The NFL Combine begins on Monday, February 26, with the workouts and drills slated to begin on Thursday, February 29. This is where prospects get the chance to meet with teams and try and increase their draft stock. While tight ends are often overlooked in drafts, there are certainly a few to keep an eye on in this class, and good performances in the Combine could help this year’s TE class not be so top-heavy.
Let’s take a look at which tight ends are trending up and trending down ahead of the NFL Combine.
Who to watch at the NFL Combine: Tight ends trending up
Brock Bowers, Georgia
If you have heard about a tight end in this draft class, it has likely been Bowers. The Bulldog spent three years playing for UGA and was listed at 6 ft. 4, 230 pounds by the university. He had an instant impact as a freshman with 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. Over his 40 career games, Bowers totaled 2,538 yards with 26 touchdowns. He isn’t as athletic as Kyle Pitts was coming out of college, but it’s pretty close, and he is expected to not only be the first tight end drafted but could be a top-six pick.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
Sanders is currently projected to be a mid-second-round draft pick but could see his stock rise with a good outing at the Combine. He has good size and can be counted on to block, but just didn’t get as much exposure in Texas’ offense. Sanders played two years for the Longhorns and had 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns in 27 games. He could certainly have an impact as a rookie but doesn’t have quite as much initial upside as Bowers.
Jaheim Bell, Florida State
I very well could be biased from his time at South Carolina, but Bell has the talent to be a starting tight end in the NFL. He passes the vision test and he is my pick to see a big increase in his draft stock as he goes through drills at the Combine. Bell’s stats won’t jump off the page with 1,260 yards and nine touchdowns in 43 career games, but his junior year at South Carolina shows the versatility he can bring to an offense. Bell played in 12 games and had 231 receiving yards with two touchdowns. He also ran the ball 73 times and picked up 261 yards and three touchdowns.
TEs trending down ahead of NFL Combine
Theo Johnson, Penn State
Johnson’s draft stock is all over the place. He is considered an end-of-the-fourth-round draft pick, but other analysts have him being a seventh-round dart throw. Johnson played for four years for the Nittany Lions. He ended his career with 938 yards and 12 touchdowns in 44 games. Johnson flew under the radar for the first three years but started turning heads with his seven scores in 2023. He needs a good Combine to decrease the gap between his draft outlooks, but for now, he is trending down.
Erick All, Iowa
All has five years of collegiate football under his belt. He spent the first four with the Michigan Wolverines and ended up jumping ship to Iowa just before Michigan won its national championship. All played in a total of 40 games and had 864 yards and five touchdowns. At this point, he needs to impress at the Combine, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him sign as a UDFA with a team if he does go undrafted.