2024 NFL Draft prospect primer Next Travis Kelce Ranking TEs to watch pro comparisons and more

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The work never seems to end in theplayer evaluation world, which means front offices have already turned their attention toward the upcomingseason in advance of the 2024. With that in mind, let's continue our CBS Sports summer prospect series. We've covered,and , and wrap up with one of the more versatile positions: tight end. The tight end position may have more variance along its spectrum of usage acro s the than any other position. There are tight ends like of the , who are one of their team's best blockers while also playing a role in the pa sing game (86 targets, third most on team). Then you have players like of the or of the , guys who are their team's top receiving options without as much of an impact in the blocking game. The NFL as a whole values the position like never before in recent memory as nine tight ends were picked in the first three rounds of the 2023 , the most in the first three rounds of a draft in the 21st century.RoundOverall PickDraft TeamPlayer125 (Utah)234 (Iowa)235 (Notre Dame) 242 (Oregon State)258 (Michigan)261 (Penn State)378Green Bay Packers (South Dakota State)393 (Georgia)3101San Francisco 49ers (Alabama) In the 2024 bunch, one stands above them all: the two-time defending CFP national champion and 2022 John Mackey Award winner (best tight end in ) Tyler Graovac Kids Jersey , Georgia's Brock Bowers. That resumes speaks for itself.This summer series will examine where things stand entering the upcoming 2023 college season, but the order could look a little different come next April, with the exception of Bowers being a surefire lock to be the first tight end selected as a top 15 pick. Here's an in-depth look at the current top five tight ends with some pro comparisons from former longtimegeneral manager and current CBS Sports HQanalyst Rick Spielman and CBS Sportsanalyst Ryan Wilson from their on the "With The First Pick Podcast." Plus, a look at some names who could rise through the ranks in the season to come. The tight ends are ranked by their readine s for the NFL entering the 2023season. Height:6-foot-4|Weight:265 poundsAccolades/notable statistics:21 tackles avoided (second most by any FBS TE in 2022), only FBS TE to have three touchdown catches in a game in 2022, 82.6% catch percentage in 2022 (most by FBS TE, minimum 40 targets)Rick Spielman's comp: Tucker Kraft"He didn't have too many targets the first half of the 2022 season, but when you look at what he did in the second half of the season against UCLA seven catches for 66 yards and Arizona 10 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown , you're saying 'Who the heck is this guy?' He has excellent size, and it's surprising how athletic he is for his size. He's not a burner, but he's fast enough. Good play strength. With his size, I Alexander Edler Women Jersey  thought he gave great effort as a run-blocker. He may be the best run-blocking tight end in this cla s besides Ohio State's Cade Stover because of his size. If a team is looking for a combination guy who can play on the line of scrimmage as a true Y tight end who can be efficient as a run-blocker, I think a lot of people are going to look at him that way. He extends for the catch, and he has great concentration in extended-catch situations. He has surprising run-after-the-catch ability and balance. He's not polished yet, but I think he can come on this year. He could shoot up the draft charts. Late Day 2 as of now."Ryan Wilson's comp: "He has nice ability to catch the ball because of his body and has soft hands. He has yards-after-catch potential. He moves well laterally, and he doesn't show much stiffne s, which is nice for a player of his size. He's more of a long strider than a burner. He showed some open field elusivene s. I have him as an early Day 3 guy right now."Games to circle:vs. USC (Sep. 23)Draft range:Third or fourth roundFinal thoughtsJalin Conyers may have the biggest stature of any tight end prospect in the upcoming cla s, and that size helps win plenty of jump-ball situations. No one is going to confuse Conyers of having Brock Bowers-like speed, but he moves as fluidly as one can at his size. He is one of the more raw prospects in this cla s since he transferred to Arizona State from Oklahoma after his freshman year as he just began to receive legit playtime and targets in the back half of the 2022 season. In the right offense, Conyers could be a red zone monster at the NFL level if he continues to grow his game at the rate he did at the end of 2022.  Excuse who is Jalin Conyers Antoine Roussel Women Jersey  at ASU? 64 265 Sophmore TE?  He is gonna be hella rich in a few years   Will Blackmon  (@WillBlackmon)  Height:6-foot-3|Weight:239 poundsAccolades/notable statistics:25 tackles avoided (most by FBS TE in 2022), holds two highest tight end single-game receiving yards totals in South Carolina history (career-high 159 receiving yards in win vs. North Carolina in 2021 Duke's May Bowl, 136 receiving yards in win vs. Vanderbilt in 2021)Rick Spielman's comp: Chigoziem Okonkwo/Brayden Willis"He can do multiple things, and when you can do multiple things, that makes me think he can translate as a good special teams player. He reminded of out of Oklahoma drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft . They Oklahoma did a lot of things with Willis besides having him line up as just a traditional tight end. You see the same thing in Bell, he's a really good player."Ryan Wilson's comp: athleticism with ' versatility "He's a lot of fun to watch. He's a Swi s Army knife because he lines up everywhere. He transferred from South Carolina. He can do everything at a pretty high level. He looks like a running back carrying the football. Okonkwo tested incredibly well athletically coming out of Maryland, drafted by the . I also bring up Jaylen Samuels because of his versatility coming out of NC State. He was listed as a tight end coming out, but he's played mainly running back in the NFL. That made him draftable in the fifth round.Games to circle:at Clemson (Sep. 23), vs. Miami (Nov. 11)Draft range:Third roundFinal thoughtsJaheim Bell is a unique player evaluation because of his athleticism and non-traditional utilization. Last season, according to Pro Football Focus, Bell lined up in the backfield on 134 snaps (46.7% of his snaps), in the slot on 82 snaps (28.6% of his snaps, in-line as a traditional tight end on 44 snaps (15.3% of his snaps) and out wide on 27 snaps (9.4% of his snaps). He is strong both going up to make the catch Reid Boucher Women Jersey  and after the catch, po se sing great explosion and balance. Bell could use a season at Florida State of lining up more frequently in-line, so that he can show what he would look like in a more traditional tight end role at the next level.  Jaheim Bell WILL NOT BE DENIED!   SEC Network (@SECNetwork)  Height:6-foot-4|Weight:251 poundsAccolades/notable statistics: 2022 Third-Team All-Big Ten; 36 catches for 406 Tim Schaller Men Jersey  receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns (most catches and yards by an Ohio State TE since 1995; most receiving touchdowns by an Ohio State TE since 2011)Rick Spielman's comp: "This guy may be the best run-blocker or well-rounded tight end in the 2024 cla s. He needs some route refinement. I don't know if he's going to be a total mismatch in the pa sing game. I gave him credit for his upside since he's new to the position played at defensive end for the Buckeyes in 2019, moved to tight end in 2020 and 2021 seasons . He can catch the ball despite his drops in the Michigan game. He's talented enough to develop into a No. 2, on-the-line Y tight end. I think he's going to contribute on special teams.Ryan Wilson's comp: "He's still a work in progre s. There weren't a lot of targets for him to go around in the Ohio State offense, which is understandable, so you're projecting with him. He felt like if you build a tight end in central casting like a Foster Moreau, who is a facele s 6-5, 250-pound, tight end-looking guy. That's who Cade Stover is for me right now."Games to circle:vs. Penn State (Oct. 21), at Michigan (Nov. 25)Draft range:Second or third roundFinal thoughtsCade Stover is one of the most raw tight end prospects in the upcoming cla s. He started his college ca
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