FFT Dynasty - 2025 NFL Draft Tight End Prospects! Warren, Loveland, Taylor, & More! (04/22 Dynasty Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today: FFT Dynasty - 2025 NFL Draft Tight End Prospects! Warren, Loveland, Taylor, & More!

Release Date: April 22, 2025
Hosts: Heath Cummings and Jacob Gibbs

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Introduction

In the April 22, 2025 episode of Fantasy Football Today, host Heath Cummings and analyst Jacob Gibbs delve deep into the rookie tight end prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft. The discussion centers around the top five tight ends in consensus rankings: Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Elijah Arroyo, and Mason Taylor. The hosts analyze each player's strengths, weaknesses, and potential impact on fantasy football and real-life NFL teams.

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Top Five Rookie Tight Ends Consensus Rankings

Heath Cummings introduces the episode by outlining the agenda: a detailed analysis of the top five rookie tight ends. He mentions that while consensus rankings place Elijah Arroyo at number three, both he and Jacob have differing opinions on the rankings, particularly favoring Harold Fannin Jr.

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1. Tyler Warren – Consensus #1

Discussion Highlights:

• Production and Highlight Plays: Warren is lauded for his spectacular hands and high productivity at Penn State. However, concerns are raised about the sustainability of his production at the NFL level.

  "He was really productive and he has some really cool highlight plays. Just truly like spectacular hands for any player, but especially the tight end position." – Jacob Gibbs [12:40]

• Draft Considerations: Despite his high ranking, Jacob expresses skepticism about Warren translating his college success to the NFL.

• Age and Development: Warren was productive later in his college career, turning 22 years old, which is older than typical prospects.

  "I don't think that's super concerning. I think mostly like we see this, the skill set that he has and it's not like he's a 24 year old..." – Jacob Gibbs [14:34]

• Comparisons: While not matching the elite production of players like Trey McBride or Brock Bowers, Warren is considered a solid top-tier tight end with potential upside.

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2. Colston Loveland – Consensus #2

Discussion Highlights:

• Upside and Consistency: Despite lower college production due to offensive dysfunction at Michigan, Loveland’s per route data is exceptional, indicating high potential.

  "What he'll get hurt. That is something that people get frustrated with is the injuries. I don't, I don't know what to say on that." – Jacob Gibbs [16:37]

• Ranking Justification: Loveland’s target share in college was unparalleled, with a 40% target per route run rate, the highest seen at the tight end position.

  "He's targeted on 40% of the route run in 2024. And what's so impressive about that is that number wasn't boosted by screens." – Jacob Gibbs [16:37]

• Draft Strategy: Heath and Jacob discuss the necessity of significant draft capital for Loveland to secure his status and potential seamless transition into the NFL.

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3. Harold Fannin Jr. – Consensus #4

Note: Although Elijah Arroyo is ranked third in consensus, Heath and Jacob opt to discuss Fannin ahead, expressing higher regard.

Discussion Highlights:

• College Performance: Fannin led FBS in receptions (117) and receiving yards (1,555) as a junior at Bowling Green, showcasing phenomenal production.

  "In case some of you guys have been under a rock for the last few months, I just, I need to say these numbers. 117 receptions last year. 1555 receiving yards last year." – Heath Cummings [28:30]

• Comparative Analysis: Jacob compares Fannin to Trey McBride and Dalton Kincaid, emphasizing his consistent performance against Power Five defenses.

  "He played against Power Five schools, and his yards per route run remained steady." – Jacob Gibbs [35:50]

• Concerns and Potential: The primary concerns revolve around the competition faced and his blocking abilities. However, his translatable skills and age (20 years old) position him as a promising prospect.

  "I think the competition is number one. Because if the way that he wins just simply doesn't translate, then he's almost like useless." – Jacob Gibbs [36:46]

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4. Elijah Arroyo – Consensus #3

Discussion Highlights:

• Athleticism vs. Production: Arroyo is recognized for his exceptional athleticism, often perceived to receive a "RAS boost" based on his gameplay rather than combine statistics.

  "I think that has to be what's happening if we've got him at tight end three. I was really surprised to hear that." – Jacob Gibbs [24:42]

• Fantasy Value: While Arroyo has shown explosive potential, his consistency and target share at the collegiate level are questioned, making him a high-ceiling, low-floor prospect.

  "I think he definitely has the athleticism to become that kind of a threat. So if that's unlocked, then like all of a sudden, he's one of the most athletic tight ends in the NFL." – Jacob Gibbs [26:11]

• Injury Concerns: Injuries have slightly marred Arroyo's college career, leading to questions about his durability in the NFL.

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5. Mason Taylor – Consensus #5

Discussion Highlights:

• Underwhelming Data vs. Physical Attributes: Despite solid physical attributes and film performance, Taylor’s college statistics do not match the higher-ranked prospects.

  "He's really underwhelming from a data standpoint. And so like at first, as I started my process, I hadn't gotten to his film yet." – Jacob Gibbs [40:46]

• Future Potential: While Taylor shows promise with his athleticism and blocking abilities, his immediate fantasy value is limited. He is seen more as a developing player with potential rather than an immediate contributor.

  "I just don't see an NFL team like prioritizing that when you've got other pass catchers." – Jacob Gibbs [42:36]

• Fantasy Strategy: Heath suggests targeting Taylor in later rounds as a low-risk, high-reward addition to fantasy teams.

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Draft Strategies and Mock Drafts

Heath and Jacob discuss various draft scenarios, emphasizing the importance of drafting tight ends early in premium drafts where tight ends are awarded two points per reception. They highlight that while top prospects like Warren and Loveland have high potential, their draft position will significantly impact their fantasy value.

• Mock Draft Promotions: Multiple mock drafts are promoted throughout the episode, encouraging listeners to participate and test their drafting strategies.

  "There will be another link coming a little bit later in the show... we're just doing three rounds." – Heath Cummings [08:24]

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Concerns and Final Thoughts

The hosts address common concerns regarding the tight end class, particularly focusing on whether this group will live up to expectations or fall into the perennial tight end disappointments.

• Depth and Consistency: Heath expresses skepticism, noting past experiences where talented tight end classes did not translate into consistently productive NFL players.

  "I have been fooled too many times, so I'm, I'm gonna just say that, yeah, it's probably going to be of the same." – Jacob Gibbs [43:51]

• Landings and Team Fit: Jacob emphasizes the importance of landing spots for these tight ends, suggesting that teams willing to develop and experiment with their tight ends will be crucial for their success.

  "I don't think we have to just like assume that everything Fanon did was fraudulent because I definitely think you see him winning in more ways than just design touches and yards after the catch." – Jacob Gibbs [35:50]

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Conclusion

Heath Cummings and Jacob Gibbs provide a comprehensive analysis of the 2025 rookie tight end class, offering valuable insights for fantasy football enthusiasts and NFL fans alike. While the consensus rankings place Elijah Arroyo at number three, the hosts highlight Harold Fannin Jr. as a standout prospect potentially outperforming his ranking. The discussion underscores the importance of draft capital, team fit, and player development in determining the ultimate success of these tight end prospects in the NFL.

"It's a position that... it's the one position where guys can really consistently out produce their draft capital based on their athleticism." – Heath Cummings [02:04]

Listeners are encouraged to engage with upcoming mock drafts and stay tuned for further analysis in future episodes.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Heath Cummings [02:04]:
  "On today's show, we will talk about the top five rookie tight ends in consensus rankings."

• Jacob Gibbs [12:40]:
  "He was really productive and he has some really cool highlight plays. Just truly like spectacular hands for any player, but especially the tight end position."

• Jacob Gibbs [16:37]:
  "What he'll get hurt. That is something that people get frustrated with is the injuries."

• Heath Cummings [28:30]:
  "You're thinking well okay, so he's the best tight end. No, he led all of FBS in receptions and receiving yards as a junior."

• Jacob Gibbs [36:46]:
  "I think the competition is number one. Because if the way that he wins just simply doesn't translate, then he's almost like useless."

• Heath Cummings [43:51]:
  "Is this going to be a fooled you once again or is this the class that combined with Bowers and McBride and LaPorta, we're actually going to have a depth of young talent at the tight end position..."

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Final Remarks

The episode wraps up with an invitation for listeners to participate in mock drafts and engage with the Fantasy Football Today community for further discussions and updates. Heath and Jacob reiterate their cautious optimism about the 2025 tight end class, emphasizing the need for careful analysis and strategic drafting to maximize fantasy football success.

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For more insights and updates, tune into future episodes of Fantasy Football Today as Heath Cummings and Jacob Gibbs continue to dissect NFL prospects and provide expert advice to help you dominate your fantasy leagues.

Transcript

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[Jacob Gibbs]

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[Heath Cummings]

Welcome to Fantasy Football Today Dynasty. I am your host, Heath Cummings, joined today by Jacob Gibbs. And it is time for the Rookie Tight End preview. And Jacob, I don't know that there's anybody better to be on this episode than you. You just wrote all kinds of words about this tight end class. Tell people about the work you've been doing on the class in general and about the newsletter which where they can find a lot of these words.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah, there's. That's where those words are landing is the newsletter. It's going out. It's scheduled Monday, Wednesday and Friday and hopefully in the morning is what we're aiming for. But I honestly haven't been in the flow of writing for the past few months. I've just been watching tons of film and so kind of getting back into that and finding the rhythm there. But I think each morning that's going to hit your inbox and I'll just download you on all of this stuff I've been learning about this class. It's a really deep class and it's a really nuanced class. There's a lot of different types of prospects we're going to get into that with, like comparing Elijah Arroyo to, you know, somebody like Harold Fannin Jr. Like they're so, so different. And so yeah, there's just, there's a lot to talk through and I'll do my best to just kind of keep you guys updated on all that as we get landing spots and figure out how these players are going to impact these teams.

[Heath Cummings]

On today's show, we will talk about the top five rookie tight ends in consensus rankings. That's Tyler Warren, Colston, Loveland, Harold Fannin, Elijah Arroyo, and Mason Taylor. We've got a couple of Jacob's favorites coming up next. I Will tell you, Jacob mentioned like it's a nuanced class and it was really interesting because we've got, we're hearing reports that maybe three of these guys are going to go in round one, which generally signals very good things for fantasy production. Also, Ryan Heath quote, tweeted one of my tweets this morning and we've had Ryan on the show before. We will definitely have Ryan on the show again coming up relatively soon, I hope. And mention the fact that, you know, it's not at least based on the testing information. We have an elite class based on relative athletic score and this is a position that in the past, if you're not a first round pick, that seems to matter a lot in terms of fantasy production. I think the way he said it was this is the one position where guys can really consistently out produce their draft capital based on their athleticism. So that will be an interesting discussion as well. But let's get started with three questions for our good friend. Jacob and I did this with Matt Waldman. I've done this with a couple of guests throughout this. We're going to talk about the top five by consensus, but I want to hear a little bit about your guys. So give me the elevator pitch for Gunner Helm.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah, that's a really good point by Ryan. And I do think that as you get deeper into the Titan class, there are a lot of titans where you're having to project them to sort of be an outlier based on their skill set because their athleticism doesn't quite check all the boxes that you need. And tight end more than really any position. We've kind of narrowed it down to like, you need to hit these boxes, you need to have these traits. But, you know, you can succeed at the NFL level if you don't. There are a few, you know, Jake Fergusons floating around that have had good careers in the right situations. And that's based on the skill set mostly. And that's where Gunner Helm really shows up to me. And I think he's a great one to start with too, because his athletic testing I do think is affected by the ankle injury. I was, I did a podcast with Davis Maddick yesterday and he pulled up this, I was not ready for it. This ankle, this gruesome ankle image of his, of Gunner Helm, his foot that he, he did the combine testing on. And so I would take that those numbers with a grain of salt with him. When you watch the film, he, he is athletic. He looks really smooth out there. He's, you know, hurdling guys. There were a number of hurdles in his film that he completed where he just looks a lot smoother than the rest of the Titans that I watched. I think he's the third most pro ready tight end. He and Mason Taylor have a lot of similarities in the ways that they win. Soft hands, they're great, you know, hands catchers away from the body. They're great at going up and getting the ball high, pointing the ball and could probably be, you know, weapons on meaningful third downs and short, you know, where you only need four or five and you run an out route to the, that tight end, you, you think you can trust them or in the red zone, you know, you think you can trust them to go get a ball. I think both of those guys can do that and I think Helm can do it better. But he is older. He is I think 22 or 23. But yeah, he was productive at Texas which is not easy to do if you watch the Texas film. The quarterback play there has is frustrating but he led the team in receptions last year and he has put up decent production. Given the circumstances and given the fact that he's competing with pro level wide receivers every step along the way. I really, really liked the skill set for Gunna home.

[Heath Cummings]

Excellent stuff. Tight end number two that I wanted you to talk about. Give me the elevator pitch for Terence Ferguson.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Ferguson is a little bit easier because his athleticism does check out. It's not like quite a leap but it's probably the best in this class because Elijah Arroyo didn't test Ferguson has jumps, has speed and has size. And when you watch the film he's not quite as smooth at doing some of the stuff that I hit on with, with Taylor and Helm, but he's, he's more like they're getting him on drags and stuff like that. They're getting him on horizontal breaking stuff and just getting the ball in his hands. And he has really impressive build up speed but he was decently productive. I just sent out some tweets this morning that are this is the percentage of team receiving yards when on the field and Ferguson is fourth on the list just behind Loveland, Fannin and Warren and ahead of Helm, Arroyo and Mason Taylor.

[Heath Cummings]

Very good stuff. Question number three and I think this is interesting because I know your rankings aren't the same as the way we're going to rank guys today, but I've heard a lot of, of kind of different breaks in terms of the tiers in this class. Some people have Warren and Loveland together, some people have worn on island and Lovelands with Fanon maybe or Arroyo maybe. Or do you see the tier breaks in this class?

[Jacob Gibbs]

So it's clearly Loveland and Warren at the top for me and I actually think that Loveland is a decent bit ahead of Tyler Warren, especially if we're talking about fantasy football. But even just for real life, I would have him ahead of Warren and I considered putting him in a tier of his own, but that was a little bit too spicy. I didn't want people to just turn the art click out of the article immediately. I think he's really good and we'll get into the conversation with those two for sure because I do think it's really interesting they're in a clear tier by their by themselves. If you look at their data compared to past prospects. If you're talking about the the difference makers at tight end, those two are in or approaching that group and there's one other guy who clearly is in that group from a data perspective and I do have him in a tier of his own. If we're talking about fantasy football, and that's Harold Fannah Jr. For real life football, I totally get why somebody would put Mason Taylor ahead of him. Mason Taylor is really young, but I mean Harold Fannin is really young too, right? Mason Taylor got on the field at LSU as a freshman. I think he's clearly a better physical specimen in terms of his ability to to block and be a pro level tight end. Fannin, you're probably going to have to work around his limitations a little bit, but I would have Fanon in his own tier for fantasy and then it's Taylor and the rest of these guys that we're going to talk about today.

[Heath Cummings]

Couple of pieces of housekeeping before we get to the first break and then jump really deep into this class. Remember to go enter FFT's draft contest. I'm just put that up on the screen. There's a link in the YouTube chat. You can win a spot in our podcast listeners league and Adam Azer does a better job of explaining all the rules. But basically you need to get the the the pick right. Don't tell me a guy's gonna be in the type 10. You have him ninth and he goes second. That doesn't count. You got to get the pick and the player right. Number two, Kevin asks how early would you take a tight end in a 12 team Super Flex league where tight ends are awarded two points per reception? Thank you Kevin for the question and for the nice comment. I I wanted to tell you guys, there will be another link coming a little bit later in the show, probably around the second break. I want to put it out there, and I have every day this week I'm doing a rookie mock with you guys. Most of those, I'm putting the link out there on X and as soon as it fills up, we run the mock. I write a little article about it today. Before I put it on X, I wanted to put it to you guys. So we'll put a link in the chat a little bit later. You can join that mock draft. And my plan is as soon as it fills after the show, we'll run it with a quick 60 second clock. It's going to be a 1.55 tight end premium, not a two point tight end premium. But I think even in 1.5, Jacob, I would expect Tyler Warren to go no later than fourth, possibly as early.

[Jacob Gibbs]

As second in 1.5. I certainly wouldn't want to take Tyler Warren that early, but I could see him going, what about Colson Loveland in the top five? Yeah, Loveland, I think you could make the case, especially if you're a team that doesn't necessarily feel that competitive this year. I think the upside for Loveland is massive. Like, not Kelsey, because that is a truly unique set of circumstances that Kelsey had for his career in terms of his offensive environment. But Loveland, I think, has the talent to be a true, true difference maker as a receiver. So I guess you could reach on that kind of upside. But there's so many players that I just freaking love in this draft. I, I, I know, like, I would just, I would just really have a hard time if Travis Hunter goes in the top five and he says I'm playing receiver full time. The team says he's playing receiver full time. I'd really have a hard time taking them over Hunter over Amari, and Hampton over Ted McMillan. Unless McMillan, like, lands on the Saints or something. Yeah, I, I think I would have a tough time putting these tight ends that high. And 2 points per Titan reception. I think that it makes sense. Yeah.

[Heath Cummings]

All right, that will do it. For opening segment, let's take a short break and let's jump into Tyler Warren.

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[Heath Cummings]

Hey never so you've already heard that he's not Jacob's tight end one but Tyler Warren definitely the tight end one in the consensus rankings. I will say in the one one QB mock I did yesterday, that was not tight end premium. Tyler Warren went third. So there are some people that really, really love this guy and I guess Jacob. Let's start with this side of the evaluation. Why is he the consensus number one tight end in this class?

[Jacob Gibbs]

Well, I mean on big boards he's like in the top 10 for so many people in terms of real NFL drafts and if he gets that type of capital, know that's worth taking a shot on. He was really productive and he has some really cool highlight plays. Just truly like spectacular hands for any player, but especially the tight end position. And that shows up a lot. It's not just a few highlights here and there. He's, he's making Contessa catches over and over. I do worry a little bit about that translating because of the short arms. And I think defenders at the NFL level are just bigger and better and faster to that point of the catch. And so he's, he's gonna have to really like. I think it's gonna be easier for people to get into his body and get to the catch point. But yeah, to take him that high, like he really has to be similar to a Trey McBride kind of player or, you know, Brock Bowers. I don't think that he has that though. I don't think that's backed up by data or with a film. I think so much of what he did was predicated on the role that he played at Penn State. And I suppose if a team decides that they're going to use top 12 draft capital on him, then maybe we'll see something similar. But I, I just don't know. Like he. A higher percentage of his catches and targets came on screens last year than Harold Fannin and people can't get over like how, you know, much Fannin's production was, you know, not replicable and how much it was boosted by his, his offense and everything. And it's like Warren had the same thing going really, like they really, really manufacture touches to him and that's really rare to see that happen at the NFL level.

[Heath Cummings]

So I want to talk about one other potential negative with Warren and you may not see it as one, but how much do you care that he really wasn't productive in college until he was 22 years old and older than most people on the field?

[Jacob Gibbs]

I, yeah, I don't think it's quite as relevant as it is at like wide receiver when we're talking about breakout age, but it is noteworthy. Like if you're, if you want to try to compare him to like Brock Bowers, I just, I'm going to shut that down immediately based off of this point because it's like Bowers at Georgia as a freshman with tons of NFL talent around him was the guy and was the guy every step along the way. And that's not the case with Tyler Warren. And then even the, the peaks of, you know, Bowers compared to him in terms of single season is not the same either. But yeah, I, I don't think that's, that's super concerning. I think mostly like we see this, the skill set that he has and it's not like he's a 24 year old or something when we see this that he's rounded out by this point in his career and I do think it's ready to translate. Titan takes a long time to develop.

[Heath Cummings]

So clearly you've made it clear you don't think he has Brock Bowers upside. Do you think he has Sam laporta upside?

[Jacob Gibbs]

So Laporte is a little bit more interesting comparing them statistically. Laporta, you kind of have to take all of his numbers with a grain of salt because he played it at such a run heavy offense. But if you do like look at it when it's like the percentage the per route data or like the percentage of you know, when, when they were on the field and they were passing it, it is LaPorta ahead of Warren, but it's closer than it is with somebody like Bowers. I think the, statistically the more close Comps are, are people like TJ Hawkinson and like Michael Mayer. I think Hawkinson. And honestly, Mary's data is better. I think Hawkinson is probably the, the best comp in terms of the way that he wins with short yardage yards after the catch and stuff like that.

[Heath Cummings]

Let's get away from everybody else's number one tight end and get to Jacobs number one tight end, Colston Loveland. Not as productive as Fanon or as Warren in college, but you see immense upside here. Where does that come from?

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah, you have to, you have to look, you know, under the hood a little bit here to see what's going on because there's a reason that the numbers were not good and that's that, that the offense was super dysfunctional. I, I had a hard time getting through Michigan games in 2024. Fortunately, I found a YouTube channel that has cut ups of every target and touch. So I didn't have to watch every play because I watched a couple. I watched every play for like three or four 2023 games. And it was fine. It was fun to get back and watch J.J. mcCarthy and it was good to get a glimpse of Loveland and what he could do as a blocker. And then I tried to do that for 2024 and I was like, this is legitimately the worst quarterback play that I've seen. And there were some really bad quarterback play last year at the collegiate level with some of these prospects. Luther Bird and all these guys suffered through some of it. And I don't think, I truly don't think anyone had it worse than Loveland. And I've watched hundreds of games. So what I'll say with Loveland is his per route data and his like when he was on the field. Those numbers are nuts. They absolutely jump off the page last year. But he got hurt. And that is something that people get frustrated with is the injuries. I don't, I don't know what to say on that. Like, he is a big, physical guy. I don't, I don't know how that will translate level. I don't see a reason why I keep getting hurt. But when he's been on the field, his production has been as good as anybody we've, we've seen in recent memory. I wish that I had data that was like further back than 2017 because he trumps everything. And so we see his per route data steadily improve from his first season to his third season, culminating in a 40% target per route run rate. So he's targeted on 40% of the round city run in 2024. And what's so impressive about that is that he, that number wasn't boosted by screens. He only had six screens last year. Harold Fannin had 32, Tyler Warren had 33. So 24% of Warren's targets were screens, 21% of Fannin's were screens, 7% of Lovelands were screens. And still he had the highest target per run rate that we've ever seen at the tight end position. Fannin crushed any previous target per run rate. His was 39. Previously the highest was Trey McBride at 33% fan and crushed that. And Loveland had a higher rate without the screens. And that's just insane to me. And people get a little bit frustrated about the yardage production. This is part of it. Like he's not getting yak and it's like chicken or the egg. I guess. Like people are like, well, you know, offensive designers are competent, which I don't know. That's always the right assumption. But people do say that. And so maybe the reason he's not getting screens because he's not good after the catch. When I watched him, he's creating yards after the catch. He's tough, he's physical, he's fast, he's smooth. Like, I don't know why he wouldn't, I don't see anything skill wise that would preclude him from being good at creating yards after the catch. I think it's possible that they were just like, go win. And they were, that's what like go in as receiver, as a slot receiver, as an inline player, just go be a route winner. And he did that. He produced almost 3 yards per route run last year in this offensive environment. So to me, like everything, I see everything on film and it's like this, this guy is, he's not winning every single route. He's occasionally getting knocked off his, his routes. But he is still really young. He just turned 21 years old. And so to see him doing this like it's a high level competition. Big Ten defense is about as good as it gets. And then you look at the data and it's like, we haven't really seen anything like this at tight end. That's super, super exciting to me. I think the sky's the limit with him. You can, an opposite corner can do anything with him because you can put him in line, you can put him in the slot, you can put him out wide, you can create mismatches all over the field. You don't have to take him off the field.

[Heath Cummings]

So let's get into the hypothetical here. Tyler Warren is a top 12 pick. How high does Colston Loveland have to be drafted for you to keep him ahead of Warren in this class?

[Jacob Gibbs]

I think first round and it's possible if he goes in the second round to like the Chargers or something like that, like a really just prime landing spot that I would still put him out of him. But that would really be a reach and a banking on like the skill set and what I've my conviction in him as a player because draft capital does matter a lot and like getting that kind of capital for Warren and the discrepancy between the two would be meaningful. But I mean he, he's the, the data is so good, man. Like the fact that he, Harold Fanning just turn in the craziest season we've ever seen by far at tight end led the entire nation to receiving. And if you just look at the plays where the player was on the field, Loveland was better, was more productive than him. That's, that's just wild. Wild to me because Fannin's offense was designed to get him the ball every step along the way and leveling was just out there like saving them, like keeping them from like just turning the ball off every possession. Like it's. I don't know, it just blows my mind.

[Heath Cummings]

You mentioned earlier about like if you're a team that's not necessarily winning now, you might be more likely to take one of these tight ends earlier in a tight end premium draft because it does take a long time for the talent to translate a lot of time to this position and for the development to happen. But Loveland specifically amongst this class, do you think he's ready to contribute now or do you think he is more of a project?

[Jacob Gibbs]

I think that he is. But I mean if he like say he went to the Patriots or something like that and they were kind of like, we really need you to, to handle like 25 of the targets right away. I would worry a little bit about that. He is really young, but he's, he's, he's improved every step along the way. And I, I really liked what I saw from the skill set As a blocker. He's. I, I was expecting this like him to be a negative as a blocker because people compare like Warren to Gronk and him to Kelsey. But I actually think his blocking is better than Warren and I've heard that from other people who watch a lot of film as well. Like Nate Ty said the same thing and he's definitely got the frame for it and the mentality. I mean this guy was recruited by Jim Harbaugh. It's not, you know, like he is a hard nose player.

[Heath Cummings]

Right, let's. So those were the easy two guys. The. Then we get to tight end three in the consensus rankings. And. And to be honest with you, there's a bit of a why from both Jacob and I. Elijah Arroyo is the tight end three currently on Fantasy Pros over in the consensus expert rankings at tight end in this class. We're going to talk about Harold Fanon after the break. But I, I would wonder if like, is there a case that you can make for why Arroyo should be ranked this high? Because a lot of people are.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Obviously I am going to need to like dig into comparisons more to see if there's anything similar from. Because like from, from an average depth of target standpoint and an athleticism standpoint that has translated because it, it would be pretty unique. I think just thinking about the position and what we've had recently to see a player come in like this and be more than be a, be a consistent fantasy producer or even, even a. It doesn't have to be consistent necessarily because it's tied in we're talking about. But to be a fantasy producer. I think most likely Arroyo is going to be a real value add to an NFL team, but not somebody who's going to see more than 8, 10, 12% of the targets. He's, he's the wild card. You know, like if he, if the skill set is rounded out and he's more than just a vertical threat, then you know, we're cooking, you know, like if he's, you know, Noah Fant plus like something like that, then sure. Like that would be really, really intriguing. And when you watch him, he's. He's crazy, man. He flies like I wish he, we would have got his testing because he's legitimately running away from dbs.

[Heath Cummings]

Well, that's, that's one thing I wonder, do you think it's possible that people are giving him the RAS boost without the testing? Like they just watch him play and it's so obvious how athletic he is that we're going to give him the athletic scoring boost without actually doing the testing.

[Jacob Gibbs]

I think that has to be what's happening if we've got him at tight end three. I was really surprised to hear that. I haven't met tight in seven and I really liked Arroyo. I really liked what I saw in the film. If you, it took him a while to, to really get to play. He had injuries and then even this year they kind of eased them in. But once he got a full time role, he was really productive. I heard a crazy stat from Josh Norris. I think he caught like all of his initial 11 targets and was averaging like 20 yards per target on them or something. So like he really like forced his way into a role and just was insanely good this year. 12 yards per target, by far the highest mark in the class in 2024. But he is, you know, he's going to be 23 years old as a rookie and we haven't seen him ever, you know, demand targets at a high level. But I do think, like we talked about tight end more than other positions. You don't have to get attached to the data this, you know, that you can not be productive as a collegiate player, but then if you have the traits, you can end up, you know, having a productive NFL career.

[Heath Cummings]

You mentioned the injuries with Arroyo. I know you kind of weren't sure what to do with those with Colston Loveland. Are the injuries more of a concern with Arroyo or you're just kind of shrugging your shoulders?

[Jacob Gibbs]

I mean, I just, I never know what to say about this. Honestly. He's like, he, he, I guess has a slighter frame than some other tight ends. He moves his body incredibly fast. So maybe he gets himself on a collision course more like, I really don't know.

[Heath Cummings]

Would you view him as a high ceiling, low floor prospect?

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah, for sure. If he can, I mean, if he can get a team that like wants to design him looks and in addition to the, the vertical seam stuff like it, maybe he's good with on screens. I didn't get to see him with the ball in his hands all that often because Miami had a lot of playmakers, you know, and it, you know, I think it made more sense to just go straight drop back and kind of let Cam Ward improvise, you know. But like, maybe he is good with the ball in his hands. I think he definitely has athleticism to, to become that kind of a threat. So if that's unlocked, then like all of a sudden, you know, he's one of the most athletic tight ends in the NFL. And if he's in the right situation, that could be really fun.

[Heath Cummings]

That's Elijah Arroyo. He is currently the tight end three in consensus rankings. He is not my tight end three. He's not Jacob's tight end three. We're going to talk about Harold Fannin after the break and that segment might take a long time because we both love him. But before we do, if you guys would like to do a mock draft in the next 30 minutes or so. Thomas, if you've got the link, there will be a link in the chat where you can click on that claim your team. I'm trying to be a kind guy. I went ahead and just took the 12th pick, so I'm going to take the very last pick. It will be Super Flex Tight end premium mock draft and we're doing 60 seconds per pick. It'll probably be over in 15 to 20 minutes. We're just doing three rounds. So real, real quick thing here, but if you want to be a part of it, go click that link in the chat. I'll also, if it's not full when the show's over, I'll put the link out on X as well and finish fill it that way so you can have a couple different opportunities to join. Although if we have enough people from the show, join people on X will get no chance today. You have another chance tomorrow. Let's take a short break and then get into Harold Fannin.

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[Heath Cummings]

Everyone who comes into this clinic is a mystery.

[Jacob Gibbs]

We don't know what we're looking for.

[Heath Cummings]

Their bodies are the scene of the crime.

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[Jacob Gibbs]

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[Jacob Gibbs]

I kind of love it if I'm being honest.

[Heath Cummings]

Solve the puzzle, save the patient. Morris Chestnut is Watson. Now streaming on Paramount plus and new episodes Sundays on CBS. Okay, Jake, Harold Fannin Jr. I. In case some of you guys have been under a rock for the last few months, I just, I need to say these numbers. 117 receptions last year. 1555 receiving yards last year. If you look over on sports Reference at the college football page and I, I use that every sport they have so often. So thank you guys for that good work. You'll see that those numbers are both bolded and sized. That's because he led all of FBS in receptions and receiving Yards and you're thinking well okay, so he's the best tight end. No, he led all of FBS in receptions and receiving yards as a junior. Well, I guess a senior technically, but he's, he's done now. He was a junior, right? Third year player at the very least not old at all. Yes, he played at Bowling Green, but I don't understand how this guy is not in consideration for the top two or at least tight end number three. Arguably the most insane production we've ever seen from a tight end at the college level. Jacob, just keep raving about Harold Fannin.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah, per Dane Brugler just started playing tight end as he entered college. He was a safety before that. So super young and still like could be adding to his feel for the game. I think it's really, he's, he's one of the more interesting prospects we've had in a long time in any position. The production is wild. So I'll give you a few ways to contextualize it. First, I do want to point out that he averaged 3.25 yards per out run verse power five schools. That's more than any tight end in the time that I have the data. Tyler Warren's is at 2.05. Brock Bowers is the next highest at 2.65 behind Fanon at 3.25. If I remove screens from that sample size, it drops to only 100 routes. So it's a small sample but it the yard per run average rises to 3.5. So when he was asked to win versus the best competition that he played on big boy routes down the field, he did. You know, you watch him against Texas A and M. Against Penn State he has huge games. 1 for 11 for 137 versus Penn State. A for 145 versus A M got a touchdown in each of those. I think he's really, really good as a rat runner. I know it's an unorthodox way of moving but I, I think that that affects the defense the way that he moves. I, I broke down his film. If you want to search like Jacob Gibbs, Harold Fannin, you'll see a thread or two where I'm, I'm diving into it in more detail. I really liked what I saw from as a rat runner I think it could be translatable. Even though he looks awkward as an athlete and he's. It's, you know, the straight line speed that the top end of that isn't what you want necessarily. But he definitely has some athletic testing that was encouraging. And I think it does show up in the way that he moves. In terms of acceleration, it just. The agility isn't quite there and the straight line speed isn't quite there. So it's going to be really interesting to see how that all comes together. But just. Yeah, a few more statistical points for you. So I. I broke down the career percentage of team receiving yards when on the field for some of the best tight ends to go into the draft lately. And basically they all fall in the 26 to 30% range. TJ Hawkinson, Trey McBride, Tyler Warren, Dalton Kincaid, Michael Mayer, Isaiah likely, Brock, Bowers, LaPorta, all in that range. Colson Loveland for his career is at 33%. Harold Fannin is at 43%. If you do it by touchdowns, it's the same thing. 21 to 36, 37%. Actually, it's 21 to 31 is most of them. And then you have Bowers at 37%, Isaiah likely at 39 and Fannin at 46%. I think likely is the fun comparison. That's one that people make a lot. I think it was Coastal Carolina where he played. It was a small school, similar to Fanon, and he was really, really productive, but not as productive as Fan, not nearly as productive as Fanon by any measure. Total or, you know, per play measures. The last thing I want to do with Fannin is I want to compare him to Trey McBride. I also compared him to Dalton Kickade. You can find these on Twitter. It's a super dense tweet with a lot of different data points, whether it's athleticism or production or whatever. Kincaid, I think, is a really good comparison stylistically. I. I think they're actually really similar in terms of the way that you have to work around the limitations as a blocker and how that has limited Kincaid to this point in his career hasn't been a great fit with Buffalo. And the same kind of thing could happen for Fan and especially if he doesn't get draft capital that suggests that a team has a clear plan for him. McBride. I want to compare statistically. McBride at Colorado State put up per route data that blew me away. I never seen anything like it. A tight end before in his final season there. And I think he's a good comparison because we've seen him find success at the NFL level. He's a bit undersized. He's. Let me see here. I've got this size comparison. He is one inch taller, five pounds heavier than Fan, and Fanon has a Longer wingspan, vertical broad jump and bench press were the only combine test McBride participated in. Fanon beat him in all of those. I think McBride is a bigger, better athlete, but I don't think it's by a wide, wide margin. I think he's a better blocker as well. But I think it's possible. Fanon is still young and not used to blocking. Like I said, he played safety. It's possible that he could develop in that area. 20 years old at draft day for fan compared to 22 for McBride. Broke out in year two. McBride broke out in year four. Both of them played at small schools. Each of them had four career games versus Power Four schools. Fannin had 29 catches for 381 yards and three receiving touchdowns in those games. McBride had 21 catches for 247 yards and one touchdown in those games. McBride's yard sprout run rate dropped when he faced Power Four schools. Fannin's was steady, 3.25, McBride's 1.91. All of it favors Fan. I think they're a similar profile, but like all of it is better for Fanon. So I, I just think that's really interesting. I, I don't, I don't think we have to just like assume that everything Fanon did was fraudulent because I definitely think you see him winning in more ways than just design touches and yards after the catch. You see him routing people up and getting open consistently and making catches in tight windows.

[Heath Cummings]

I want to just go back to something because Jacob said it. I just want to make sure you heard it. He's 20 years old. He doesn't turn 21 until July 20th.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah. In the whole draft, any position last.

[Heath Cummings]

Year as a 19 year old, he caught 44 passes for 623 yards and six touchdowns. There have been tight ends drafted very high in the NFL draft that, that was their best season in college. So there's a reason that Jacob and I both love this guy. I hope he gets good draft capital on a good landing spot. But we should to be complete, at least talk about the concerns. So maybe you can just rank these concerns because the three biggest that I see are the competition that he faced, the combine results, his athleticism and size, and his blocking. How would you rank those three concerns in terms of Fanon's success in the NFL?

[Jacob Gibbs]

I'll say the competition is number one. Because if the way that he wins just simply doesn't translate, then he's almost like useless. Like if it's it, I'll say that's one with the blocking being a close two. They're 1A 1B because they go hand in hand. Like, if the way that he wins doesn't translate, then he can't play at all really, because he doesn't block very well. But I do think that the blocking could improve. I don't, I don't really know why it wouldn't be able to improve. Like I said, he has very long arms and he is really young and he's still learning to play tight end. But yeah, the competition, I, I even that, like, because of. To be fair, Texas A and M had a ton of games where they gave up big plays, the big players. But like, Penn State had a pretty solid defense and like to see him in his only opportunities to do it, to do it, to keep doing it, just do the exact same thing. I think really like has me encouraged that he'll keep doing it. Like, I mean, I just looked up, I was curious how many screens Trey McBride had in his huge season. 28. So four fewer than fan. The percentage of the total targets is probably actually higher than Fannin's. It's, it's really like, I don't, I don't see any reason to just like, exclude Fanon from being able to translate what he did to the pro level.

[Heath Cummings]

You, you can tell me I'm crazy. I'm giving you the opportunity, but. And I'm not projecting Fanon as the number one tight end. I'm not going to rank him as the number one tight end all. Although there's parts of me that want to. Am I crazy for thinking he could be the most productive tight end in this class?

[Jacob Gibbs]

We'll see what the NFL says. I'm really, really curious where he's going to get drafted, but no, I don't think that's crazy at all. I mean, it's not crazy to say the guy who just had, you know, led the nation receiving could be a really good pro. I think he definitely could. He's young, he's really, really exciting. I definitely think that that's within the range of outcomes.

[Heath Cummings]

Even with, in terms of that, in terms of that draft capital. I've seen a lot of speculation, it seems like over the last week that he could be right at that 2, 3 cutoff, maybe a late second, maybe an early third round pick. I don't care so much about that cutoff, but there is a point to where you get concerned is the concern is if he falls to day three.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah, I was about to look up round three tight ends so like, Trey McBride was an early round two pick, mid round two pick. I, I do think, yeah, if he falls around 3, that that would be a little bit concerning because. Or you're saying day three, that would be a little bit concerning because then it's like what he might. It might be a team is just like not nearly as willing to give him the, the leeway. And I do think that that's going to be important is like, is the team willing to like, experiment with this and like, grow with him as. As because he is young and developing and like, figure out how this works with him. Mark Andrews is around three pick.

[Heath Cummings]

Travis Kelsey.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Travis Kelsey's around three pick. Okay, yeah, we've been a couple good ones.

[Heath Cummings]

I'll feel a lot better about it if it's pick 65 than if it's picked 95. Round three. Like, that's a. It's a long round. So. Okay, that's. That's enough on Harold Fan. Let's get to tight end five. Ram asked in the chat, when are we starting the mock draft? We're starting the mock draft as soon as this show is over. As long as the mock full. I saw in the chat it looks like we have two spots left. So if you want to jump in, there is a link in the YouTube chat and we'll do that Super Flex tight end premium mock as soon as we get done here. But we have one tight end left and I don't think there's any reason to think that, like, this guy's a long ways behind everyone else in terms of the NFL's eyes or in terms of the type of impact he could have on NFL team. It's Mason Taylor. So what's your eval on Taylor?

[Jacob Gibbs]

He. He's really underwhelming from a data standpoint. And so like at first, as I started my, my process, I hadn't gotten to his film yet. I was just really confused why he was ranked so high other than being young and being Jason Taylor's son. But I really liked his film. Like I said, I did like Gunnar Helms better, but I do think that like, he showed a lot of translatable skills, made some really, really nice catches along the sideline. Fluid athlete and he's super strong. I thought that didn't necessarily show up in his blocking all that much. But you know, he is still young and so that might even be something that just needs technique to unlock.28 bench press. It reps is pretty insane. So. Yeah, I get it. Like, I think it's Clear, like how a team could see this and like have a vision for him just being like the every, every down tight end. But for fantasy, he's somebody who I'm. If I'm gonna be in, it's like I'll. Maybe I'll see if I can just buy him dirt cheap in a year or something because it's probably going to take a while for him to contribute any meaningful receiving production.

[Heath Cummings]

And he is like fan and 20 years old, a couple months older. So again, like you said, a very young guy. Great pedigree, great, great abilities in terms of just athletic abilities, maybe not receiving abilities. He looks to me like someone who could be much more valuable to an NFL team than a fantasy football manager. Is that fair?

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah, that's, that's where I'm at with him. I do think that, like he can get open on those outbreaking routes and is pretty smooth with the ball in his hands, but I just don't see an NFL team like prioritizing that when you've got other pass catchers.

[Heath Cummings]

I know. I think he is the type of tight end, we have these every year, but he's the type of tight end who has 600 yards receiving but scores 10 touchdowns. So he finishes his tight end seven that year.

[Jacob Gibbs]

Yeah, I think he could sneak into those kind of years for sure. Probably not early though, but he doesn't.

[Heath Cummings]

Probably doesn't have the upside of a Fanon or a Loveland or a Warren of maybe being a 20 target share guy within an offense.

[Jacob Gibbs]

No, I didn't see that.

[Heath Cummings]

That's gonna do it for our rookie tight end preview. I want to finish up with one more question, Jay, because I've had a joke going in my articles and on this show for five years, probably every time we say how deep tight end is at the beginning of the year, we get another terrible tight end season where tight end 12 averages like nine fantasy points per game and there's 16 guys who do that. I've heard a lot of people talking about this tight end class and how exciting it is and how we're going to have depth at the position because of these guys. Is this going to be a fooled you once again or is this the class that combined with Bowers and McBride and LaPorta, we're actually going to have a depth of young talent at the tight end position and the position's not going to be awful.

[Jacob Gibbs]

I have been fooled too many times, so I'm, I'm gonna just say that, yeah, it's probably going to be of the same. It's just not a. Yeah, it's not a position. Like, like I said with Tyler Warren, like, it's really rare that offensive designers are like, I want to get my tight in the ball. You know, like the NFL has the absolute best of the best players and like the, the talent at receiver right now is so insane. And then also almost any running back that comes in the NFL at this point is like a capable pass catcher. You know, it's like, it's like a clear red flag when they're not. So like I just. It's rare that we see the tight ends matter for fantasy. And if I'm looking at this class and being honest, like the people who are the most likely are Fannin and Loveland and then Warren and beyond that, I just don't. I wouldn't be surprised if none of them are ever priority pieces for an offense.

[Heath Cummings]

One more rapid fire question because Ram tells me we've got 12. As soon as Jacob finishes this question, I'm going to end the stream. I'm going to jump in the chat and start or jump in the draft and start the draft. What are your three favorite landing spots for a tight end in this draft? Who do you. Who do you think is going to draft one early and who do you want to see these guys go to?

[Jacob Gibbs]

That's a good question. I haven't thought about it. People bring up the Colts a lot, but I don't think I would put that up there. So I'm. I think the Chargers are clearly one and then the Broncos probably. Do you have anything off the top?

[Heath Cummings]

I was going to say that I'd really like for the Chiefs to draft Harold Fannin and have him play Ryan Kelsey for one year and then just have a feature role in the offense.

[Jacob Gibbs]

People keep bringing up the Chiefs as a landing spot for these tight ends. Man, I. I want Jared Wy to be good and come back.

[Heath Cummings]

I want Jared Wy to be good again. Jacob, you were awesome. Thank you to Thomas for running everything. Thank you everybody who was active in the chat and is getting ready to draft with us. We will talk to you on Friday with a round one week.

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[Jacob Gibbs]

I love it.

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