Editor's Note: In the lead-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Phil Perry is identifying the best fits for the Patriots at each position based on the traits that Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf value as well as intel from coaches and scouts.
First on the list was offensive tackle. Next up: tight end.
The bar wasn't difficult to clear, but there was no real competition for which position group ended up being the most reliable for the Patriots offense last season. It was tight end.
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Hunter Henry (66 catches, 674 yards, two touchdowns) and Austin Hooper (45 catches, 476 yards, three touchdowns) might not have been game-breakers, but they were two of the team's dependable options in the passing passing game. They ranked first and fourth, respectively, on the team in targets and receiving yards. They understood where to go and when, providing quarterback Drake Maye some measure of consistency in the middle of the field.
After Hooper re-signed as a free agent, that tandem is back for another season. But that doesn't mean the Patriots should be ignoring the tight end position in this year's draft. It's widely considered to be one of the most talent-laden groups in the incoming rookie class.
As we try to identify the best fits for head coach Mike Vrabel and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, we have to consider the traits both have valued in the past.
There are 11 tight ends who have been drafted by a member of the Ron Wolf executive tree in the first, second or third rounds. We have official pre-draft measurements for all of them, thanks in part to the extensive library from Kent Lee Platte's site RAS.football.
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Of those 11 players, here's what we can say the Wolf tree has coveted at tight end:
On average, these players checked in at 6-foot-4, 252 pounds. They ran, on average, a 4.72-second 40-yard dash and clocked a short-shuttle time of 4.36 seconds. They had average jumps of 34 inches in the vertical and 9-feet-11 in the broad jump.
A player at that position with those measurements would be given a strong Relative Athletic Score of 8.36. Per Platte's RAS metric, one of the closest comps to this composite average Wolf tree tight end would be, believe it or not, Hooper.
Vrabel didn't establish much in the way of a trend when it came to traits he valued at tight end during his time as head coach in Tennessee. In the fourth round in 2022, he grabbed Chigoziem Okonkwo, the only tight end taken by the Titans in the first four rounds during Vrabel's tenure.
Okonkwo was a next-level athlete in a relatively small package. He measured just 6-foot-2 (seventh percentile) and 238 pounds (fourth percentile), but he recorded a 4.52 40-yard dash (94th percentile) and a 35.5-inch vertical (77th percentile) coming out of Maryland.
When looking at the totality of the group, what trends emerge?
Size matters. Of the 12 players studied, only three -- Okonkwo, Josiah Deguara and Jermichael Finley -- didn't eclipse the 250-pound mark. Wolf execs also have seemed to value some baseline quickness requirement: 10 of the 12 players studied clocked short-shuttle times before the draft, and nine of those came in under 4.50 seconds.
With further ado, let's get to the options who appear to fit the bill for the Patriots this year...
Day 1: Tyler Warren, Penn State
The prize of this year's tight end class for teams looking for a do-it-all type, Warren truly did it all for the Nittany Lions. Not only did he align attached to the line of scrimmage and in the slot, but he also took snaps as a Wildcat quarterback and racked up 218 yards rushing to go with his whopping 1,233 yards receiving.
He's a wrecking ball after the catch, running through arm tackles with ease, and showing off the athleticism that made him an accomplished high school basketball player when he goes up to high-point contest targets. He's not a Rob Gronkowski-level blocker, but his 6-foot-6, 256-pound frame and his all-out approach on the field will make him effective in that regard at the next level.
If the Patriots want him, they'll have to get him early -- possibly in a trade-down scenario? -- because he'll likely be the first off the board in the first round.
Day 1: Colston Loveland, Michigan
Loveland is a very different type of player compared to Warren, though he won't be drafted all that much later. He's in more of the Travis Kelce mold of being an oversized slot receiver. And while Loveland is not on Kelce's level, the modern-day NFL has made it clear that you don't have to be a bully as a blocker to have success at this position.
Loveland's ability to run routes and create separation is on another plane. He's big enough (6-foot-6, 248 pounds) and quick enough to satisfy that which the Patriots will likely be looking for.
It's just a question of whether or not they see a player who either A) has receiving skills that are so ridiculous that he's worthy of a late first-round selection or B) can morph into a more impactful blocker with time.
Day 2: Elijah Arroyo, Miami
For a team like the Patriots that seems like it will value size and movement skills at this spot, Arroyo could be the best fit on Day 2. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder had 35 catches for 590 yards and seven touchdowns last season, and he followed that up with a route-running clinic at the Senior Bowl.
Elijah Arroyo might be one of the best route running TE’s the NFL Draft has EVER seen.
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) January 31, 2025
Arroyo reportedly “blew scouts away” with his route running ability at the Senior Bowl.
Some scouts have reportedly moved Arroyo up to TE3 on their boards.
With some having him ahead of… pic.twitter.com/zbk5x1jxCs
Loveland appears to have a real sense of where to settle based on how opposing defenses are deployed. Patriots senior personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith still has close ties to the Hurricanes program -- he was present for their pro day in late March -- and would be able to provide key insight on Arroyo, who dealt with injury in 2022 and 2023 when Highsmith was Miami's general manager.
Day 2: Mason Taylor, LSU
Hard to find better bloodlines. Taylor is the son of Hall of Fame pass-rusher Jason Taylor and is looking to make a name for himself at the next level. At 6-foot-5 and 251 pounds, Taylor has traits to be a quarterback's security blanket as a pro.
He had 55 catches for 546 yards (with just one drop) last season and recorded first downs on 68 percent of his catches. A three-year starter, he is the only tight end in school history with 100 catches and 1,000 career yards.
Taylor may not be the kind of clear-a-path blocker the Patriots will want at the point of attack in his rookie year, but he's just 20 years old and could be molded into the kind of tight end Josh McDaniels is looking for with time.
Day 2: Thomas Fidone II, Nebraska
At 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, Fidone is lighter than the tight ends typically valued by the Wolf tree. But he has the frame to put on more weight (83-inch wingspan, 34-inch arms) and athleticism that can't be taught. He ran a 4.29-second shuttle and a 7.01-second three-cone drill, indicating real movement skills to weave in and out of tight spaces in the middle of the field.
He also flashed explosiveness with his athletic testing at the combine, recording a 35.5-inch vertical and a 10-foot-6 broad jump. He lost two seasons to knee injuries early in his career, but if he can stay healthy, add some strength, and maintain his burst, he could be one of the steals of the draft in the middle rounds.
Day 2: Terrance Ferguson, Oregon
Ferguson's work in the run game probably isn't going to have Vrabel and McDaniels champing at the bit to draft him, but his athleticism and what his physical skill set might mean for him at the next level are hard to ignore.
He recorded the best 40-time among tight ends at the combine (4.63 seconds), the best 10-yard split (1.55 seconds) and the best vertical jump (39 inches) at 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds. As a route-runner he showed crisp footwork at the Senior Bowl, and could go before Day 3 if a team is willing to bet on his potential as a pass-catcher.
Day 3: Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
This draft is loaded with tight end talent that should be available in the later rounds. Evans is right up there among the best of the rest, measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, and good enough quickness (4.4-second shuttle). He tore his ACL back in 2023, ending his season. He returned for the start of 2024 and improved over time, finishing the year with a team-leading 43 catches.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares Evans to gritty Chargers tight end Will Dissly, who finished last season with 50 catches. Evans could be a traditional "Y" tight end option for McDaniels, but he also had extensive experience at Notre Dame motioning and shifting.
Seventy percent of Evans' catches in his career went for first downs or touchdowns, and even if he's not a next-level athlete at the position, he projects as a reliable zone-puncturing target.
Day 3: Luke Lachey, Iowa
Stop me if you've heard this before: The Hawkeyes are sending another impressive tight end to the NFL.
The 6-foot-6, 251-pounder isn't George Kittle. But Lachey has the size to be an impactful people-mover and doesn't mind physicality. Like Kittle (or the other countless NFL tight ends produced by Kirk Ferentz's program) he'll understand early on what he's asked to execute in the running game at the next level.
A finalist for the Campbell Trophy (also known as the Academic Heisman) and the son of longtime NFL lineman Jim Lachey, he has plenty of qualities teams will appreciate. His injury history could drop him down the board a bit, however, as he missed most of 2023 with an ankle issue. Last season he caught 28 passes for 231 yards.
Day 3: Robbie Ouzts, Alabama
Alabama's CJ Dippre (6-foot-5, 256 pounds, 9.13 RAS) has the frame and testing numbers to make him worthy of a mention here. But it's his teammate who seems like a better fit.
With McDaniels back as offensive coordinator, it'd be downright irresponsible not to include fullback options on this list. Ouzts might be the most intriguing of the bunch at 6-foot-3 and 274 pounds. He packs a punch at the line of scrimmage, and he has loads of experience as a lead-blocker for a hard-charging running game.
But he wasn't exclusively a blocker for 'Bama. He had 108 receiving yards last season and looked surprisingly smooth in the gauntlet drill at this year's combine. His 34-inch vertical in Indy was the best by a tight end weighing over 270 pounds since 2003.
Ouzts also played for former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien when O'Brien was on the staff for the Crimson Tide, and he told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Alex Barth he considered O'Brien a "mastermind."
If the Patriots are looking for a fullback to play for an offensive coordinator who has made good use of the position in the past, Ouzts would make a lot of sense.
Day 3: Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse
Gadsden's father played receiver in the NFL in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which is where Gadsden began his career for the Orange.
He converted to tight end ahead of the 2022 season and was ultimately named a First-Team All-ACC honoree after racking up 61 catches for a school record 969 yards that season. He nearly cracked 1,000 yards again a season ago (934), and was named a third-team AP All-American.
Gadsden would fit for New England as a bit of an undersized athlete (6-foot-5, 243 pounds), like Okonkwo. If the Patriots are looking for another "move" option to add to 2024 seventh-rounder Jaheim Bell, Gadsden is an option.
Day 3: Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech
Wherever he lands as a pro, Conyers (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) will provide a rare combination of size and quickness. He's not the tallest in this class, but he has plenty of length (33.25-inch arms, 10-inch hands) to help his catch radius. And his 4.27-second shuttle was the best in this year's class.
Conyers spent time at three different schools (Oklahoma, Arizona State, Texas Tech), and he'll have to check out for the Patriots from a football-character standpoint. But the second-team All-Big 12 honoree last season is an impressive athlete, who has even been used to throw the football at times. He completed six of seven attempts for 40 yards and a touchdown over the last two years.
Day 3: Jackson Hawes, Georgia Tech
Hawes might be the best true blocking tight end in the class. He wouldn't be an eventual replacement for either Henry or Hooper -- both of whom have real receiving chops -- but he could provide immediate depth as a road-grading option. The 6-foot-5, 253-pounder ran a 4.4-second shuttle time, satisfying one of the thresholds the Wolf tree has seemed to value over time.
Hawes spent five years at Yale before joining the Yellow Jackets, handling the dirty work asked of him after making the jump in competition level. The Patriots will have to determine if the man strength Hawes exhibited against younger defenders will translate at the next level. If they think it will, he could be worthy of a late-round flier.
Day 3: Gavin Bartholomew, Pittsburgh
For a team that is going to prioritize the development of a certain kind of culture under Mike Vrabel, Bartholomew feels like he'd have a positive impact in that regard. A captain at Pitt, he's considered a grinder and a coach's dream. In 2023, he was named to the Allstate Good Works Team for his work in the community.
He's not an uber athlete, but he has good size (6-foot-5, 246 pounds) and could be a factor in the kicking game. He caught 38 passes for 322 yards and four touchdowns last season.
Day 3: Moliki Motavao, UCLA
Not too many tight ends built this way anymore. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Motavao began his career at Oregon before transferring to UCLA in 2023. He led the Bruins with 41 catches in 11 games last season, showing some skills as a receiver to go along with a frame that looks like it's ready-made for blocking duties in the NFL.
He'll need to refine his in-the-trenches technique, but his size and quickness as a route runner are hard to find. As a traits-based flier, he could make sense for Vrabel late on draft weekend.