3 Third-year NFL tight ends set to break out in 2019 season

Three tight ends were selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and entering their third year in the league, all three are primed to breakout.

In the 2017 NFL Draft, three tight ends were taken in the first round, an unprecedented number, but given the shift in the league, tight ends have been selected as mismatched wide receivers than in-line blockers. O.J. Howard, Evan Engram and David Njoku were all selected to become big playmakers for their respective teams.

While none of them have lived up to their draft hype, tight ends tend to have a steeper learning curve and do not seem to break through the glass ceiling as quickly as others. In 2019, look out for Howard, Engram, and Njoku to blow up the NFL landscape and jump onto the scene.

The spread offense is beginning to infect NFL offenses, and as a result tight ends are being deployed as matchup nightmares for linebackers and safeties, and as the NFL continues its shift towards a heavy aerial assault, the tight end position will continue to get more and more valuable.

It would not be a shock to see all three of the tight ends selected in the first round of the 2017 draft go over 1,000 yards receiving and border on double-digit touchdowns this season; if you are a player of fantasy football, these three tight ends will pay big dividends in 2019.