Fantasy Football: Top 6 rookie tight ends for 2020 season

By default, the 2020 NFL Draft is next month’s most anticipated sporting event and these are the top tight ends in dynasty fantasy football leagues.

Previously, we explored the top rookie quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft from a fantasy football perspective. This time around, we tackle the tight end position.

Rookie tight ends rarely produce, so they’re typically only on the radar of dynasty fantasy football owners, the only humans alive who care to immerse themselves in analysis of dark horse rookie tight end prospects. We’ve uncovered a few of those because we’re here for you, hardcore dynasty leaguers.

Colby Parkinson, a 6-7, 252-pound behemoth, ran a 4.77-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.  The Stanford product moves well and runs great routes, but his subpar blocking technique is likely to keep him off the field in the short-term.

The native of Simi Valley (CA) is probably the best prospect missing from our list; he favorably draws comparisons to Mike Gesicki from NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein. Comparatively, Vanderbilt’s Jared Pinkney likewise doesn’t fit the bill of an every-down, in-line tight end, but he lacks Parkinson’s athleticism and phenomenal fantasy football upside.

Oregon’s Jacob Breeland stands at 6-5 and weighs in at 252 pounds. The seventh-ranked tight end according to Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis, Breeland started the season in impressive fashion before tearing his ACL, an injury which prevented him from participating in the recent NFL Combine.

Cheyenne (C.J.) O’Grady carries red flags of a different kind. The former Arkansas tight end  projects well as an intriguing pass-catching prospect at the next level, but was suspended three times by two different coaching staffs before leaving the Razorbacks last season.

Another to watch: LSU’s Thaddeus Moss. Frankly, he is hard to dislike for two reasons, the same ones that explain why he ranks a bit too high on many analysts’ lists: pedigree and recency bias.

Thaddeus, son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss, scored three touchdowns in the College Football Playoff, including two in the National Championship Game. However, he caught a total of one touchdown in all of his previous 2019 contests, including the SEC Championship, a game in which he snagged just two passes for 12 yards.

Now that the dark horses are out of the way, let’s shine a light on the top-tier fantasy football prospects from this year’s crop of rookie tight ends. Crack open a cold one and kick back with the six-pack we’ve assembled for your enjoyment.

6. Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri

Albert Okwuegbunam (pronounced oh-koo-WAY-boo-nahm) ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine faster than most Americans can pronounce his last name on the first try. In fact, his time was the fastest of any tight end at the combine.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1233140194594971648?s=20

Okwuegbunam produced at a high level with Drew Lock under center at Missouri, but his performance dropped off during his senior season with Kelly Bryant at the helm. The Nigerian native is a prolific red zone threat, with 23 touchdowns to his credit during his collegiate career.

Okwuegbunam is quick enough to create space in tight quarters, and he can absolutely punish overmatched defensive backs in the open field with his impressive size/speed combination. This makes him a threat to opposing defenses, which means he’s a terrific under-the-radar dynasty selection who has been favorably compared to Jimmy Graham by some.