Rookie Class 2017 - Tight Ends

 The Tight End position, in my opinion,is one of the more overlooked positions in fantasy, once you get passed the top 3 or 4 guys. Gronk, Reed, Kelce, and Olsen. Last season, we saw some solid production from a couple of rookies. While it's always a challenge to predict how a player's skill set translates to the NFL level, let's see if we can't get a baseline of the player, and where they ended up.

So let's break down the rookie class of tight ends taken in the first two rounds.

1. O. J. Howard - Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 Pick 19 of the NFL draft and a tight end was off the board. The Bucs already have Cameron Brate, and now they've added Howard to the mix. Howard is an absolute beast of a tight end. Six and half feet, 251 pounds and ran a 4.51 forty yard dash. He's big and athletic and could bring a lot to the game in Tampa Bay. Hard to predict where his role will land him for this season as Brate still has the TE1 job locked up for the time being. So, this is not a plug and play situation. So don't overdraft on this guy just yet. It'll be curious to see if the Bucs adopt a two TE set and get him some work.

2. David Njoku - Cleveland Browns 

Njoku may see some volume early on as the Browns have already released Gary Barnidge. This puts no one ahead of a talented TE. Granted, he'll need some time to develop, and there's new faces all over the field, but there's some real upside to an athletic pass catcher at this position. The biggest downside to this situation is he may not be that immediate solid production we hope for in the TE spot, and it's still the Browns.

3. Evan Engram - New York Giants

Engram should be one of the higher point total TE's of this years class, though his impact may not immediate. He's a solid pass catching TE. He may struggle at blocking, but he can be a receiving mismatch all over the place. While I don't doubt his ability to put points on the board, I doubt how consistent that will be the weapons already at Manning's disposal. Engram should be a solid play for the position.

4. Jake Butt - Denver Broncos 

The Broncos rolled the dice on Butt. The talent is there for him to have a solid career. I typically try to shy away from active comparisons, but this guy reminds me of Zach Miller. I think he could be a good impact TE for a good team. The questionable part is that Butt had his second ACL tear in the Orange Bowl and the NFL is far more punishing than the college level. Personally, I'm staying clear of this until he can show that he's healthy. 

5. Gerald Everett - Los Angeles Rams

I'm watching Everett early on to see how quickly he can acclimate to the NFL. He's got immediate production written all over him, assuming he's got a QB to do so. Why am I confident this guy may a plug and play starter? Because I had to Google who was ahead of him on the depth chart. Everett is very athletic and excelled in college as a pass catcher. Assuming he can adjust NFL, Everett is certainly on my radar. 

6. Adam Shaheen - Chicago Bears

Shaheen looks like a  grab-and-stash type of pickup for the Bears. They've poorly managed their TE situation for years now. Greg Olsen, Martellus Bennett and now picking a good and solid NFL style of TE when they don't truly have an immediate need for one with Zach Miller locked in as the starter. None of this is a knock to Shaheen, he's a huge guy with a good athletic background. He's another basketball standout that transitioned into the  tight end position and did so very successfully in college, hauling in 16 touchdowns in 2016. I personally think he would have benefitted more somewhere else, but he's still someone to watch.