Cole’s Corner: 2022 Tight End Prospect Rankings

2022 NFL Draft coverage is sponsored by JBL Roofing & Construction (http://www.jblrc.com/), TNT Construction (https://tntcleveland.com/), Dave’s Golden Shear Barbershop (https://www.davesgoldenshear.com/) and Jeffery Protects (https://jefferyprotects.com/).

13. Jelani Woods – Virginia

Woods went to college as a quarterback but switched to tight end in 2017. Despite still being fairly new to the position, the big 6’7” TE has a lot of potential and room to develop. Most of his production receiving comes up the seam and Woods can then manage to pick up some big yardage after the catch. Due to his size, he is hard to tackle. Woods is also a major height mismatch which adds plenty of value in the red zone. If Woods does continue to develop, I expect he can make a decent impact in the first couple of years.

Player Comparison: Jared Cook

Projection: 4^th – 6^th Round

Best Fits: Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Miami (Wild Card – Cincinnati) 

12. Charlie Kolar – Iowa State

Kolar is another large tight end in this class. His length makes him an excellent redzone target. Like Woods he does most of his damage down the seam or on underneath routes. Kolar is a good blocker as well. He could certainly become something special in the league. Why Kolar’s stock has perhaps cooled is due to his lack of explosiveness and a tough week at the Senior Bowl.

Player Comparison: Tyler Eifert

Projection: 4^th – 6^th Round

Best Fits: Dallas, Tennessee, Arizona (Wild Card – Denver)  

11. Daniel Bellinger – San Diego State

Bellinger is another redzone threat tight end with plenty of length. Bellinger also offers some quickness that most of the other larger tight ends don’t offer. He is just not as physical as some of the other prospects.

Player Comparison: Charlie Kolar

Projection: 4^th – 6^th Round

Best Fits: New York Giants, Denver, Cincinnati (Wild Card – Minnesota) 

10. Chigoziem Okonkwo – Maryland

Okonkwo is different than most of the other prospects in this class. He is a rumbler who acts as an underneath route security valve. Okonkwo is not only physical with the ball in his hands but also gets good leverage as a blocker. As a blocker he still needs to improve in order to get extensive playing time in the NFL. His receiving ability is there though because he was the second leading receiver on Maryland’s team.

Player Comparison: Dion Sims

Projection: 4^th – 6^th Round

Best Fits: Washington, Indianapolis, New York Jets (Wild Card – Tampa Bay)

9. James Mitchell – Virginia Tech

Mitchell has a basketball background with excellent catch point skills. He is a smooth runner and a prototypical receiving tight end. Mitchell is also a good runner after the catch. NFL teams can either flex him out or place him in-line. Mitchell’s weakness comes with blocking. He will fit best in a pass heavy offense.

Player Comparison: Hunter Henry

Projection: 4^th – 6^th Round

Best Fits: Dallas, New Orleans, Jacksonville (Wild Card – Denver)

8. Cole Turner – Nevada 

Turner is a tall receiving tight end who makes some big catches. His experience in an air raid system at Nevada had him flexed out a lot. He has an excellent catch radius and will be a solid redzone target. Turner will have his best success in a multiple tight end scheme early on until he develops more as a true tight end.

Player Comparison: David Njoku

Projection: 4^th – 6^th Round

Best Fits: Arizona, Cincinnati, Green Bay (Wild Card – Las Vegas)

7. Isaiah Likely – Coastal Carolina

Likely has been highly ranked by many experts out there. I cannot disagree that there are many great aspects of his game, but others that leave me skeptical. I have very strong boom or bust feels with him. He is certainly the quickest tight end in the class and currently would be best as an off-line TE or even on the boundary as a receiver. Likely’s receiving skills are certainly efficient and he made big plays happen in college. His blocking skills are the weakest in the class and unless he adds another 15 pounds or so and improves as a blocker, I’m not fully sure he can reach the level many expect. My comparison for him shows that he could become quite good if he gets larger and learns to play in-line as well.

Player Comparison: Antonio Gates

Projection: 2^nd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: New York Jets, Jacksonville, Denver (Wild Card – Cincinnati)

6. Cade Otton – Washington

Otton is a fairly versatile tight ends because he is a good receiver with sufficient athleticism, but he also happens to be one of the better blockers in this class. His physicality at the line of scrimmage as a run blocker is unmatched. When running routes, he lacks speed so unless he gets lost in the shuffle of the play, he won’t create much separation. Otton will not be a feature target but he might find himself starting early on in his career.

Player Comparison: Robert Tonyan

Projection: 3^rd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Atlanta, Dallas, Cleveland (Wild Card – Chicago) 

5. Jake Ferguson – Wisconsin                 

Ferguson can easily get underrated by most due to the fact that he is not flashy by any means. He is not a mismatch tight end in any shape or form, yet he just finds a way to do everything well. Ferguson is excellent at finding open spaces and making himself a safety blanket for his quarterback. He is a good blocker that is still improving every season. He does come from a run heavy scheme and would be successful with a similar scheme in the NFL.

Player Comparison: Dalton Schultz/Tyler Higbee

Projection: 3^rd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Jacksonville, New York Giants, Minnesota (Wild Card – Washington)

4. Greg Dulcich – UCLA   

Dulcich is a tough tight end with decent athleticism. Dulcich has some straight-line speed and can create his own separation in tight areas. He is not a top run blocker, but I don’t think it is a glaring weakness. Expect Dulcich to get some early time on the field.

Player Comparison: Hayden Hurst

Projection: 2^nd – 4^th Round

Best Fits: Indianapolis, Washington, Tennessee (Wild Card – Arizona)

1-3 on the next page