) Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse
The son of a former NFL veteran of the same name, Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II has appeal as a prospect at both wide receiver and tight end. In truth, the 6’5″, 236-pound target blends the lines between positions and serves as a true mismatch generator.
Gadsden’s highest appeal comes as a receiving threat, where his near-elite size-adjusted athleticism and sharp route-running ability allow him to create space. But he’s also a stellar catch-point threat, with the sense of timing and strong hands to convert.
3) Luke Lachey, Iowa
Unfortunately, Luke Lachey suffered a broken leg after just two games in 2023, ending his season prematurely. Had he remained healthy through the year, he could’ve been an early-round pick. Nevertheless, that same potential exists for him in the 2025 NFL Draft cycle.
The son of three-time NFL All-Pro offensive tackle Jim Lachey, the Iowa product has all of the requisite size and athleticism at 6’6″, 250 pounds. The younger Lachey can work up the seam and box out defenders, make tough catches in clutch moments, and generate RAC.
2) Terrance Ferguson, Oregon
The pecking order past TE1 is still being settled, and down the stretch, Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson is one prospect who could drastically improve his stock with another good season.
In 2023, with Bo Nix under center, Ferguson logged 42 catches for 414 yards and six TDs.
At 6’5″, 256 pounds, Ferguson has great size and play strength, and he’s a physical blocker. That same physicality also shows up in the passing game, where he can outmuscle DBs at the catch point and plow through arm tackles for additional RAC yardage.
1) Colston Loveland, Michigan
Michigan’s Colston Loveland is the top tight end on our preliminary TE rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft cycle. The Wolverines lost Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson to the 2024 NFL Draft, so Loveland will return as Michigan’s top receiving weapon — and that status is merited.
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Loveland racked up 45 catches for 649 yards and four scores in 2023. The production alone is impressive, but the film takes it to a whole new level.
At 6’5″, 245 pounds, Loveland has elite flexibility and fluidity as a route runner. He can channel his speed and burst through seamless execution while also contorting for high-difficulty passes.
Honorable Mentions
- Jake Briningstool, Clemson
- RJ Maryland, SMU
- Oscar Delp, Georgia
- Kyle Morlock, Florida State
- Rivaldo Fairweather, Auburn
- Oscar Cardenas, UTSA
- Cole Rusk, Illinois
- Maliq Carr, Houston
- Carter Runyon, Towson
- Justin Joly, NC State
Other 2025 NFL Draft Position Rankings
Check out our other way-too-early position rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft:
- Top 10 QBs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 RBs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 WRs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 IOL in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 OTs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 DTs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 EDGEs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 LBs in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 Safeties in the 2025 NFL Draft
- Top 10 CBs in the 2025 NFL Draft