Massive UConn Tight End Drawing Early NFL Draft Attention as a 2026 Sleeper

UConn Huskies tight end Alex Honig is hard to miss on tape, leaving NFL scouts little excuse not to take note of what he could provide at the next level.

At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, he looks more like an extra offensive lineman than a pass catcher. But that doesn’t disqualify him from being one of the more intriguing prospects at his position as the 2026 NFL Draft class takes shape.

Pro Football Network draft analyst Jacob Infante highlighted Honig as one of his sleeper prospects at tight end, and while he pointed out that Honig is a project who still needs refinement, his potential is hard to ignore.

“Honig is massively unproven as a receiver, and his route tree has been limited to this stage,” Infante wrote. “However, he’s an imposing blocker with length, size, tenacity, and power as an in-line blocker.”

Honig has caught just six passes for 59 yards, though three of those catches did result in touchdowns. Nonetheless, they all came in his junior season. Honig was originally a quarterback prospect from Germany before making the switch to tight end, so his technical skillset relative to the position is still a work in progress.

Nonetheless, at his size, he’s a tantalizing prospect. He’s most easily compared to Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 third-round pick Darnell Washington, who stands 6-foot-7 and came into the league at roughly 280 pounds. Washington played his college ball at Georgia, so his skillset was understandably more refined heading into the league. But any team that had its eye on Washington two years ago and missed out could take a shot at Honig as a consolation prize in 2026.

As the UConn Huskies look to build on the program’s third-ever nine-win season, the program is sure to see more talent come through with NFL aspirations. Currently, there are 10 Huskies in the NFL, and only three are projected starters in 2025. If Honig can show some progress as a pass-catcher and route-runner in his senior season, he may very well count himself among the Huskies in the NFL.