The Bucs met with a slew of tight ends formally at the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. One of those players was projected first round pick Kenyon Sadiq.

Tampa Bay could be losing their starting tight end of the last four years in Cade Otton, who is a pending free agent and could be looking at an eight-figure salary on his next deal. Tampa Bay may decide that those funds are best used re-signing future Hall-of-Fame wide receiver Mike Evans and shore up an under-performing defense.

If so, the Bucs will be left with just Payne Durham and Devin Culp on the roster. Durham logged a few starts last year when Otton went down with an injury, but the two players have combined for just 24 catches and 296 yards in their combined careers.

Kenyon Sadiq Scouting Report

Background and College Career

Kenyon Sadiq was a four-star prospect, ranked 96th overall in the 2023 recruiting class. 247 sports recruiting editor Brandon Huffman noted he was a three-sport athlete who caught almost 80 passes for over 1,100 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2021. He enrolled at the University of Oregon in 2023. In an era of player movement in the college sports, Sadiq remained at Oregon for the entirety of his college career.

His production in Eugene was rather modest over three seasons. He caught just 80 passes for 892 yards and 11 touchdowns over his career. But his production this past year was a significant step up as he posted 51 catches for 560 yards and eight touchdowns.

Games Watched

2025 Minnesota, 2025 Penn State, 2025 USC

Athleticism

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 241 pounds

Arm length: 31.5”

40-yard dash: 4.39

10-yard split: 1.54

Vertical jump: 43.5”

Broad jump: 133”

Bench press: 26 reps

Kenyon Sadiq is a fluid mover, bending his routes as he moves vertically up the seams. And his long speed is unique for his position. This makes him a rare vertical threat at the position. But his explosive testing numbers don’t show up on tape as a route runner. He is more of a speed gatherer than an instant acceleration mover. Sadiq also slows his pace as reaches his stem point, adding steps and throwing off the timing of the throw.

His play strength is a plus for his size and weight but not for the position. Sadiq maximizes every ounce of it when he scraps with opposing edge rushers and when he has to make catches on collision.

#Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq (#18) is a fun vertical athlete and he’s so much fun at the catch point on tape. Great blocker, too. Physical with good temperament. Showcased some impressive versatility as well. Easy Top-20 prospect for me at the moment. pic.twitter.com/E2LzHVSniA

— Jared Feinberg (@Jared_NFLDraft) February 6, 2026

Sadiq doesn’t change direction efficiently. His hips are tight and he is slow to build speed after decelerating. That’s why his best production after the catch comes when he has a vertical outlet as opposed to working across two planes.

Pass Catching and Post Catch

Sadiq catches the ball off his frame with his hands. He has great eye-hand coordination and can make catches in the air. He is comfortable high-pointing the ball. This makes him a weapon in the red zone.

He shows strong balance after the catch to absorb contact and keep moving and he forces missed tackles at an impressive rate (career 25%). Sadiq can pedal down effectively, keeping him in bounds near the sideline and compromise pursuit angles. Post catch he can spool up quickly to get to his top speed, but transitioning across multiple planes delays his speed. And he isn’t afraid to use his explosive leaping powers to hurdle defenders.

Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq – Photo by: USA Today

Sadiq can contort his body to adjust to off target throws and shows plus concentration to reel in difficult balls. And he plays through contact extremely well. Any offensive coordinator who doesn’t get him attacking the seams is performing a crime against football.

Route Running

Sadiq can get knocked off his route easily when running underneath crosses. And he doesn’t sell out when he’s operating as the vertical clear out – by the time he gets to his stem he is powering down. He separates vertically and can connect with easy speed, which is probably the most attractive part of his game. It’s unique among his peers. But he will often slow his pace while the ball is in flight, making catches more difficult than they need to be.

Sadiq has a nice wiggle when running vertical seams, but underneath he adds too many steps to his stem, inviting defenders to close space and that can throw off route timing.

Pass Blocking

Sadiq mostly just tries to get in the way and works to wall off as best as he can. His hand placement needs work and his lack of mass shows up in a weak anchor. He’s willing to pick up a crashing blitzer, but can lower his head too much, leading to misses.

Run Blocking

Sadiq has a narrower frame and light for the position doesn’t give him much mass to bring to the table. He leans into his run blocks leaving him off balance at times. And Sadiq doesn’t shy away from the fight and puts the effort in. That high effort carries him a ton and will endear himself to offensive coordinators.

When he squares up, he puts together some impressive reps, and he plays with excellent leverage. Sadiq works well as a split flow blocker with an accurate targeting system and he uses leverage well. His hand placement needs work as his punches can miss and he struggles to latch consistently.

Kenyon Sadiq back-to-back plays pic.twitter.com/AdBtCDw2ms

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 20, 2025

IQ and Processing

Sadiq is quick to sort out his blocking assignment as a part of a multiple pulling pattern against a moving picture. When engaged in a run block he can be surprised by sudden throws/shifts in weight which leads to him losing his latch. It’s not concerning, but noteworthy.

He doesn’t show a great feel for adjusting to zone coverage. He hits his landmarks regardless of where coverage defenders are placed, sometimes putting himself into a covered position.

Scheme, Role and Bucs Fit

Sadiq’s leaner frame and impressive athletic testing might lead some to classify him as an ‘F’ or move tight end. He can certainly fill that role, splitting out to the slot or even wide, working as an intermediate to deep threat. But his best tape is as a blocker. This can help with the move role, working as the point in stacks and bunches.

Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Troy Wayrynen

He can be a weapon as a blocker as part of a perimeter screen game. But that also doesn’t rule out him as an in-line player, working as a part of duos, in split flow and as a base blocker. Everything is on the table with him, but there is a ceiling to his game as a blocker just due to his mass limitations.

This would make him a fit for the Bucs ‘Y’ tight end role. He would also be a value-add in terms of his role because he can easily flex to the ‘F’ when the team goes to 12 personnel as Payne Durham would move to the in-line role.

Kenyon Sadiq back-to-back plays pic.twitter.com/AdBtCDw2ms

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 20, 2025

Could Sadiq start right away? I’m not sold on it. His receiving game traits are still unpolished, and I think the learning curve in the NFL for this position is one of the steepest. Sadiq certainly has a high ceiling, but I think he would struggle as a rookie.

But as a two-year development player you can find few better. As it stands if the Bucs were to take Sadiq in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft (where he is currently projected by multiple draft sites) I think they would have to either lean heavily on Payne Durham or find a cheap veteran for this year.

Hear Kenyon Sadiq Speak

NFL Draft evaluations are as much about the person as the player. Teams want to understand the person as much as the player. How do they think? How do they interpret the game? Who are they as someone who must integrate into a locker room? We can’t see nearly as much of this as teams do in their in-person interviews, but this year I want to help all of us hear more from the players that we evaluate.

With that in mind, here is a media day session Kenyon Sadiq did prior to the 2025 season.

You can see he is very calm and confident when fielding questions. He doesn’t rush his answers. As a matter of fact, Sadiq is extremely thoughtful and considered in his responses. He will agree, disagree with reasoning. It’s a small glimpse but my takeaway from this is extremely positive.