NFL Player News

The 49ers selected Latu in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 101st overall.

Latu becomes the ninth tight end selected in the first two days of this year's draft. The Alabama product is a solid receiver that recorded 56 receptions for 787 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons as a starter. He brings physicality to the position as well, as he's a converted linebacker. Latu disappointed with his athletic testing at Alabama's Pro Day (4.78 40 at 246 pounds), which is a concern for his transition to the next level. There's also the issue of George Kittle having an unquestioned grip on the No. 1 job. If nothing else, Latu will challenge Charlie Woerner for snaps when San Francisco goes with two-tight end sets.

The Steelers selected Washington (undisclosed) in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 93rd overall.

There simply aren't many football players like Washington. At 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds, Washington wowed at the combine by running a 4.64 in the 40 and clocking impressive agility scores. His production may not jump off the page from his time at Georgia, as he recorded just 45 receptions for 774 yards and three touchdowns in three seasons, but there's reason to believe he's just scratching the surface of that element of his game. While he develops as a pass catcher, Washington can still be a factor for the Steelers. He uses his size to his advantage and is essentially an extra tackle attached to the offensive line. He can maul people in the run game as a blocker. Pat Freiermuth is the top pass-catching option at tight end for Pittsburgh, so it may be awhile yet before Washington starts producing for fantasy purposes. It's also worth noting that Washington was considered a second-round prospect based on talent, but Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that his slide to the late third was due to concerns over medicals.

The Packers selected Kraft in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 78th overall.

Kraft is a plus athlete out of South Dakota State with a true in-line frame, but this is an odd selection for a Packers organization that took fellow tight end Luke Musgrave in the second round. The Packers made only occasional use of Robert Tonyan, who was a capable pass catcher, while he was on the roster. Perhaps coach Matt LaFleur envisions using two-tight-end sets much more frequently, but until then, Kraft and Musgrave might be locked into a zero-sum competition for snaps.

The Jaguars selected Strange in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 61st overall.

Evan Engram is coming off a career year, but Jacksonville needed a tight end that offers more as a blocker and Strange can provide that to an extent. The Penn State product checks in at 6-foot-3 and 253 pounds with 4.7 speed and impressive leaping ability for a tight end. He caught 32 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns as a senior and showed some natural ability in that regard that could translate to the next level. It may take time for him to find a fantasy-relevant role in Jacksonville, however.

The Cowboys selected Schoonmaker in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 58th overall.

Schoonmaker is athletic (4.63-second 40-yard dash, 127-inch broad jump) and has a viable in-line tight end frame (6-foot-5, 251 pounds), but the Michigan product doesn't project as a fantasy standout in the NFL. Schoonmaker turns 25 in September, and he struggled as a pass catcher for Michigan prior to last season. Schoonmaker's 418 yards and three touchdowns on 48 targets (8.7 YPT) in 2022 might mark a pivot point in his development, which may have been stunted by playing mostly quarterback in high school. Though more toolsy than Cowboys incumbents Jake Ferguson or Peyton Hendershot, Schoonmaker isn't necessarily more skilled.

The Packers selected Musgrave in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 42nd overall.

Musgrave (6-foot-6, 253 pounds) has prototypical size for a starting tight end and boasts plus athleticism on that frame, logging a 4.61-second 40-yard dash and 125-inch broad jump out of Oregon State. Musgrave's athletic testing and frame make him a credible seam threat, especially on play-action calls. The question with Musgrave is to what degree his skill set can develop -- a player as athletic as him should have caught more passes at Oregon State, but Musgrave finished his college career with just 47 receptions in 20 games over four years. However, given the state of the position for the Packers, he seemingly still stands a good chance of emerging as Green Bay's starting tight end in the near future.

The Raiders selected Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 35th overall.

Las Vegas dealt Darren Waller to the Giants this offseason, making tight end a need. The board set up well for them as only one tight end went in the first round, and the Raiders were able to get a player that many had ranked as the top prospect at this position. Mayer (6-4, 249) is a "complete" tight end in that he's an asset both as a blocker and as a receiver. The Notre Dame product carried the Irish passing game during his three years in South Bend, leading them in receptions each of those seasons and finishing with 180 career grabs. His combine performance was something of a disappointment, as his 4.7 speed was not ideal for a player under 250 pounds. Still, Mayer projects to be in the mix right away for not just run-blocking snaps, but targets as well.

The Lions selected LaPorta in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 34th overall.

LaPorta (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) is smallish by tight end standards, but he offsets that with plus speed (4.59-second 40) and quickness (6.91-second three-cone drill, 4.25-second 20-yard shuttle). LaPorta's overall athletic profile is no worse than average by starting tight end standards, and his production at Iowa clearly indicates a plus skill set otherwise. LaPorta excels after the catch in a way very few tight ends do, making him a good H-back type from some alignments and a viable slot receiver at other times. His blocking is more of a question mark for the time being and could keep LaPorta from earning an immediate starting role, but when the ball is in the air few tight ends in this class are as effective.

Dawson will likely face some competition for targets after the Bills selected Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday.

The Bills traded up with the Jaguars to land Kincaid, so we'd think Buffalo has big plans for the rookie and doesn't plan to have him doing a lot of sitting around. That said, the two new teammates have different skill sets, so perhaps they could be sharing the field together in two-TE sets. Nevertheless, even if Knox remains the clear-cut starter for another season, it's yet another mouth to feed in an offense where he's already been serving as the fourth or fifth option.

The Bills selected Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 25th overall.

The Bills traded up from the 27th pick to make the selection, making the former Utah and San Diego star the first tight end off the board. Dawson Knox is the presumed starting tight end for Buffalo, yet the Bills would only make this selection if they had extensive plans for Kincaid. It's reasonable to suspect that Knox will continue to handle all the inline tasks, in which case Kincaid (6-foot-4, 246 pounds) would function more like a slot receiver whenever the Bills roll with two tight ends. As a smaller tight end, Kincaid will need to make his living running down the seam and maybe getting some boundary looks on shorter fields. Whether Kincaid can make a mainstream fantasy impact might depend on how many reps he can take from penciled-in slot wideout Khalil Shakir.