2022 NFL Scouting Combine Winners and Losers: Tight End

The incoming tight end rookie class had athletic questions answered during the 2022 NFL Combine. Collegiate careers are not just enough to evaluate when determining a prospect.

George Kittle finished with a career-high of 314 yards in his final season - this is just one example. So, an incoming rookie like Daniel Bellinger should not be worried about his career-high of 357 yards in his final season.

Introduction

One of my favorite metrics when evaluating tight ends is their 40-yard dash time. There are multiple variables guiding a tight end to fantasy relevance, but their speed is the most glaring one. Tony Gonzalez is arguably the best tight end in NFL history and his 40 time was 4.83 seconds, which is slow compared to Kyle Pitts’ 4.49.

Since 2000, only 15 tight ends have surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in a season and here are their 40 times.

When trying to identify which tight end you want from your dynasty rookie drafts, you should want a tight end with the potential to be league-defining. The aforementioned Gonzalez is what we would call an anomaly. It is important to note the 40-time is not the solidifying factor to determine which tight end to target. This chart just goes to show there is a specific 40-time we should want in a tight end - or at least should avoid.

2022 NFL Combine

Only three tight ends participated in the majority of the drills, while a handful of others participated in a few drills. Four tight ends did not participate at all. Here are the tight end combine results: