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Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq's NFL Draft Stock is Going Through the Roof

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Luke Easterling | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 1:07 AM ET

If you're looking for the top tight end prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft class, Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq has come flying out of the gates to take the early lead.

Listed at 6-3, 245 pounds, Sadiq doesn't have the most towering frame we've seen from a top tight end prospect in recent years, but that hasn't kept him from being an absolute matchup nightmare for opposing defenses through the first few weeks of the 2025 season.

The Ducks haven't had to use him a ton just yet, but he's turned his five receptions into 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns, averaging nearly 20 yards per catch.

His latest score, a 24-yarder in Saturday's blowout road win over Northwestern, showed off Sadiq's rare movement skills as a route-runner for a tight end his size:

There's just no guarding Kenyon Sadiq

Here's another look at his TD route for @Oregonfootball @ATTBusiness pic.twitter.com/MiGKtObEl3
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 13, 2025

On a recent episode of "Best Podcast Available," I talked with The Athletic's Dane Brugler about Sadiq's sky-high potential as an NFL prospect:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-rmCLLQRf_c

Sadiq has a strong, well-built frame that makes him a massive challenge for smaller defensive backs downfield, but he also has the speed, short-area quickness, and overall athleticism to elude bigger, slower linebackers at the second level and after the catch.

Those are major green flags for NFL scouts, who are always looking to add as many mismatch weapons as possible to their respective offenses. It's easy to imagine some of the more creative and innovative play-callers at the next level getting super excited about the possibilities a player like Sadiq could bring to their game plan on a weekly basis.

We've all seen what dynamic playmakers like Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, Sam LaPorta, George Kittle and others bring to the table at the next level. We just saw multiple tight ends with mismatch ability go top-15 in this year's draft (Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren).

That's the kind of potential Sadiq brings to the table.

There are tougher opponents ahead for the Ducks over the rest of the season, including No. 2 Penn State, so Sadiq will have some opportunities to prove he can have the same big-play impact against more stiff competition than he's faced through the first three games (Montana State, Oklahoma State, Northwestern).

But the early returns suggest that Sadiq has first-round potential, and he sure looks like the best tight end prospect in this year's class.