Things went according to plan with this year's crop of Tight End prospects. Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz were the first 3 players to come off the board. Despite the strong depth at the position, owners still rushed to grab Gronkowski and Kelce in the first 2-3 rounds and Ertz in the late 4th or early 5th. 

After that, it came down to who owners valued the most with the likes of Kyle Rudolph, Jimmy Grahm, Delanie Walker, Evan Engram, Greg Olsen, Jack Doyle and Jordan Reed all ranked inside my Top 10. Everyone here has a pretty good situation on their hands. Despite the Quarterback change in Minnesota, Rudolph should be very productive with a Tight End friendly passer like Kirk Cousins. Jimmy Graham may not rack up a ton of yards but should be great in PPR formats and a big time target for Aaron Rodgers in the red zone. As much as I'm turned off by Marcus Mariota's lack of progress over the last year, Walker remains his security blanket but I need to see Walker in the end zone more. Engram should be a major problem for opposing defenses this year. With Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard on the outside and Saquan Barkley a threat on the ground, it's going to be hard to cover Engram with Linebackers and safetys. Even though he's older, Greg Olsen is still an excellent route runner and pass catcher. Carolina now has more options for Quarterback Cam Newton to pass to, so Olsen may not stack numbers on a weekly basis how we've become accustomed to seeing but should still get the job done. I like Jack Doyle but I like him much better without Eric Ebron in the equation. With Ebron there, he will definitely check into Doyle's work. It may only be a few catches each week and a few Touchdowns over the course of a season but it's something that will be noticeable at the Tight End position. If he can stay healthy and we all know it's a huge IF.. but Jordan Reed was a big time value pick this year. I had him ranked #4 and IF he can stay healthy, he's primed for a huge year in Washington. 

Once the Top 10 Tight Ends were off the board, there was still some nice depth available. Another player who has struggled with injuries but has been very productive when on the field is Tyler Eifert who I had pegged at #11. The Bengals have alot of play makers on offense, which opens up the middle of the field and if Eifert can return to his 2015 Pro Bowl form, he'll end up being one of the top bargain in this years draft. Another player who moved up on my board was David Njoku of the Browns. With Jarvis Landry and Josh Gordon working on the perimeter, Njoku should serve as a nice option for Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, especially in the red zone. Trey Burton in Chicago is another player who has a nice ceiling of potential. The Bears have a brand new offense that is led by a 2nd year Quarterback, so Burton should see a consistent amount of targets every game. My sleepers this year were George Kittle in San Francisco and Mike Gesecki of the Dolphins. Kittle has an accurate Quarterback in Jimmy Garopollo at his disposal and he's quietly become his favorite target inside the 20 yard line, while Gesecki was a monster at this year's scouting combine and has the speed and athleticism to cause match up problems against slower linebackers and smaller defensive backs. At #17, Jared Cook also has some nice value for a pick that likely would be one of your last. Cook and Quarterback Derek Carr have some nice rapport. And Baltimore Rookie Hayden Hurst is one to keep a close eye on. He's not on the list because he's out with an injury that will keep him out another week or two but he looked really good in the Preseason and we know how Quarterback Joe Flacco loves to use his Tight Ends.