The 2026 NFL training camps are on the horizon, and with that in mind, ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions. This is the seventh edition of these annual rankings.
Here's how it works: Voters gave their own top 10 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on the number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen as well as ESPN Research. More than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed contributed to placements.
This was not a five-year projection or a career achievement award, but meant to answer a simple question: Who are the best players right now?
Our rollout schedule: running backs (July 6), cornerbacks (July 7), edge rushers (July 8), defensive tackles (July 9), tight ends (July 10), offensive tackles (July 11), interior offensive linemen (July 12), quarterbacks (July 13), off-ball linebackers (July 14), wide receivers (July 15) and safeties (July 16).
Tight ends are on the rise.
NFL teams have a tough time surviving on offense without at least one good one. Smart offensive coaches are getting two or three on the field at a time now -- with both running and passing in mind.
Several recent Day 1 or Day 2 draft picks are emerging as young stars, as our top 10 list reflects. The NFC North alone has three of them. And we've seen back-to-back 100-catch seasons from the position, thanks to the wild production coming out of Las Vegas and Arizona. And this year's list features six players ages 25 or younger -- and a 36-year-old, for good measure.
Here are the top 10 tight ends as voted by league scouts, executives and coaches.
1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 3
Age: 23 | Last year's ranking: 1
Bowers' second season was marred by injuries and a porous Raiders offense. For that, he mostly gets a pass in the voting. But his second consecutive No. 1 ranking was more contested this time around, despite a respectable 64 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. Last summer, Bowers fended off the field convincingly thanks to his setting an NFL rookie record with 112 catches.
"As far as route running, separation, zone instincts, yards-after-catch ability combination -- he's better than the field in those areas," an NFL coordinator said. "A down year won't change that."
One sign of Bowers' greatness: Opponents sometimes put their best cornerback on him, as Denver did with Pat Surtain II last season.
People inside the league love Bowers' versatility as an offensive chess piece. He can line up in the slot, out wide or even as a fullback. He has breakaway speed, too, pushing a top speed of 19.58 mph on a 57-yard touchdown vs. Denver in 2024, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 5
Age: 26 | Last year's ranking: 4
McBride made a serious case for No. 1, earning more than 30% of the first-place votes. All but two of the votes were inside the top three for McBride, whose 126 catches in 2025 marked the most in a single season for a tight end in NFL history.
McBride's 72.9 receiving yards per game were nearly 16 more than any other tight end. His 566 yards after the catch were 90 more than any other player at his position. And his 11 receiving touchdowns tied for second leaguewide.
Long known as a receiving threat, McBride has improved his all-around game.
"Ball skills, ball in hand, physical ability -- just an extremely impressive player across the board," an NFL coordinator said. "And not bad in the run game."
His 71.5 receiving expected points added was easily the best among tight ends and fourth among all pass catchers, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 8
Age: 32 | Last year's ranking: 2
Injury, not age, is the thing holding Kittle back. He remained dominant at age 32, with 57.1 yards per game (second among tight ends), seven touchdowns and 2.39 yards per route run. San Francisco posted a 138.4 passer rating when targeting Kittle, whose 82.6% catch rate was stellar.
"Injuries and durability are becoming a concern, but when he's healthy, he's still the most versatile, dominant, complete tight end," an NFC executive said. "He's still the gold standard for blocking, running and catching."
Kittle is working his way back from a late-season Achilles tear but is hopeful for a Week 1 return. Kittle is one of three players with six-plus receiving touchdowns in each of his past five seasons, joining Ja'Marr Chase and Davante Adams.
4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 25 | Last year's ranking: 3
Despite LaPorta's low production due to injury, evaluators did not see a drop-off in his play. He appeared in nine games and produced a career-low 40 catches for 489 yards and three touchdowns.
But his playmaking was evident in the open field. LaPorta averaged 2.25 yards after first contact per reception, leading the top-10 group. His 6.9 yards after the catch per reception topped all tight ends.
"He's got great hands -- he'll make a lot of circus, contested catches, especially in the red zone -- and his blocking is high level," an NFC scout said. "Just an all-around problem."
5. Tyler Warren, Indianapolis Colts
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 10
Age: 24 | Last year's ranking: N/A
Warren was considered a can't-miss prospect coming out of Penn State in 2025. And it appears draft evaluators were correct.
"He lived up to expectations," an NFC scout said. "He's a true Y who can handle the point-of-attack run game assignments but carried over his versatile, game-impacting receiving ability that showed up during his Penn State days."
Warren had 817 receiving yards -- 125 of which came after first contact -- in Year 1, ranking third among all rookies. He accounted for 42 first downs and one dropped pass on 111 targets.
"He can kick your ass in the run game on one play and win as a receiver on the next," an NFL personnel evaluator said.
6. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 25 | Last year's ranking: honorable mention
Kraft's steady improvement from Year 1 to Year 3 was impressive. Kraft was pacing for 1,000-plus yards and 10-touchdowns before going down in Week 9 with an ACL tear in his right knee. His 124-yard Week 2 performance on a Thursday night was his coming-out party. Six weeks later against Pittsburgh, he became the first Packers tight end in franchise history to post 140 receiving yards and multiple receiving touchdowns.
"His speed and [run-after-catch] ability really stand out," an NFC exec said. "He was just scratching the surface before the injury. And he's a high-level blocker."
While Green Bay is conservative with injuries, Kraft is rehabbing aggressively and targets a Week 1 return.
7. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 22 | Last year's ranking: N/A
Loveland's production over last season's final four games showed exactly where his career is going: upward.
He gained 378 yards on 28 receptions (two for touchdowns) over his final four games, including the playoffs. His target share during that span was 29%. Loveland showed as a rookie exactly why several teams tried to trade up for the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft.
"He's unbelievable," an NFL coordinator said. "A smooth mover with toughness."
Head coach Ben Johnson, who coached tight ends with the Dolphins and Lions, knows how to utilize Loveland and veteran Cole Kmet.
"[Loveland] could be the Bears' top receiver next year," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "Expect to see more two- or three-tight-end sets from Chicago this year."
Caleb Williams posted a 121.6 passer rating when targeting Loveland.
8. Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons
Highest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 25 | Last year's ranking: Unranked
This is a welcome return to form for Pitts, who entered the league with much fanfare in 2021, posted a 1,000-yard rookie season and then experienced multiple down years. A nagging knee injury cost him the better part of two seasons.
Healthy now, Pitts is showing flashes of greatness again -- most notably, a 166-yard, three-touchdown game against Tampa Bay in Week 15 last season, becoming the fifth tight end since the 1970 NFL merger to hit the 150-and-3 mark.
"If he's confident and you believe in him, he will ball out," an NFL coordinator said. "If he gets involved early, he can be the most dominant player on the field."
Since 2021, Pitts is fourth in receiving yards among tight ends, behind Travis Kelce, Kittle and Mark Andrews. Pitts also ran 18 mph or faster four times, per NFL Next Gen Stats, ranking second among players on the top-10 list.
9. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Highest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 30 | Last year's ranking: 6
Andrews limped into the top 10 after a down year in 2025. But he has been a fixture on this list for several years.
His 422 receiving yards marked a career low. Quarterback Lamar Jackson missed four games, and the passing game had trouble finding a rhythm last season. Andrews still posted 1.3 receptions over expectation as tracked by NFL Next Gen Stats.
"It's tough because he still has the instincts, the route savvy and overall game, but he has declined a little bit since the [2023 leg injury] and Isaiah Likely was more of a threat in that offense," a veteran NFL assistant coach said.
The Ravens still believe he has good football left, as evidenced by the three-year, $39.2 million extension he signed last year. Baltimore let two tight ends -- Likely and Charlie Kolar -- walk in free agency.
"He's got an elite competitive spirit and stamina," a veteran NFL offensive coach said of Andrews. "That helps him maintain his level of play."
10. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Highest ranking: 5 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 36 | Last year's ranking: 5
Kelce is utilizing the same skills other great tight ends -- Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez -- did while prolonging their careers: Use route savvy to wiggle your way for first downs, hopefully with room to run.
Kelce is far from a burner at age 36, but it's hard to argue with his production last season. His 429 yards after the catch ranked third among this year's tight end candidate pool. Kelce was in better shape than the previous year and it showed, though nine drops were not ideal.
"He's still the ageless wonder at the position," an NFC personnel evaluator said. "His elite route savvy, body control and instincts allow him to still compete at a high level, despite him getting up in age."
Honorable mention
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills: "A very gifted athlete. He hasn't put it all together yet, but that's partly due to injury -- he absolutely can. I expect him to." -- NFC executive
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers: "He doesn't belong in the top tier, but he's a playmaker. When they've targeted him, he usually produces. But he doesn't seem to ever be a focal point for that offense." -- AFC executive
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears: "He's still a quality player who's friendly for a young quarterback, good in the run game. They need to find ways to get Kmet and Loveland on the field together." -- personnel executive with an NFL team
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys: "He's really solid all around, high catch volume, tough, competes in the run game. His problem is fumbling. We targeted trying to get the ball loose when we played him." -- NFC scout
Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns: "His arrow is up. He's a chess piece that can maneuver in space. He should be a 100-catch guy." -- NFC executive
Also receiving votes: T.J. Hockenson, Isaiah Likely, Dalton Schultz, Dallas Goedert, Oronde Gadsden, Juwan Johnson, Brenton Strange
