4. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Even after missing six games last year due to injury, I'm still taking George Kittle over the majority of other tight ends in the NFL right now.
Kittle has not changed one bit as a player since coming into the league. Other than injuries impacting how often he can be on the field, there's not really a more "trustworthy" tight end in the NFL over the last decade. Kittle is a model of consistency when it comes to both the passing game and as a blocker, and he's proven that over an extremely long sample.
He's been a five-time All-Pro selection and twice a 1st-team All-Pro. He's got four years with over 1,000 receiving yards. He's still just as dynamic now as he was when he came into the league, but his game might be even more evolved over the last two seasons. He has a QB rating when targeted of 136.6 since the start of the 2024 season (26 games).
Kittle might need a fully healthy year to claim the top spot on a list like this, but he's arguably the standard when it comes to overall skill set at the position.
3. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears made it to the playoffs last season, and one of the biggest reasons for their offensive resurgence was the development of rookie tight end Colston Loveland.
Loveland was somewhat of a surprise pick by the Bears in the 1st round of the 2025 NFL Draft considering the presence of Cole Kmet on the roster, but Chicago is definitely glad they didn't pass on his talent. He was targeted an absurd 25 times in the Bears' two playoff games, and has quickly become one of Caleb Williams' most trusted targets.
He's going to quickly establish himself as one of the most dynamic weapons at the position across the league.
2. Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers
A season-ending knee injury robbed us of Tucker Kraft's display of pure dominance in the 2025 season. He had 6 touchdown catches through the first 8 games last season before going down with an injury, and he might be the focal point of the entire Packers' passing game in 2026.
Kraft has a special ability to create yardage after the catch, averaging over 14 yards per reception during the 2024 season and over 15 yards per reception in 2025. As great as he was in 2024, he was averaging 20 more yards per game in 2025 and the Packers undoubtedly want to see him take on an even bigger role this season.
As of the time this post is being written, Kraft is ramping up after being activated off the PUP list. He should be a candidate for at least 100 targets this season, and that might be a low estimate.
1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
Forget just the tight end position -- Trey McBride has truly become one of the premier pass-catching weapons regardless of position around the entire NFL.
He caught 126 passes this past season, earning 1st-team All-Pro recognition and building a reputation as arguably the best overall tight end in the game. The former 2nd-round pick out of Colorado State is the go-to weapon for Arizona, and he can really do it all as a weapon in the passing game.
He's outstanding after the catch, he's got strong hands, and he's had just five drops over the past two seasons on over 300 targets.
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