Pewter Report analyzes the top players in the 2024 NFL Draft with its position previews – energized by CELSIUS, the official energy drink of Pewter Report. Bailey Adams continues the previews with the tight end position, with a comprehensive look at what the Bucs have and what they need at the position.

Adams also provides a detailed list of this year’s top tight ends. In addition, Scott Reynolds offers up the Bucs’ draft needs and the annual Pewter Report Bucs Best Bets – the most likely tight end for the Bucs to select in Rounds 1-3 and in Rounds 4-7.

What The Bucs Have At Tight End

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs had a very young tight end group last season, and if nothing else, that unit will be a year older and more experienced in 2024. And the group, which is led by 2021 fourth-round pick Cade Otton, will have a new position coach in Justin Peelle. Otton is coming off of an impressive two-game playoff run in which he caught 13 passes for 154 yards (11.8 avg.) and a touchdown.

Over his first two seasons, Otton has totaled 89 catches for 846 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 9.5 yards per catch. With Cameron Brate gone in 2023, Otton was forced into the TE1 role and while he improved as a pass-catcher and played over 90% of the Bucs’ offensive snaps, he regressed as a blocker. New Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen seems to be impressed with the former Washington tight end, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll be locked in as the team’s clear-cut TE1 going forward.

Otton had to play that many snaps for Tampa Bay because of the lack of quality depth behind him. The Bucs started the season with practice squad journeyman David Wells as their TE2, then rookie fifth-round pick Payne Durham assumed that role while still playing minimal snaps. Durham caught five passes for 58 yards in his first year, just missing his first NFL touchdown on two different occasions.

The final tight end who saw time for the Bucs last season was 2021 sixth-rounder Ko Kieft. His lone catch of the year was a two-yard touchdown, and while he’s on the roster more for his blocking ability, he took a step back in that department as well. He’ll need to step it back up in the blocking game and offer more as a receiver if he wants to keep his spot on the team’s 53-man roster, especially as Tampa Bay moves to more 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end) than 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) under Coen in 2024.

What The Bucs Need At Tight End

Tampa Bay’s need for another tight end depends on how it views Cade Otton. If Coen is going to run fewer two tight-end sets and he (and the Bucs’ brass) believes in Otton’s ability to be the go-to guy at the position this year, the need here becomes more about depth. But if there are any questions about Otton’s ability to take another step forward and be a more consistent force as a pass-catcher and shore up his blocking ability, perhaps tight end becomes an earlier-round need to give the incumbent some competition.

In any case, getting another young tight end in the room wouldn’t hurt, as there isn’t much to write home about behind Otton. Jason Licht and the team have high hopes for Durham, but there’s not a lot invested in him and there’s no guarantee that he can be the type of TE2 who can be counted on to step in if Otton were to go down with an injury.

The same goes for Kieft, who offers little as a receiving threat. Opposing defenses are sure to see him entering the game as a dead giveaway for what the Bucs plan to do.

The Bucs need better blocking from the tight end position in 2024, whether that comes in the form of a new addition to the group or improvements from the existing group. The tight ends were to blame far too often in 2023 when the team’s running game couldn’t get going. There’s also the fact that Otton and Kieft, as 2021 draft picks, will enter contract years in 2025. So whether it’s this offseason or next, it would make sense for Tampa Bay to draft a tight end – and likely before Day 3.

Top Tight Ends In 2024 NFL Draft

*Important Note: These players are NOT listed in the order of Pewter Report’s ranking for them. Rather, the numbers are provided to show you the rough order in which we expect them to come off the board during the draft.

1. Georgia TE Brock Bowers – Junior – 6-3, 243 – N/A

Bowers is the clear No. 1 tight end in this year’s class, and he has been destined for that top spot for a while now. He can line up everywhere, is a contested-catch machine and has proven to be a powerful and reliable as a blocker both inline and in space. In three years at Georgia, Bowers caught 175 of his 224 targets (78.1%) for 2,541 yards and 26 touchdowns. He averaged 14.5 yards per catch and was the back-to-back Mackey Award winner in 2022 and 2023.

Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders Photo by: USA Today

2. Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders – Junior – 6-4, 245 – 4.69

Sanders is an exceptional athlete with good long speed and change of direction ability. He plays like a big-bodied wide receiver, though he has plenty experience playing inline and stretching the field vertically up the seam. There’s still some room for him to grow and master the nuances of the tight end position, but he showed well over the last two years at Texas with back-to-back 600-plus-yard seasons and 99 combined catches with seven touchdowns.

3. Ohio State TE Cade Stover – Fifth-Year Senior – 6-3, 245 – 4.65

Stover is well-rounded as a tight end in that he has shown to be a reliable receiver who has good hands (only two drops on more than 100 targets over the last two seasons) in addition to being a smart and capable blocker. He actually flipped between linebacker and tight end at Ohio State, which shows a special bit of athleticism and aggressiveness. In the passing game, he had his best season last year, catching 41 of his 51 targets for 576 yards (14.0 avg.) and five touchdowns.

4. Penn State TE Theo Johnson – Junior – 6-6, 259 – 4.57

Johnson is a massive tight end, and it shows up in his catch radius as well as when he’s using his arm length as a blocker. He can match up well with longer defensive ends in the blocking game and runs well enough up the seam to bring something to the passing game, too. His production for the Nittany Lions was fairly limited, though he did catch seven touchdowns in 2023 to go with his 34 catches for 341 yards (10.0 avg.).

5. Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott – Junior – 6-4, 250 – 4.68

Sinnott was a do-it-all tight end at Kansas State, lining up in-line, in the slot and even in the backfield as an H-back type. The Pardon My Take Lowman Trophy Award winner (given to the nation’s top fullback), he is impressively versatile and possesses good quickness for a player his size. What Sinnott lacks in strength as a blocker, he makes up for it with his willingness. He was productive as a pass-catcher for the Wildcats, too, catching 79 passes for 1,116 yards (14.1 avg.) and 10 touchdowns over the last two years.

TCU TE Jared Wiley Photo by: USA Today

6. TCU TE Jared Wiley – Fifth-Year Senior – 6-6, 249 – 4.62

Wiley is another big tight end with long arms and the kind of physicality you’d expect from a player of his size. He upped his production in 2023, catching 47 passes for 520 yards (11.1 avg.) and eight touchdowns. Wiley was largely lining up in-line early in his career, but saw more of a split in his last season with the Horned Frogs as he spent 202 snaps in-line and 121 in the slot.

7. Iowa TE Erick All – Senior – 6-4, 252 – N/A

All could be next in the long line of Iowa tight ends to excel in the NFL, though he spent more of his career at Michigan before transferring to play his final season with the Hawkeyes. With elite speed, agility and athleticism, he’s a tough matchup from the tight end position. His minimal production and the fact that he suffered season-ending injuries in both 2022 and 2023, including a torn ACL last year, may give some teams pause. But there’s a lot of intrigue here.

8. Michigan TE AJ Barner – Grad. – 6-6, 251 – 4.84

Barner is a tight end almost in the mold of Ko Kieft in that he won’t offer much as a receiver but excels as a blocker. He uses his hands well and shows impressive strength to stay engaged on blocks. He posted 64 catches on 103 targets for 610 yards and five touchdowns over the last three years. He’ll thrive at the next level as a TE2 or TE3 for a team that likes to run the ball the way Michigan did on its way to a national championship this past season.

9. Colorado State TE Dallin Holker – Junior – 6-3, 241 – 4.78

Holker didn’t put up much in the way of production at BYU, managing just 22 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns between 2021 and 2022. But he broke out for Colorado State in 2023, catching 64 passes for 766 yards and six touchdowns. He played 267 snaps from the slot last year as opposed to 142 in-line and showed an ability to catch the ball in traffic and make some highlight catches. There’s plenty of room for him to improve as a blocker, as he is limited in that aspect of the game.

Florida State TE Jaheim Bell – Photo by: USA Today

10. Florida State TE Jaheim Bell – Redshirt Junior – 6-2, 241 – 4.61

Bell spent time at both South Carolina and Florida State and didn’t really have a good positional fit. He’s undersized for the tight end position and that holds him back as a blocker, where he showed inconsistency in college. He does run well and has shown an ability to make contested catches and weave in and out of traffic, plus there is some versatility to his game in terms of alignment. His production for the Seminoles last year was decent, as he caught 39 of his 52 targets for 503 yards (12.9 avg.) and two touchdowns.

The Best Of The Rest

11. Illinois TE Tip Reiman – Redshirt Junior – 6-5, 271 – 4.64

Reiman was a former walk-on who worked his way up to being a captain for Illinois in 2023. He’s a massive Y tight end who has all the makings of a great blocker assuming he can put it all together on a consistent basis. There have been limitations to his game as a pass-catcher, though. Despite being a big target, Reiman had little production in college. He topped out at 19 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns this past season.

12. Arizona TE Tanner McLachlan – Redshirt Senior – 6-5, 244 – 4.61

McLachlan plays with the type of aggression and mentality needed from an in-line tight end, even if the measurables don’t fully match up. He plays with immense effort in the blocking game and was pretty productive as a pass-catcher in college. He caught 34 of his 51 targets for 456 yards (13.4 avg.) and two touchdowns in 2022 before bringing in 45 of his 55 targets for 530 yards (11.8 avg.) and four touchdowns this past season.

13. Minnesota TE Brevyn Spann-Ford – Grad. – 6-7, 260 – 4.77

Tall and big-bodied, Spann-Ford has a frame that screams in-line tight end, but his playing style is like that of a move tight end. It’s an interesting mix, and he has played a lot of football given he was a three-year starter for the Golden Gophers. He is a good athlete who needs to improve as a blocker, plus he could stand to put his size to better use in the red zone. He caught just five touchdowns over his last three seasons at Minnesota.

Washington TE Devin Culp Photo by: USA Today

14. Washington TE Devin Culp – Sixth-Year Senior – 6-3, 231 – 4.47

Culp is a below-average blocker, but he has exceptional speed for the position and can stretch the field vertically as a result. He has a good catch radius and possesses solid athleticism, but there’s still work to be done to round out his game as a tight end. As of now, he’s a good pass-catcher who doesn’t have the high-end production to show for it given he caught just 65 passes for 696 yards (10.7 avg.) and four touchdowns in the last three years at Washington. His speed and athleticism will give him a chance to succeed at the next level.

15. Washington TE Jack Westover – Sixth-Year Senior – 6-3, 243 – N/A

Westover, a teammate of Culp’s at Washington, was a former walk-on who (like Culp) learned the ropes from Bucs tight end Cade Otton when all three were in the Huskies’ tight end room. Westover isn’t an elite athlete or dominant blocker, but he has good hands and proved to be a reliable outlet for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on third downs. His production was actually better than Culp’s, as he caught 90 passes for 1,032 yards (11.5 avg.) and five touchdowns over the last three years.

16. South Carolina TE Trey Knox – Grad. – 6-3, 240 – 4.91

Knox’s wide receiver background shows up in his game with the way he runs routes and creates separation. But he’s not the fastest and lacks the level of elusiveness needed to make things happen after the catch. Still, he’s pretty new to the tight end position and he already has shown that he can help as a run blocker. He can block both in-line and in space, which could make him an intriguing project as he continues to round out his game and get more familiar with the nuances of the position.

17. BYU TE Isaac Rex – Junior – 6-5, 247 – 4.94

Rex isn’t the fleetest of foot, but he has the size and hands needed to win some matchups in the passing game. He had some highlight-reel catches at BYU and put up some good production, averaging 12.6 yards per catch and totaling 12 touchdowns over the last three years (with six in 2022). He blocks well and despite the fact that he doesn’t stand out as elite in any facet of his game, Rex is a good, traditional-style tight end.

18. Tennessee TE McCallan Castles – Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 244 – 4.67

Castles has a basketball background, which isn’t surprising given his frame. He bounced from Cal to UC-Davis to Tennessee, never putting up high-end production but proving to be a reliable receiver. With a First-Team All-Big Sky and two Second-Team All-Big Sky selections in three years at UC-Davis from 2020-2022, he took a step up in competition with the Volunteers in 2023 and caught 22 passes for 283 yards (12.9 avg.) and a career-high five touchdowns. Castles needs to improve as a blocker and show some special teams chops, but he’s intriguing as a big-bodied red zone threat.

Bucs Best Bets: Tight End

Bucs Best Bet – Rounds 1-3: Kansas State TE Ben Sinnott

As highly as the Bucs think of tight end Cade Otton, the team could use an upgrade in terms of speed and athleticism, as well as blocking. Sinnott could be the best all-around tight end in this year’s draft behind Georgia’s Brock Bowers. It doesn’t mean he’ll be the second tight end off the draft board, but Sinnott’s ability to block and be a weapon in the passing game is rather unique. Sinnott is the only tight end in this year’s draft class that had a 72 run blocking and receiving grade from Pro Football Focus last year. He can help the Bucs in many ways, as he lined up as an in-line tight end, at H-back and also as a fullback.

Sinnott is a great athlete with great hand-eye coordination and exceptional contact balance from years of playing youth hockey in addition to other sports. He’s used to being a primary weapon on offense, as he led the Wildcats in receiving yards (676), catches (49) and touchdowns (six) last season, and he has some Sam LaPorta vibes. But he takes pride in his blocking. If the Bucs are serious about improving as a running team, they’ll need better blocking from the tight end position and that’s what Sinnott could deliver. Sinnott, who came in for a Top 30 visit, has the talent to be TE1 in Tampa Bay.

Bucs Best Bet – Rounds 4-7: Illinois TE Tip Reiman

If the Bucs wait until Day 3 to add another tight end it might be a different kind of player than the team has added in the past. Reiman is 6-foot-5, 271 pounds but moves very well for a big man, running a 4.64 in the 40-yard dash. If selected in the fourth or fifth round, he would be the biggest and fastest tight end on Tampa Bay’s roster. Reiman is just as good of a receiver as he is a blocker, but was underused in Illinois’ passing game, catching just 19 passes for 203 yards (10.7 avg.) and three touchdowns in 2023. He had zero drops last year, which speaks to his improvement catching the ball.

Reiman was a team captain last year and is a team-first player. He’s logged significant snaps on special teams (555 in his career, per The Athletic’s Dane Brugler), which the Bucs value from the tight end position. If Tampa Bay were to select Reiman he would not only challenge Cade Otton for TE1 duties, but likely push one-dimensional Ko Kieft off the roster and upgrade the talent of the tight end room. Like K-State’s Ben Sinnott, Reiman visited Tampa Bay for a Top 30 visit.