Charlie Kolar, Trey McBride Atop Fantasy Rookie Tight End Scouting Reports

Scouting reports and early fantasy takes on the best tight ends from the 2022 NFL draft class.

The 2022 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 28 and the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock with the first overall selection. Tight ends rarely break out in Year 1 and this year appears to be no exception. There is no blue-chip prospect like last year's star Kyle Pitts, so you will likely need to wait until 2023 for these prospects to become more relevant.

Let's break down the skill set of the top five tight ends and look ahead to how they might benefit your fantasy team.

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Charlie Kolar, Iowa State

Ht: 6'6”. Wt: 260. Age: 23

Kolar had an active role in Iowa State’s offense over the past three seasons (51/6977, 44/591/6, and 62/756/6), setting the stage for him to have further growth in the NFL. He had one game with 100 receiving yards in each of his past three years (6/100, 6/131, and 12/152/1). Last season, Kolar had four catches or more in 11 of his 12 starts.

When reviewing some highlights of Kolar, my first thought was: what did Travis Kelce look like coming out of college? In his senior year at Cincinnati, he had 45 catches for 722 yards and eight touchdowns with minimal chances over his first two seasons (1/3 and 13/150/2). Kolar offers similar size (6’6” and 260 lbs.) while owning plus hands. He matches up well vs. man coverage with an understanding to find soft spots in zones. Kolar does his pregame work and wants to improve as a player. I expect him to be a threat all over the field with the strength to break tackles. His next step is improving as a blocker.

Fantasy Outlook: I mentioned Kelce earlier with the idea that the Chiefs would be looking to add his future replacement in this year’s draft class. Kolar is my top-ranked tight end this year while drawing the third rookie rating in the early fantasy draft season in the NFFC with an ADP of 287. Kolar should only get better while developing into a top 10 fantasy tight end. I like his movements with and without the ball. When adding his size and route running, an NFL team should be excited to invest in him.

More scouting reports: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers

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Trey McBride, Colorado State

Ht: 6’4”. Wt: 255. Age: 22 (will turn 23 during 2022 season)

Last year McBride finished with 90 catches for 1,121 yards on 134 targets, but he only scored one touchdown. Over the previous two seasons, over 16 combined games, McBride had 67 catches for 890 yards and eight scores on 88 targets (76.1 % catch rate). His 2021 season started with three active games (13/116, 8/114/1, and 9/109) while having a floor of six catches in 11 of his 12 starts.

Despite needing some work on his blocking techniques, McBride has the feel of a power tight end with good hands. He’ll work the short areas of the field, but his overall speed limits his ceiling in the deep passing game. However, McBride can make plays with his feet in space, and his strength does create some missed tackles. His route running is in the right place to start his NFL career.

Fantasy Outlook: In mid-April, McBride is the first rookie tight end drafted in the NFFC with an ADP of 224. His foundation skill set gives him three-down ability while needing to prove he can handle stronger defenders at the next level. I expect him to develop as the 2022 season moves on, giving potential top 12 tight end fantasy value over the last third of the year if McBride lands in the right offense.

Cade Otton, Washington

Ht: 6'5”. Wt: 250. Age: 22

Otton was only on the field for 31 games despite playing four seasons in college, leading to 91 catches for 1,026 yards and nine touchdowns. His best success came over two games in 2020 (7/100/1 and 8/108/2). Last year he missed four games with a Covid-19 issue and a left foot injury.

Otton looks to be a neutral blocker coming out of college while playing well enough to be on the field for all three downs. Despite a short resume of production, he projects to be more active in the passing game in the NFL. Thanks to solid hands and above-average route running, Otton can work the middle of the field to move the chains. On a deep receiving corps team, his skill set offers big play and scoring ability in the red zone.

Fantasy Outlook: The transition for a tight end to the NFL game tends to have a learning curve. Otton does some things well, but he also needs to get stronger. In the early draft season in the National Fantasy Football Championship before the 2022 NFL Draft, he has yet to be selected in 12-team formats. At best, Otton would only play in deep best-ball leagues where his occasional scores offer filler week value.

Greg Dulcich, UCLA

Ht: 6'4”. Wt: 245. Age: 22

The Bruins used Dulcich as a big-play threat over the last two seasons, leading to him gaining 18.3 yards per catch. Over this span, he caught 68 of his 107 targets for 1,242 yards and 10 scores on 107 targets. His explosiveness is highlighted by four games (4/126/1, 8/167/1, 3/117/1, and 9/136). Dulcich had more than five catches only four times in his 24 games.

His long-legged running style works well over the long field, but Dulcich has to gear down when running shorter crips routes allowing defenders to react quicker. He has worked hard to get stronger, but his blocking isn’t where it needs to be to see early down plays in the NFL. Dulcich has fight in his game with the ball in his hands, helping his yards after the catch. For now, he’ll work as a vertical threat with some chance to score in the red zone.

Fantasy Outlook: I don’t expect Dulcich to be fantasy relevant out of the gate. He may hit on a couple of long plays and touchdowns, but his opportunity will be minimal early in his career. In April, his ADP (307) in the NFFC ranks him as the 61st tight end drafted (seventh rookie TE).

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Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State

Ht: 6’5”. Wt: 253. Age: 21 (will turn 22 before 2022 season)

The tight end opportunity at Ohio State was minimal for Ruckert over four seasons. He finished with 54 catches for 615 yards and 12 touchdowns over 26 games. In 2021, Ruckert set career-highs in catches (26) and receiving yards (309). Unfortunately, he gained over 50 yards in only one game (3/47) while shining in one matchup (5/47/2).

Any NFL interest in Ruckert comes from his value as a blocker. He looks more athletic than his stats project, but his route running and quickness set a low floor in catches. His chances in the passing game will come on some set plays, late dump-offs, or uncovered releases. Ruckert will sneak in some scores on play-action passes at the goal line.

Fantasy Outlook: I don’t expect Ruckert to be drafted in any format this season, which is supported by him having no ADP value in the early draft season in the National Fantasy Football Championship.