The tight ends of Gen Z poised to take over the NFL

We’ve been spoiled with generational talent at the tight end position in the NFL for so long. 

In 2010, Rob Gronkowski came into the league. By the time he retired (the second time) after the 2021 season, he had solidified himself as the greatest tight end in the history of the NFL and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

But Chiefs star Travis Kelce isn’t far behind in chasing Gronk’s records. He also has multiple Super Bowls under his belt. With Gronk no longer in the picture, Kelce is undoubtedly the leader of this current tight end class. Fellow All-Pro George Kittle of the 49ers is right in the mix, too. The rise of the Tight End University — started by Kittle, Kelce and former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen — has helped shine the spotlight on a sometimes under-appreciated position.

Here’s the thing, though. Kelce and Kittle are on the other side of the dreaded age of 30. But fear not, a new class of tight ends — and there are quite a few — are ready to make star-like ascensions.

In a league where the ever-versatile tight end is criminally underrated, this new wave is making more noise. They are bigger factors in the flashy receiving game, but in a fun twist, so many of them are excellent as extensions of the offensive line. 

Tight ends are also being used more these days, so we’re getting to know these names earlier. Last season, teams trotted out a multiple tight-end personnel grouping (12 personnel or 13 personnel) an average of 21.8 percent of the time. Twelve personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two receivers), take up the lion’s share of that having been deployed an average of 19.3 percent of the time.

Compare that with five years ago, where in 2018, multiple tight end sets were used 20.2 percent of the time, which doesn’t sound like a whole lot of difference until you break it down between 12 and 13 personnel yet again. In 2018, teams ran 12 personnel just 16.5 percent of the time. That’s 5,320 collective snaps out of the grouping compared to 6,642 in 2023. That’s an increase of over 1,000 snaps.

Young tight ends are coming for the spotlight, and fast. These five from “TE Gen Z” could become the next Kelce, Kittle or Gronkowski:

1. Lions TE Sam LaPorta

The obvious young headliner is Sam LaPorta, who shattered both NFL and franchise records for tight ends during his rookie season in 2023. In Week 18, LaPorta broke the league record for receptions by a rookie tight end with his 82nd of the year, surpassing Keith Jackson’s 81. LaPorta also finished the season with 10 touchdowns, joining the aforementioned Gronk and Mike Ditka as the only tight ends to record double-digit touchdowns in their first season.

When all was said and done, LaPorta carved out a role on a stacked offense that went to the NFC Championship Game while amassing 889 yards on 86 catches. Detroit is returning offensive coordinator Ben Johnson this season and the expectations are through the roof for the Lions, who are looking for their first-ever Super Bowl berth. If they do it, you can bet LaPorta will be on his way to being a household name ready to carry the elite TE torch.

2. Cardinals TE Trey McBride

Let’s go over to Arizona, where despite a tumultuous year, tight end Trey McBride had the second season the Cardinals needed. McBride was selected in the second round at 55th overall in the 2022 draft and got off to a bit of a slow start in his rookie year. He caught just 29 passes for 265 yards and one touchdown. 

To be fair, the Cardinals had one of the worst passing offenses in the NFL that year, ranking dead last in passing yards per play with just 5.46. They averaged just 4.81 yards per play, period, that season, which ranked 29th.

Last season was better for both Arizona and McBride, too. He jumped from 265 receiving yards to 825 in 2023. He scored three touchdowns, too. 

But perhaps what is most encouraging lies in the advanced metrics. McBride ranked third among all tight ends last season for receiving yards over expectation, according to NGS. It meant even with the uncertainty at quarterback, McBride was still productive. This season should bring a healthy Kyler Murray and more continuity for the offense. If McBride is going to have a true breakout year, it could be this upcoming one.

3.  Bills TE Dalton Kincaid

Speaking of a player that could have a true breakout season this year, Josh Allen and the Bills probably need it from Dalton Kincaid. After dealing away Stefon Diggs to the Texans, the Bills are left with a lot of unproven talent around Allen. He’s one of the league’s elite quarterbacks and is fully capable of elevating the talent around him, but a reliable tight end can go a long way. Especially with all the young receivers Buffalo now has, leaning on the run game with James Cook and the young pass-catcher Kincaid will likely be a necessity for the Bills to contend in what could be a drastically better division this season.

Luckily, Kincaid should be up for the task after catching 73 passes for 673 yards in 2023. Only two of those passes resulted in touchdowns but Kincaid had a catch rate of 80.2 percent in just his first season. That should be a sign of only better things to come. It also signals a rapport he’s already built with Allen as a trusty target.

4. Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson

Indulge me for a second here to discuss how Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense is going to depend on Jake Ferguson having a breakout year in 2024. It’s the last year of Prescott’s contract, expectations are high and as far as weapons go, Prescott only has CeeDee Lamb. Now, that’s a great start. Lamb is in line for a new contract too, and should be a top-of-the-market wide receiver when all is said and done.

But who else is a defense afraid of on the Cowboys’ current offense?

Their No. 2 wide receiver is currently Brandin Cooks, who is coming off back-to-back 600-700-yard seasons. He’s also past the age of 30 and on his fifth team. Cooks did have eight touchdowns, which puts him up there in production, but the Cowboys are going to need another guy to catch passes up and down the field. 

That’s where Ferguson comes in. He already made a huge jump from his first season in 2022 to his second in 2023, where he caught 71 passes for 761 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers put him in the top 10 as far as tight end production goes. He also ranks in the top five for receiving yards over expectation with 118 on the season, according to NGS. Ferguson won’t be competing with a crowded wide receiver room and Dallas’ backfield doesn’t inspire, either. Prescott will likely have to lean on Ferguson this season, and playing for a team like the Cowboys, it’s only a matter of time before we start having top-five conversations about Ferguson at the position when he breaks out this year.

5. Packers TE Luke Musgrave

This is a little bit of a wildcard considering Musgrave was sidelined with injury for a large part of last season. But I’m betting on the tendencies of Green Bay’s offense. They went to Musgrave in crunch time during the postseason, calling a tight end leak play that leaves Musgrave all the room in the world to make the catch. He also scored on it against the Cowboys in a wild card game where Green Bay absolutely decimated the Cowboys at their place to advance. 

Head coach and offensive play-caller Matt LaFleur also really likes using tight ends. Green Bay utilized 12 personnel at the third-highest clip in the league last year. They used it at the second-highest rate of any team in 2022. That means a lot of work for Musgrave, and Tucker Kraft, for what that’s worth. Both tight ends should see more work in 2024, even with the plethora of receivers Love has at his disposal.

Both Musgrave and Kraft, especially the latter, are also great examples of the ever-elusive combination tight end. They can block with the best of them, though that won’t show up on the stat sheet.

Musgrave had just 34 catches for 352 yards in 11 games during the regular season. But he added six catches and 66 yards plus another touchdown in the postseason. Look for both of those numbers to continue to climb as Musgrave gets further into his career.

Honorable Mention: Raiders TE Brock Bowers

We haven’t seen anything out of Bowers yet as he enters his rookie season in Las Vegas, but he was an absolute freak athlete at Georgia. There are already reports of him “turning heads” in training camp and he should start alongside Michael Mayer, the team’s second-round pick last year, to give the Raiders a good 1-2 punch at the position. They’ll work in tandem with Davante Adams, the team’s leading receiver and one of the best in the league, but outside of that, won’t have much competition for targets. If anyone can replicate LaPorta’s success as a rookie, it might be Bowers, provided the Raiders figure out their question mark at QB.

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV. 

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