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Devy Notes: The Tight End Landscape

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Charlie Kolar
Bruce Matson Posted On July 15, 2021
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The tight end position is the hardest position to nail in fantasy football. Now, try nailing the position from a devy perspective when the field gets even more diluted with talent. Knowing which tight ends have the potential to make a difference at the next level can pay big dividends for both devy and dynasty gamers.

Today we are going to note some of the most talented tight ends in college football. There’s a good chance we are going to be looking to draft most of these players on our dynasty teams during the next couple of years. Some of them are pro-ready upperclassmen while some have all the potential in the world and we are just waiting for them to string together a few more productive seasons.

Charlie Kolar, Iowa State

Kolar has put together two solid years of production during his tenure at Iowa State. He will be competing to be one of the top tight ends in the 2022 draft class. We saw him own a 20.41 percent market share of his team’s passing production. He also owned a 27.70 percent share of the passing touchdowns. Per Pro Football Focus, 15.15 percent of his targets went for 20 yards or more. He also averaged 2.2 yards per route run.

NFL scouts are going to be very impressed with his blocking abilities. He will also out-muscle opposing defenders to get into position to catch the football. His hands are sticky which allows him to make tough grabs. From what I see, he’s ready to play on Sundays.

Arik Gilbert, LSU

Gilbert has been pegged as “the next Kyle Pitts” by a lot of people. One look at his frame and athletic prowess and you can see why. His freshman year didn’t go as planned as he appeared in eight games, catching 35 passes for 368 yards and two touchdowns.

Once the season was over he decided to enter the transfer portal. He initially declared to go to Florida before finally signing with the Georgia Bulldogs where he will be sharing the field with sophomore tight end Darnell Washington who was also pegged as a decorated five-star recruit. Gilbert wanted to make the move back to Georgia so he could be closer to his family.

He moves like a wide receiver with a 6-foot-5 250-pound frame. Gilbert is a very fluid athlete which stands out on tape. He is already one of the top pass catchers at the tight end position. We could see him blossom into something special considering he’s a rare athlete who can out muscle almost all defenders at the catch-point.

Everything is there for Gilbert to succeed. He has the five-star pedigree, size-adjusted athleticism, and the receiving attributes to develop into a high-end prospect. He just needs to translate his potential into production.

Michael Mayer, Notre Dame

Mayer is your prototypical tight-end prospect. He can play inline and split out as a receiver. 247Sports had him rated as the second-best tight end in the 2020 recruiting class behind Gilbert. Mayer and Gilbert were the only tight ends to receive five-star ratings in 2020. He posted a 4.84-second 40-yard dash and a 31.30-inch vertical at the Opening while measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 234 pounds.

Even as a freshman, Mayer managed to be a major contributor, owning a 15.80 percent market share of Notre Dame’s passing production. He caught 42 passes for 450 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a very physical player who has the requisite athleticism to pull away from the defense if he gets the ball in space. We should only see him build his resume into one of the top prospects in college football.

Jalen Wydermyer, Texas A&M

He finished fourth among all tight ends with a 21.61 percent market share of Texas A&M’s passing production. He has grown into being one of the better talents at the position over the last two seasons. During that time he has caught 78 balls for 953 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Wydermyer is tough to cover. He’s a big-bodied tight end who can move. We consistently create separation with his size and athleticism. He also can reel in those tough contested targets. If he can provide another season with consistent production, then he will be at least a day two pick if he decides to come out for the draft in 2022.

Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State

Ruckert is a former five-star recruit from the 2018 recruiting class. We are still waiting for him to breakout at the college level. He only has 306 yards and nine touchdowns to his name at Ohio State. However, he did manage to provide some clutch moments during the first three years of his collegiate career.

Part of the reason why Ruckert hasn’t delivered in the box score is that Ohio State doesn’t utilize the tight end position like most schools. Justin Fields airmailed 69.14 percent of the passing production to Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. The team is loaded with talent at wide receiver, making it hard to justify consistently send targets to the tight end.

Although it’s in a smaller sample than what we would like, when we see Ruckert get used in the passing game, he always looks the part of a big-play tight end. He makes one-handed catches look easy. What many dynasty gamers don’t know about him is that he’s a very aggressive blocker who will smash the soul out of a defender to help open a running lane. This aspect of his game will get him noticed by many NFL scouts.

Theo Johnson, Penn State

I could list tight ends all day. Many tight ends didn’t make the list, but I want to shine a light on Johnson. We could see him break out in a big way this season. Pat Freiermuth is gone, leaving a void for him to prove himself in the passing game. We didn’t see much from him during his freshman season as Penn State didn’t perform to standards during the short 2020 season.

Johnson is a big play waiting to happen. According to 247Sports, he was the fastest player over 220 pounds at the Opening Finals. He has natural ball skills. Johnson has the speed to create plenty of problems for opposing defenses. If he can develop as a blocker, then there’s a good chance he could be one of the more coveted tight-end prospects in college football.

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