Getting to know the 'other' tight ends in the 2024 NFL Draft

Sanders has drawn comparisons to Baltimore Ravens TE Isaiah Likely and Cleveland TE David Njoku and projects as a late second- or early third-round selection for April's draft.

Cade Stover, Ohio State 

Stover was named Ohio's Mr. Football in high school after rushing for 1,477 yards and 17 touchdowns on offense with 163 tackles and four interceptions on defense.  He joined the Buckeyes as a linebacker before moving to defensive end prior to his freshman season.

He played some tight end as a redshirt junior in 2021 but had just five catches for 76 yards while filling in at linebacker. After a full-time move to tight end in 2022, the 6-foot-4, 251-pound linebacker-turned-defensive end-turned tight end had 982 yards and 10 touchdowns over his last two seasons.

As you would expect from a former defensive end, Stover is a strong and willing blocker. As you would expect from any two-way player, he’s also highly athletic, which allows him to make difficult, leaping catches. Still a work in progress, Stover projects as a third-round pick and has drawn comparisons to Buffalo Bills TE Dawson Knox.

Theo Johnson, Penn State

Here’s what former NFL quarterback Brock Huard had to say about Johnson on Seattle Sports’ "Brock and Salk" show:

"He is a 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end out of Penn State University. Penn State dudes come into this league pretty well equipped, pretty well trained," Huard said. "I had them late in the season (on a FOX broadcast) and I was on the field like, ‘That’s a creature. That’s a creature. That’s a difference maker. That’s an NFL dude.’"

Johnson posted  the second-best vertical leap (39.5-inches) and 40-yard dash time (4.57 seconds) among tight ends at the NFL Scouting Combine. As a pure physical specimen, Johnson could be the most intriguing option at the position. Projected as a third-round pick, Johnson has been compared to Chicago Bears TE Cole Kmet and new Saints TE Foster Moreau.