PFF Tight End Rankings: The top 32 players ahead of the 2026 NFL season

• Colston Loveland cracks the top five: Loveland produced the third-highest overall PFF grade in only his rookie season.

• The Steelers have two weapons in Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington: The complementary tight ends both find their names on the list.

After ranking the NFL's top quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers going into the upcoming season, it's time to take stock of tight ends around the league.

The tight end position remains an uber-important yet changing one. Tight ends are increasingly becoming the focal point of passing attacks, but their deployment can vary widely by system and team. The best at the position incorporate elite receiving skill with dominant efforts as a blocker.

1. George Kittle, San Francisco49ers

Kittle is currently the gold standard when it comes to the tight end position. In 2025, he paced all tight ends in PFF grade (90.7) for the third-straight season and fifth time in his nine-year career. 

Kittle has been one of the five highest-graded tight ends in the league in every season but his rookie year, excelling as both a receiver and run blocker. He has also been the most valuable tight end in the league across the past three seasons, according to PFF’s Wins Above Replacement metric.

The 32-year old did tear his Achilles in January but is on track to be ready for Week 1 of the 2026 season.

2. Trey McBride, ArizonaCardinals

McBride has quickly emerged as one of the best tight ends in football. The 26-year old has been the league’s most valuable tight end across the last two seasons, according to PFF’s WAR metric. His 1,239 receiving yards in 2025 were 311 more than any other tight end in football, and place 11th all-time for a tight end in a single season. McBride’s 1,146 yards in 2024 also ranked second at the position. 

3. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders

After wrapping up his career at Georgia as the greatest tight end in college football history, Bowers wasted no time starring at the next level. His 1,194 receiving yards in 2024 as a rookie outpaced all tight ends in the NFL and broke Mike Ditka’s rookie tight end record that stood for 63 years.

A knee injury caused Bowers to miss five games in his sophomore campaign, but he still tied for fifth among all tight ends with seven receiving touchdowns. Now that he’s fully healthy, expect Bowers to return to his dominant ways in 2026.

4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

LaPorta missed eight games in 2025 due to a herniated disc but was still one of the best tight ends in the league when he was on the field, placing fifth in the NFL with an 82.0 PFF grade. Since getting drafted in 2023, LaPorta’s 81.2 PFF grade is fourth among all tight ends in football, while his 2,104 receiving yards in that span are fifth. A fully healthy LaPorta could re-establish himself as a top-five tight end in the NFL.

5. Colston Loveland, ChicagoBears

After a quiet start to his rookie campaign, Loveland really turned it on in the second half of the season. The No. 10 overall pick’s 84.0 PFF grade was third among all tight ends in the NFL, while his 1.97 yards per route run were fifth. Loveland’s 597 receiving yards from Week 9 on were second in the league, while his 193 yards in the playoffs led all tight ends despite the Bears losing in the divisional round.

6. Dalton Kincaid, BuffaloBills

Kincaid’s third season was his best so far. The former first-round pick’s 86.7 PFF grade was second in the NFL to only George Kittle, while his 2.79 yards per route run were the most in the league. Kincaid also generated a 149.2 passer rating when targeted, the second-best mark among all tight ends.

7. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers

Kraft has been one of the most productive tight ends in the league across the last two seasons. His 13 touchdowns in that span are third in the NFL, as are his 812 yards after the catch. Kraft’s 157.2 passer rating when targeted was easily the best in the league this past season and was very close to being perfect (158.3). He was also second in terms of yards per route run (2.33).

8. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

After a relatively disappointing three-year stretch from 2022-2024, Pitts bounced back in a major way this past season. His 928 receiving yards were second in the NFL to only Trey McBride, as were his 88 receptions. Pitts tallied 51 receptions that went for either a first down or touchdown, the second-most in the league.

9. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Kelce is undeniably slowing down at 36 years old. He recorded the fewest receiving yards in his career in 2024, and the second-fewest this past season. But, an aging Kelce is still one of the better tight ends in football. In fact, his 1,674 receiving yards over the past two seasons are still fourth in the NFL.

Kelce’s 13,002 career receiving yards are third in league history for the tight end position, and he’s only 44 yards away from Jason Witten in second place. The 2026 season could very well be the final one in what has been a Hall of Fame career for Kelce.

10. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts

Warren was selected No. 14 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft and immediately showed why in his rookie campaign. His 487 yards after the catch were second in the league to Trey McBride, while his 817 total receiving yards placed fifth. A total of 42 of Warren’s receptions went for either a first down or a touchdown, the fourth-most in the league.

11. Brenton Strange, JacksonvilleJaguars

Strange had the best year of his young career in his third season with the Jaguars. His 73.4 PFF run-blocking grade placed fifth among all tight ends in the league, while his 77.6 PFF receiving grade was 11th. Strange also averaged 1.70 yards per route run, the 10th-best rate for tight ends.

12. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Henry’s 768 receiving yards in 2025 represented a career high and also placed seventh among all tight ends in the NFL. His 13 contested catches and 42 receiving first downs/touchdowns were also fourth in the league. It was the first time since 2019 that Henry tallied a 75.0-plus PFF receiving grade as well.

13. Dalton Schultz, HoustonTexans

After Nico Collins, Schultz was quarterback C.J. Stroud’s favorite target in 2025. His 777 receiving yards were the sixth-most in the NFL, as were his 362 yards after the catch. Schultz also only dropped one of his 83 catchable targets all season.

14. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Andrews played the worst season of his career in 2025, posting career-lows in both PFF grade (64.4) and receiving yards (422). Now on the wrong side of 30 years old, there are questions on whether he can return to his previous form.

That prior version is still enough to land him on this list, though. His 5,952 career receiving yards are third among tight ends since 2018 and 20th among tight ends all time. Andrews’ 91.2 career PFF grade is also third behind just George Kittle and Travis Kelce in that stretch.

15. Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams

After a ho-hum first five seasons, Parkinson enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025. His 77.2 PFF receiving grade placed ninth among all tight ends, while his eight touchdown catches tied for third. Parkinson was a weapon after the catch, averaging 6.4 yards after the catch per reception (sixth). His 30 positively-graded plays as a run-blocker were sixth at the position as well.

16. AJ Barner, SeattleSeahawks

Barner was a dominant run-blocker while at Michigan, but has turned into a very solid receiving threat with the Seahawks as well. His six touchdown receptions were tied for eighth among all tight ends in 2025. Barner also caught a touchdown in Seattle’s Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. He’s still been a force in the run game as well, placing fourth among all tight ends in positively-graded plays as a run-blocker (35). 

17. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Goedert found pay dirt as much as any tight end in the NFL this past season. His 11 receiving touchdowns were tied with Trey McBride for the most in the league. Goedert’s 4,342 receiving yards over the past seven years are also fifth in the NFL.

18. Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints

Johnson enjoyed the most productive season of his career in 2025, placing third in the NFL with 889 receiving yards. His 14 contested catches were also third in the league, while his 12 forced missed tackles placed fifth. At 231 pounds, Johnson blurs the line between a wide receiver and a tight end.

19. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

Fannin broke the single-season record for a collegiate tight end with 117 catches for 1,555 yards during his final season at Bowling Green in 2024. He was also very productive in his rookie campaign after being taken in the third round. Fannin’s 22 forced missed tackles were second to only Trey McBride, while his 359 yards after the catch placed seventh.

20. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Freiermuth has been a steady contributor for the Steelers ever since he was drafted in 2021. His 141 career catches that went for either a first down or a touchdown are the 10th-most in the NFL over the past five seasons. Similarly, Freiermuth’s 1,232 yards after the catch in that span are 11th.

21. T.J. Hockenson, MinnesotaVikings

In 2025, Hockenson had his worst season since his rookie year. His 61.2 PFF grade and 438 receiving yards were each his lowest since getting drafted in 2019. Still, the 29-year-old deserves a spot on this list for what he’s done in the previous five seasons. Since 2020, Hockenson’s 4,073 receiving yards are the fourth-most in the NFL, as are his 215 receiving first downs or touchdowns.

22. Isaiah Likely, New York Giants

Following an impressive four seasons as essentially the Ravens’ No. 2 tight end behind Mark Andrews, Likely followed head coach John Harbaugh to the Giants and will get his first real chance at being a starter. 

It was a rough 2025 season for Likely, as he missed three games due to a broken foot and registered a career-low 56.4 PFF grade. But in 2024, he placed seventh among all tight ends with 10 forced missed tackles, and his 75.6 PFF grade was sixth.

23. Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers

Despite entering the league as just a fifth-round pick, Gadsden impressed during his rookie campaign. The former Syracuse Orange’s 664 receiving yards were 11th in the NFL, while his 71.5 PFF receiving grade was a top-20 mark as well. Yet Gadsden also had the second-worst PFF run-blocking grade of any tight end in the league (32.5).

24. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys

Ferguson has been a very productive pass-catcher for the Cowboys across the past few seasons. His 41 broken tackles since 2023 are second to only Trey McBride, while his 1,060 yards after the catch are fifth among all tight ends in the league. However, Ferguson has posted sub-60.0 PFF grades in back-to-back seasons, mainly due to his league-leading four fumbles.

25. Chigoziem Okonkwo, WashingtonCommanders

After four seasons with the Titans, Okonkwo joined the Commanders on a three-year, $27 million contract. He’s most dangerous with the ball in his hands: Last year, Okonkwo’s 13 forced missed tackles were fourth in the NFL, while his 345 yards after the catch were ninth. It is worth mentioning though that he did post the lowest PFF run-blocking grade of any tight end in the NFL in 2025 (27.9).

26. Mike Gesicki, CincinnatiBengals

Gesicki had a relatively quiet 2025 season and missed three games due to a chest injury. His 972 receiving yards over the last two years is still 20th among all tight ends in the league, though. Gesicki’s 15 contested catches in that span are tied for 12th among all tight ends as well. He also didn’t drop any of his 28 catchable targets this past season.

27. Darnell Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington has ideal size for an offensive tackle at 6-foot-6, 311 pounds. He plays like one, too. His eight big-time blocks (PFF’s highest-graded blocks) over the past two seasons are three more than any other tight end in the NFL. 

But Washington is no slouch as a receiver either. His 12 broken tackles after the catch were fifth in the NFL in 2025, while his 7.4 yards after the catch per reception placed second in the NFL.

28. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills

Knox tallied a career-high 67.7 PFF grade this past season, and his 417 receiving yards were the most in three years. He’s also a solid blocker, posting a 66.6 PFF run-blocking grade. Dalton Kincaid is clearly Buffalo’s top tight end now, but Knox is a solid No. 2 option.

29. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Otton was one of the more sure-handed tight ends in the league this past season, dropping just two of his 61 catchable targets. That’s allowed quarterback Baker Mayfield to trust him a lot over the past two seasons, as his 1,172 receiving yards since 2024 are 11th in the NFL.

30. Evan Engram, DenverBroncos

Engram’s debut season with the Broncos wasn’t quite what they were hoping for when they signed him last offseason. His 56.9 PFF grade was the sixth-worst mark among 47 qualifying tight ends. 

It’s still understandable why Denver invested $23 million into him, though. Across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Engram’s 1,729 receiving yards were fourth in the NFL, while his 1,009 yards after the catch were second. He’ll need to bounce back from a quiet last couple seasons.

31. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

Kmet continues to play an important role despite the presence of star youngster Colston Loveland. While Kmet hasn’t quite recaptured his peak receiving performance, he’s still averaged over 10 yards per reception in each of the past two seasons while tallying six touchdowns in the process. Kmet’s value as a blocker is also extremely important when it comes to maintaining the flexibility in Ben Johnson’s offense.

32. Theo Johnson, New York Giants

With Isaiah Likely joining the Giants, Johnson will likely get demoted to being New York’s No. 2 tight end. He was a worthy pass-catcher when he did start for the Giants last year, placing 19th with 528 receiving yards. Johnson’s five touchdown catches tied for 13th in the NFL, too.