Fantasy Football: Top 6 rookie tight ends for 2020 season

1. Cole Kmet, Notre Dame

Cole Kmet, a capable and willing blocker, graded out as the top tight end prospect in the NFL Combine, according to NFL.com and he tops our list, as well. While the two preceding small school prospects are exceptionally enticing, Kmet is the safest pick for someone looking to stash a rookie tight end for the future.

Even before the Combine, Kmet was consistently ranked as a top-tier option. The junior from Notre Dame is the top tight end on the board of the draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr., who has seen a lot of tight ends come and go, and Kiper even had him as a top-20 pick in a January mock draft on ESPN+ (subscription required).

The 6-6, 260-pound native from the Greater Chicago area caught 43 of 61 (70.5 percent) of passes thrown his way this past season, crossing the stripe six times while racking up 515 yards receiving. Kmet’s 20.6% dominator rating in 2019 is rather impressive for a tight end; he boasts a great speed and size combination and looks the part on film.

He only has one season of top-shelf production but it was against top-shelf competition, as Notre Dame ranked 16th out of 130 teams in that category. Kmet isn’t the fastest or strongest tight end prospect in this draft, but he is the best one.

Kmet will likely struggle out of the gate, as most rookie tight ends do. However, there’s little reason to doubt Kmet’s ability to hold down the fort as a starting-caliber option in most fantasy football leagues for years to come.