si
2026 player position rankings: Wide receivers | Cornerbacks | Offensive line | Defensive line Welcome back to Sports Illustrateds 2026 NFL position rankings, where well stack up the top 10 players across the league at each spot on the field over the coming weeks leading into training camp.
We continue with tight ends.
The tight end position is ever-changing in the NFL.
From the days of Mike Ditka and John Mackey to Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce (who well get to in a bit), the role, as an extension of both the offensive line and the wide receiver room, has become one of footballs most valuable, with the right player able to present quite a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Last season, the Sean McVay-led Rams offense used 13-personnel (one running back and three tight ends) twice as often as the next closest team, and in the copycat league that is the NFL, it has put a renewed emphasis on the position heading into the coming campaign.
Weve ranked the top 10 tight ends in the NFL heading into the 2026 season.
Rankings were determined by a vote between Eva Geitheim, Mike Kadlick and Karl Rasmussen.
10.
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns 2025 stats: 72 receptions, 731 yards, seven total touchdowns An Ohio lifer, Fannin grew up in Canton before attending Bowling Green State University, where he developed into a collegiate superstar.
As a junior, he led the NCAA in both receptions (117) and yards (1,555) en route to winning both the MAC MVP and Offensive Player of the Year award in 2024.
The Browns selected Fannin in the third round of the 2025 draft, and as a rookie led Cleveland in receptions (72), receiving yards (731) and total touchdowns (seven).
His success in Year 1 earned him quite the praise from fellow tight end George Kittle, who spoke about Fannin on The Pat McAfee Show in June.
I think he is a very good player ..
said Kittle.
He is a very talented player.
Moves fast, has a good sense of space, can win on man-to-man, catches everything.
And he gives a ton of effort on the run game.
He has impressed me a ton.
Fannin is turning 22 in late July, making him the youngest player on our list, and arguably the one with the most potential.
Mike Kadlick 9.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs 2025 stats: 76 receptions, 851 yards, five touchdowns One of the greatest tight ends of all time, Travis Kelce could be entering the final year of his career in 2026.
Though Kelce is past his incredible prime, he remains a productive player for a team lacking in top-end pass catchers.
He led the Chiefs in receiving for the fourth consecutive season in 2025 and finished fourth among tight ends in receiving yards (851).
Even at 36, Kelce still has a knack for sneakily finding an opening in defenses and exploiting them for big gains.
If this year is truly it for the recently-wed Kelce, he will look to close his career on a brighter note than the end of last season, when the Chiefs lost their final six games as Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL.
Eva Geitheim 8.
Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons 2025 stats: 88 receptions, 928 yards, five touchdowns Pitts was expected to burst onto the scene after the Falcons selected him with the No.
4 pick in the 2021 draft, and while its ultimately been a slow burn, the 6'6", 250-pound weapon is finally coming into his own heading into 2026.
Not only has Pitts built on his touchdown total every year since entering the leagueresulting in a career-high five last seasonbut he also led Atlanta in receiving yards (928), receptions (88) and first downs (51) in 2025 while earning second-team All-Pro honors.
He and the Falcons will now enter the upcoming campaign under a new head coach, Kevin Stefanski.
Kyles a guy that is here working like crazy.
Takes coaching, Stefanski told Falcons.com of Pitts during OTAs.
Obviously, the physical skill set is obvious when Kyles on the field, with how big he is and how he moves.
But Ive been impressed with what were asking him to do, a couple new things for him ..
I think Kyles been outstanding in that regard of trying to continue to get better in so many areas.
Pitts signed a three-year, $54 million extension with Atlanta this offseason, making him the third-highest-paid tight end in the NFL in terms of average annual value.
M.K.
7.
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills 2025 stats: 39 receptions, 571 yards, five touchdowns Injuries have limited Kincaid over the past couple of seasons, but he produces at a high level when hes healthy.
He set career highs in touchdown receptions (five) and yards per reception (14.6) last season, while also leading all tight ends in yards per route run (2.77).
Schematically, Kincaid hasnt been a focal point of the Bills offense, but he makes the most of his opportunities.
He ranked fourth in the NFL in yards per target (11.65), trailing only Kayshon Boutte, Alec Pierce and Tyquan Thornton, a trio of wide receivers best known for their prowess on vertical routes.
With the Bills being a rush-heavy team, his lackluster blocking ability sees him miss out on snaps semi-regularly.
Kincaid caught 73 passes in his rookie season, but hasnt topped 44 receptions in either of the past two years as Buffalo used more of a rotation at the tight end position.
Still, when the ball comes his way, hes been effective as a downfield target for Josh Allen.
Only Mike Gesicki had a higher average depth of target than Kincaid (9.49) among tight ends that ran at least 200 routes last season.
Kincaid remains a big aerial threat whenever hes lined up, and hell hopefully be able to stay on the field a bit more in 2026.
Karl Rasmussen 6.
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears 2025 stats: 58 receptions, 713 yards, six touchdowns Loveland has emerged as one of the best young tight ends in the NFL after enjoying a brilliant second half of his rookie season.
He was finding his footing through the first seven weeks of last season, but he caught fire after that.
After averaging 19.3 yards per game and failing to score a touchdown in his first six games, Loveland averaged 59.7 yards per game over his next 10 contests and had six touchdowns in that span.
Bears coach Ben Johnson spoke highly of Loveland this offseason, calling him one of the most consistent players Ive ever been around.
Thats high praise for a rookie tight end, and hell have a huge role to play in Chicagos offense in 2026, especially after the departure of DJ Moore.
K.R.
5.
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions 2025 stats: 40 receptions, 489 yards, three touchdowns Injuries limited LaPorta to just nine games last season, but hes been one of the leagues premier tight ends since his rookie season in 2023.
He had 17 touchdown receptions in his first two seasons, which was tied with Mark Andrews for the most in the NFL during those two years.
Before his season-ending injury, LaPorta had an impressive catch percentage of 81.63%, catching 40 of 49 targets from quarterback Jared Goff.
Among tight ends with 40 receptions last year, only George Kittle had a better catch rate (82.61%).
Even with so many mouths to feed on the Lions offense, LaPorta has continued to be a key player for the team.
He was pacing for a career-high 923.1 yards last year, and in just nine games had racked up 274 yards after catch, which ranked 15th at the position despite missing nearly half the season.
K.R.
4.
Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers 2025 stats: 32 receptions, 489 yards, six touchdowns Krafts 2025 season came to an early end after he tore his ACL in Week 9.
In his first eight games of the campaign, Kraft was outstanding for the Packers, racking up 32 catches, 489 yards and six touchdowns (one shy of his career high of seven, which he set in 17 games in 24).
He was in the midst of a career year, having recorded two games with over 120 receiving yards and five games with three-plus receptions as he made himself an important target for Jordan Love.
In the week before his season-ending injury, Kraft had the best game of his career against the Steelers, catching seven passes on nine targets for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
Kraft was on pace for 68 receptions, 1,038 yards and 12 touchdowns before his knee injury last year.
Hes also a menace after the catch.
Kraft had 344 yards after catch last season, which ranked eighth among all tight ends despite playing in just eight games.
K.R.
3.
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers 2025 stats: 57 receptions, 628 yards, seven touchdowns Of all the talented pass-catching tight ends on this list, George Kittle is the best blocker of the group.
The 49ers impressively managed a cascade of injuries in 2025, but they were certainly better when Kittle was on the field.
This was noticeably true in the running game, where his blocking helped open up rushing lanes against teams such as the Falcons, Giants and Colts.
Kittle is also an exceptional pass catcher.
Not only is he a dynamic threat as a receiver, capable of moving off tacklers and accumulating yards after the catch, but he is also reliable.
According to Next Gen Stats, Kittle ranked second among all pass catchers in 2025 in catch percentage, only behind Stefon Diggs.
The primary question for Kittle is what caliber of player he will be when he returns from a torn Achilles tendon as he approaches his age-33 season.
Its not wise to doubt Kittle, but where he ranks among the best tight ends in the league in 2026 will depend on how quickly he gets back to form.
E.G.
2.
Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders 2025 stats: 64 receptions, 680 yards, seven touchdowns A football robot from heaven, according to new coach Klint Kubiak, Brock Bowers has quickly established himself as one of the best tight ends in the game since coming out of Georgia as the top prospect at the position in 2024.
In his first NFL season, Bowers set the records for most receptions by a rookie (112) and most receiving yards (1,194) by a rookie tight enda record held by Mike Ditka for over 60 yearswhile earning first-team All-Pro honors.
He missed several games due to injury in 2025, but looks poised to return to his status as a top tight end this season when healthy again.
E.G.
1.
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals 2025 stats: 126 receptions, 1,239 yards, 11 touchdowns With Travis Kelce and George Kittle well into their 30s, Trey McBride has taken over the title as the best tight end in the league.
The Cardinals pass catcher led all tight ends in receiving yards in 2025 while setting the NFL record for most receptions in a season by a tight end.
He made the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive season and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time.
McBride has accomplished all this without consistent quarterback play, as Kyler Murray was in and out of the lineup during their four seasons together in Arizona.
McBride will now be playing under new coach Mike LaFleur, who compared the All-Pro tight end to Kittle in June, saying, They are cut from the same cloth ..
When Trey and George get the ball in their hands, they are looking to do bad intentions in a good positive football way.
E.G.
More NFL from Sports Illustrated Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated.
Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation.
A Bay Area native, she has a bachelors in communications from UCLA.
When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated.
A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints.
Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.
Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated.
Hes also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium.
Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston.
He holds a masters degree in public relations from Boston University.
When Kadlicks not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.