NFL Draft best bets and odds: 2023 could be the year of the tight end
One of the quiet storylines of the 2023 NFL Draft is the quality of tight ends entering the league. Drafting tight ends in the first round is not typically where teams go with their selections. Since 2011, only nine TEs have been taken in Round 1, and only two years since 2000 have seen three TEs selected in the first, 2002 and 2017.
This year the expectation is two, and more likely three, tight ends are taken before Round 2 begins. The TE position has grown to be an integral part of the NFL offense. The two teams in this year's Super Bowl, Kansas City and Philadelphia, each sport a dynamic weapon at the tight end position in Travis Kelce and Dallas Goedert that both teams spent a second-round selection on.
The top of the board is led by Michael Mayer, Dalton Kincaid and Darnell Washington, three names we feel confident you'll know quite well by season's end.
NFL Draft odds: First TE drafted
- Michael Mayer, Notre Dame (+115)
- Dalton Kincaid, Utah (+150)
- Darnell Washington, Georgia (+350)
- Luke Musgrave, Oregon State (+1500)
- Sam LaPorta, Iowa (+3500)
Michael Mayer and Dalton Kincaid are the two favorites to be selected first from this year's crop of tight ends, and it's hard to go wrong with either as an addition to your team's offense.
Mayer is considered to be the more complete player between the two. His hands and reliability over the middle and the red zone are unmatched, and he brings elite blocking from the TE position that is a must for this position.
Then there's Kincaid, known more as a pass-catching tight end who can get out in space and run routes from out wide in the slot. Kincaid figures to be a dynamic weapon in the passing game but may need some work as a blocker.
Darnell Washington wasn't utilized much in the Georgia offense, but he brings with him ideal size and athleticism at 6-foot-6, running a 4.64 40-yard dash at the combine this year. His size and speed have shot him up the draft boards, with Cincinnati at the tail end of the first one of the popular projected landing spots for the TE.
Curiously, Luke Musgrave from Oregon State brings almost identical measurables to the table, coming in at 6-foot 6-inches and recording a 4.61 40-yard dash. We don't recommend a bet on Musgrave going first among the position group, but for all the love around Washington, Musgrave has a very similar profile.
Our bet
We're excited to watch Kincaid in action, and the size of Washington and Musgrave could be a ton of fun for a team, but it's clear the best value is on Michael Mayer being selected first.
He is the full package from a tight end and should become an immediate every-down player this season. We'll be keeping our eyes on more draft markets that open around the tight ends, including which team selects these prospects and the over/under on total TEs taken in the first.
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