Top 5 tight ends in college football for 2019

Finishing up on the skill position players, we now look at the best tight ends in the NCAA for this season. While there is a clear number one guy in my opinion, after that there can be a lot of discussion. Guys who have put up big numbers definitely do deserve some recognition, but for this group especially, this list is a lot about the potential I see.

As I have said every time now, we are talking about these guys as college players and I tried to rate them based on what I saw on tape from them.

#1 Albert Okwuegbunam, Missouri

Through his first 18 games with Missouri, Okwuegbunam caught 72 passes for 881 yards and 17 touchdowns. He recorded a passer rating of 129.1 when targeted and averaged 4.6 yards after the catch in 2018, while partially playing through a sprained knee last season. In only nine games, he still topped his freshman total by 50 yards. While he plays a lot of traditional Y, wing-man, and H-back, “Albert O” also puts in work detached from the line and split out wide at times, as they target him on goal-line fades.

The big target at 6’5”, 255 pounds has strong hands and won’t let a defender coming over his back bothering him. He has that speed to be a nightmare down the seams or after the catch off drag routes while tracking the ball over his shoulder beautifully. There are not a lot of things in college football that are scarier than that big #81 in Black and Gold having a couple of steps on the linebackers in the middle of the field off play-action.

Okwuegbunam also displays excellent footwork in pass protection and can guide edge rushers around the QB. However, he drops his head too much into blocks and doesn’t really catch and control with his hands the way you want to see.

#2 Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt

This 6’4”, 240-pound Commodore actually put up the best numbers of anybody in this group. Pinkney caught 50 passes for 774 yards and seven touchdowns last season. He is the most traditional Y tight end, who spends the majority of snaps with his hand in the dirt.

Pinkney Has a strong grip and can turn defenders’ bodies, he excels at sealing the backside off zone run plays and puts in the effort as a blocker downfield when a fellow receiver catches the ball. He has a unique way of avoiding contact with defenders when he gets into his routes and does a great job slipping out into his route after faking the run. Once he has the ball secured, he invites collisions after the catch and consistently gains extra through defenders.

Pinkney might not be the type of dynamic vertical threat as some of these other guys are, but he is a big, reliable target who Kyle Shurmur seemed very comfortable targeting over the deep middle last year. You won’t see him just run away from defenders, but he catches the ball with his hands, can box out and just won’t go down without a fight.

#3 Pat Freiermuth, Penn State

When Mike Gesicki entered the NFL draft last April, the Nittany Lions lost a ton of production – over 1,200 yards and 14 TDs over his final two years – but once they saw this kid hit the field, they knew the tight end position was in good hands. In his freshman season, Freiermuth snagged 26 passes for 368 yards and eight scores.

While the volume wasn’t quite there yet, you see the incredible potential. He has all the size at 6’5”, 255 pounds and athleticism you are looking for. He flashes head-fakes and jab steps that can absolutely leave safeties behind in the dust. As graceful as he is at going up in the air for the ball, he is equally violent when he has it in his hands and a defender is in his way. Freiermuth can pick up chunk plays on-seam, corner and post routes. His catch radius is immense and he consistently catches the ball at its highest point.

The Penn State TE didn’t catch more than three passes in any game last season and has yet to show that he can be a main option in the passing game. He is still learning how to stay under better balance and find the right aiming points as a blocker as well as learning when to sit down versus zone, but the future is incredibly bright for this kid.

#4 Hunter Bryant, Washington

I already had Bryant as a top-five tight end for last season after what I saw from the dynamic do-it-all guy in his freshman season, who excelled at breaking tackles. He can play in-line, flexed out or as an H-back. His size is different to most of these guys at 6’2”, 240 pounds with more of a big receiver stature.

He only appeared in five games last season and caught 11 passes, but he flashed his dynamic ability, averaging 21.6 yards per grab. While his hand-placement and footwork aren’t very refined, you see the aggressive mindset and willingness to contribute as a blocker.

There are only so many guys at 240 pounds who offenses target on corner routes 30+ yards down the field and Bryant is one of them. You see some double-catches on tape, he needs to show he can be healthy and kind of just establishing himself at some spots. The talent is obviously there and two plays on third-and-long showed that last year – a 59-yard catch-and-run versus Washington State off a scramble and that a ridiculous one-handed grab on 3rd&10 in the Rose Bowl versus Ohio State with a defender right on him.

#5 Grant Calcaterra, Oklahoma

This guy is certainly not as massive as some of the tight ends I watched at 6’4”, 235 pounds. To me, he is basically a slightly oversized slot receiver, who shows soft hands and catches the ball at full extension on several occasions. He does a good job breaking down in open space and getting his hands on safeties in the run and screen game.

Calcaterra caught 26 passes for just under 400 yards and six scores despite being the third or fourth option in the OU passing game and almost having three separate 1000-yard rushers. Two plays that stood out about him were a crazy diving catch in the Orange Bowl versus Alabama and a tremendous one-handed touchdown grab versus Texas in the Big 12 title game with a defender right on his hip.

While he does line up next to the O-line at times, Calcaterra does not really bring you much upside as an in-line contributor and he never caught more than three passes in any game all of last season. As a pure receiver, he is better than most of what I have seen around the county.

Honorable mentions: Harrison Bryant (Florida Atlantic), Colby Parkinson (Stanford), Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin) and Matt Bushman (BYU)

Edited by Raunak J