The Triple Take crew of Dale Lolley, Matt Williamson and Mike Prisuta take a look at the top prospects in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft, which will be held in April. Today, they delve into the tight end position.
The opinions expressed here are their own and not those of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dale's First Look
1. Tyler Warren, Penn State, 6-5 ½, 256 lbs.
2. Colston Loveland, Michigan, 6-5 ¾, 248 lbs.
3. Mason Taylor, LSU, 6-5 ⅛, 251 lbs.
4. Elijah Arroyo, Miami (Fla.), 6-5 ⅛, 250 lbs.
5. Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame, 6-5 ⅜, 258 lbs.
Dale's Second Look
1. Tyler Warren, Penn State, 6-5 ½, 256 lbs.
2. Colston Loveland, Michigan, 6-5 ¾, 248 lbs.
3. Mason Taylor, LSU, 6-5 ⅛, 251 lbs.
4. Elijah Arroyo, Miami (Fla.), 6-5 ⅛, 250 lbs.
5. Thomas Fidone, Nebraska, 6-5, 243 lbs.
Dale's Thoughts: Warren and Loveland both should be first-round picks, with Warren being a potential top-10 pick. Taylor and Arroyo are both second-round players, in my opinion. That makes this a really strong draft for the position. There are a number of interesting players of all shapes and size at tight end in this draft. … … Taylor is the son of Hall of Fame defensive end and Pittsburgh native Jason Taylor and nephew of Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas. … One of my favorites is Georgia Tech's Jackson Hawes. Hawes began his career at Yale before finishing up at Georgia Tech last year. He's a nasty blocker who is extremely physical. Hawes' receiving numbers in his career aren't great, but that could be more of a product of the offenses in which he's played. … Gunnar Helm exploded at Texas last season, catching 60 passes for 786 yards and seven touchdowns. He had 19 catches in his first three seasons. He's a good receiving threat who has the potential to continue to develop as a blocker. …. Fidone pushes into my top 5 over Evans, though I still like both. Fidone proved to be just a little more athletic and explosive at the Combine. … Oregon's Terrance Ferguson set the school's record for career catches by a tight end with 134. He easily could have been my No. 5 tight end, as well. But his blocking isn't nearly as good as that of Fidone or Evans.
Matt's First Look
1. Tyler Warren, Penn State, 6-5 1/2, 256 lbs.
2. Colston Loveland, Michigan, 6-5 3/4, 248 lbs.
3. Mason Taylor, LSU, 6-5 1/8, 251 lbs.
4. Elijah Arroyo, Miami, 6-5 1/8, 250 lbs.
5. Terrence Ferguson, Oregon, 6-5 3/8, 247 lbs.
Matt's Second Look
1. Tyler Warren, Penn State, 6-5 1/2, 256 lbs.
2. Colston Loveland, Michigan, 6-5 3/4, 248 lbs.
3. Mason Taylor, LSU, 6-5 1/8, 251 lbs.
4. Elijah Arroyo, Miami, 6-5 1/8, 250 lbs.
5. Terrence Ferguson, Oregon, 6-5 3/8, 247 lbs.
Matt's Thoughts: No change in my top five tight ends, but I do see two tiers here. Warren and Loveland stand alone at the top and both should go in the first round-possibly in the top half of round one. Taylor and Arroyo stand alone in tier two and then there is a drop-off to Ferguson and the rest of this draft's tight ends. But overall, it is a very strong class with good depth. ... A player I want to highlight though is Georgia's Benjamin Yurosek. Admittedly, I was late to the party on Yurosek, who began his career at Stanford, missed most of his 2023 season with a should injury and then replaced Brock Bowers at Georgia. Yurosek's game translates very well to the next level. He can attack a defense at all levels and can align all over the formation. He is a fluid athlete with good strength and competitiveness. He is a natural hands catcher that routinely plucks the ball away from his frame. ... Another tight end to discuss is Gunner Helm from Texas. His Combine numbers were quite poor. However, we cannot dismiss that Helm clearly worked out in Indianapolis with an injured ankle. At Texas, Helm had to compete with some supreme pass catchers for production. But if you break down Helm's production to a per-route perspective, it is easy to see his usefulness in an NFL passing attack, but his blocking and overall physicality does need work. ... Harold Fannin also needs to be discussed and his production (which is off the charts) at Bowling Green would suggest that he should top this list. But Fannin needs to be schemed up, something the Bowling Green coaching staff did extremely well, and he is excellent after the catch. He isn't a real loose route runner and is somewhat of a straight-line athlete. Fannin isn't much of a blocker and his Combine performance was underwhelming.
Mike's First Look
1. Tyler Warren, Penn State, 6-6, 261 lbs.
2. Mason Taylor, LSU, 6-4 3/4, 244 lbs.
3. Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green, 6-3 1/4, 241 lbs.
4. Colston Loveland, Michigan, 6-5, 245 lbs.
5. Elijah Arroyo, Miami, 6-41/2, 251 lbs.
Mike"s Second Look
1. Tyler Warren, Penn State, 6-6, 261 lbs.
2. Mason Taylor, LSU, 6-4 3/4, 244 lbs.
3. Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green, 6-3 1/4, 241 lbs.
4. Colston Loveland, Michigan, 6-5, 245 lbs.
5. Elijah Arroyo, Miami, 6-41/2, 251 lbs.
Mike's Thoughts: The Top Five remaining consistent, after further review, should not be interpreted as an indication there's a lack of options and depth at the position. There's still plenty to choose from, depending on what a given team is after at the position. Georgia Tech's Jackson Hawes (6-4 1/2, 253 lbs.) is an in-line option who piled up the pancakes in 2024 while catching just 16 passes. The Yale transfer is "an awesome blocker, an elite blocker," according to NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Hawes also showed pass-catching ability during Senior Bowl Week … Oregon's Terrance Ferguson is a down-the-seam threat in the passing game who knows how to get open and make defenders miss or break tackles after catches. He leaves Oregon with school tight end records of 134 career receptions and 16 career receiving TDs. He caught 43 balls for 581 yards and three scores in 2024 despite missing two games after undergoing an emergency appendectomy … Oronde Gadsden II of Syracuse (6-5, 245 lbs.) has NFL bloodlines (his father, Oronde Gadsden, played wide receiver for Miami from 1998-2003). Gadsden II went over 900 yards receiving in 2022 (969) and in 2024 (934) on either side of a 2023 campaign limited to just two games because of a Lisfranc injury … Notre Dame's Mitchell Evans (6-5 3/8, 258 lbs.) was limited to eight games in 2023 (ACL) but still led the Irish in receptions (29). He did so again in 2024 (43), a season that ended with Evans accounting for a combined nine catches for 110 receiving yards against Penn State and Ohio State in the College Football Playoff … Gunnar Helm of Texas (6-5, 241 lbs.) had a breakout 2024 that resulted in a team-leading 60 catches for 786 yards and seven touchdowns after making just 14 receptions the previous season. Helm tracks the ball well and comes up with contested catches … Iowa's Luke Lachey (6-5 3/8, 245 lbs.) is another bloodlines guy (son of All-Pro offensive tackle Jim Lachey). Luke played in two-tight ends sets with Sam LaPorta at Iowa in 2021 and 2022 … Utah's Brant Kuithe (6-2, 236 lbs.) played six college seasons despite missing the 2023 campaign (knee). He amassed 183 career receptions for 2,387 yards and 22 touchdowns in 60 career games. Inexperience shouldn't be an issue … Alabama's Robbie Ouzts (6-4, 270 lbs.) is a fullback/H-back type who grinds. "I've always had that pride in doing the dirty work," he's maintained "That's kind of what got me to this level, was putting my hand down and just doing the things other guys didn't want to do."
