NFL Player News

The Bengals selected Sample in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 52nd overall.

Sample is the second tight end taken in the second round and fourth player off the board at his position overall. His production at Washington is far from eye-popping -- he had 25 catches for 252 yards and three scores in his best and final season. An argument could be made that he was somewhat underutilized in the passing game, however. Still, Sample's best quality could be his blocking, which should help him see early playing time. Tyler Eifert still projects as the starting tight end in Cincinnati, but his lack of durability means that Sample can still have a role as a rookie.

The Vikings selected Smith Jr. in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 50th overall.

The Alabama product is the third tight end off the board in this year's class. Smith Jr. lacks ideal size for an in-line tight end at 6-foot-2 3/8 and 242 pounds but he brings athleticism (4.63 40-yard dash) and pass-catching ability to the table. He earned second-team All-American honors as a redshirt sophomore, bringing in 44 receptions for 710 yards and seven scores in an explosive Alabama offense. Smith's fit with the Vikings as it stands is interesting considering Kyle Rudolph is under contract, although his time in Minnesota may be nearing an end. If Rudolph is gone by the start of the season, Smith would suddenly have a path to plenty of targets.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn expects James to work in tandem with No. 8 overall pick T.J. Hockenson at tight end, Carlos Monarrez of The Detroit Free Press reports.

The NFL transition is notoriously difficult for tight ends, but Hockenson is one of the few prospects with potential to fill a three-down role immediately. Detroit certainly hopes the rookie can beat out James, who in March signed a four-year, $22.6 million contract with $10.5 million guaranteed (all in the first two seasons), per overthecap.com. Even if he does win the starting job, it's hard to see how James would warrant more than three or four targets per game in an offense that also needs to find looks for Hockenson, Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones (knee), Danny Amendola, Kerryon Johnson and Theo Riddick.

The Broncos selected Fant in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 20th overall.

Denver makes this pick after trading the 10th pick to Pittsburgh. Fant is the most athletic tight end prospect in the class at 6-foot-4 1/8 and 249 pounds, with a 4.5 40-yard dash and a 39.5-inch vertical jump. His best season came as a sophomore when he caught 30 passes for 494 yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns before being slightly overshadowed by fellow first-rounder T.J. Hockenson in Iowa's offense. Fant is raw in some facets of his game and his blocking will be something that needs major work if he is to develop into an every-down piece of Denver's system. However, his athleticism and pass-catching upside can make him a mismatch up the seam if used properly. At the very least, Fant becomes the top pass-catching tight end in Denver right away.

The Lions selected Hockenson in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, eighth overall.

The Iowa product is the most complete tight end prospect since at least O.J. Howard. Hockenson also fills a major need for the Lions. He entered the year as the supposed backup tight end to Noah Fant before exploding for 49 catches, 760 yards, and six touchdowns on 66 targets. Unlike Eric Ebron, whom the Lions took in 2014 with the 10th overall selection, Hockenson enters the NFL as a polished blocker as well, which will keep him on the field as an every-down player. Hockenson can work in-line or flexed out into the slot.

Hodges was waived by the Steelers on Thursday.

Hodges spent the 2018 season on the Steelers' practice squad and re-upped on a reserve/future contract in January, but he's now being let go just hours before the start of the 2019 NFL Draft. The 2017 sixth-rounder will presumably try and mix in with the incoming class of undrafted free agents as teams try to fill out their 90-man rosters ahead of training camp.

Gesicki has put on 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason, Dave Hyde of the Sun-Sentinel reports.

Gesicki never had much of an opportunity to display the type of athleticism that made him a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, compiling just 22 catches and 220 yards in his rookie campaign. The largest knock on Gesicki's prospect profile was his inability to block, something that was likely on the mind of the Dolphins' brass when signing Dwayne Allen (primarily a blocking tight end), but the 23-year-old seems to be aware of the criticism, putting on additional muscle in an effort to be a more well-rounded option. Considering a rebuild seems to be a focal point in Miami, the Dolphins may well opt to give the majority of the snaps to their young tight end, particularly if he displays more promise as a blocker.

The injury that Kittle sustained in Week 9 of the 2018 season was described as fractured rib cartilage by Brian Witt of NBC Sports Bay Area.

It's an issue that came to light following the conclusion of the campaign, at which time Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com relayed that the tight end played most of the second half of the season with a cracked rib. Regardless of the exact injury terminology used, Kittle's 88-catch, 1,377-yard season looks even more impressive when considering the discomfort he worked through beyond Week 9. Following the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, Kittle approaches the coming season as one of fantasy's elite tight ends, in the top tier at his position along with Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz.

Hooper said Wednesday that he looks forward to working with new tight ends coach Mike Mularkey in 2019, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Fresh off his first career Pro Bowl season, Hooper's prospects remain bright heading into 2019 with Mularkey joining the coaching staff. Now studying under a former NFL tight end as well as someone with 14 combined years of head coach and offensive coordinator experience, Hooper looks primed to excel in his fourth NFL campaign. The 24-year-old turned in a 71-reception, 660-yard campaign in 2018 after averaging 34 catches and 398.5 yards per season between 2016 and 2017.

Fumagalli isn't listed among the Denver players who are limited or not participating in voluntary workouts, Ryan O'Halloran of The Denver Post reports.

This isn't a huge surprise since Fumagalli, who missed all of his rookie year with a sports hernia injury, said last month that he expected to be healthy by April. With Jake Butt (knee) still far away from a return to the field, Fumagalli should garner plenty of offseason reps at tight end along with Jeff Heuerman and Temarrick Hemingway. It's possible Denver will bring in additional competition at the position through the draft or free agency, a market that currently includes Jermaine Gresham and Antonio Gates, among others.