This offseason I am taking a position-by-position look at the best NFL draft values of the millennium: In short, which teams received the most bang for their draft-pick buck?
Higher draft picks were not dismissed for this exercise, but I tended to side with the highest-achieving lower selections. Extra weight was also given to longevity and the value those players provided for the teams that drafted them.
Tight end was one of the more clear-cut positions in this exercise. Over the first 25 drafts since 2000, there were only 27 first-round tight ends, so the idea of value must be more carefully measured. But my picks -- all drafted outside of Round 1 -- each were among the most productive players at the position regardless of draft pedigree, and they all reasonably deserve mention among some of the best NFL tight ends of all time.
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 63 overall), 2013.
As a surefire Hall of Famer in the running for best tight end ever, Kelce must be considered one of the best draft bargains of all time -- even with brother Jason Kelce (2011 sixth-round pick) giving him a good run for his money. Travis Kelce, the first pick in Round 3 in 2013, missed all but one snap of his rookie season before eventually stringing together seven straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2016 to 2022. He has been named to the past 10 Pro Bowls.
Kelce and Patrick Mahomes have arguably become one of the greatest offensive duos ever, both elevating their games in the postseason in leading the Chiefs to three Super Bowl championships in five appearances over the past six seasons. Kelce’s 69.4 receiving yards per regular-season game ranks 27th all-time, but he’s averaged 83.1 in 25 postseason games. His 178 playoff catches are by far the most ever (27 more than Jerry Rice), and Kelce trails Rice by just two playoff TD catches, 22 to 20.
Drafted: Round 2 (No. 42 overall), 2010.
A back injury sidelined Gronkowski for his entire 2009 season at Arizona and led to him dropping in the 2010 draft. But the Patriots’ faith in the 6-foot-6 tight end -- going so far as to trade up for him early in Round 2 -- was rewarded.
Following a 10-TD rookie season, Gronk led the NFL in TD catches (17) in Year 2. That sparked a brilliant run in New England that included four first-team All-Pro honors and five Pro Bowl nods, helping the Patriots revive their dynasty in winning three more Super Bowl titles (even with Gronkowski missing one of them due to injury) with some monster postseason performances along the way.
Health issues prevented Gronkowski from reaching even higher peaks, but he fought through adversity several times throughout his career, including winning Comeback Player of the Year in 2014 after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee in December of 2023. Even with the interruptions, Gronk carved out a Hall of Fame-worthy career, adding a fourth Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers, as one of the most complete tight ends the game has ever seen.
Drafted: Round 5 (No. 146 overall), 2017.
The 2017 draft class featured some respectable receiving talent at tight end, including the likes of Evan Engram, David Njoku and Jonnu Smith. But by far the best in the group has been Kittle, who has more catches, yards and touchdowns than all of them -- and he’s considered a more than capable blocker, too.
The energetic Kittle caught only 48 passes in 40 college games at run-heavy Iowa, but he nearly matched that total (43) as a rookie with the 49ers. In seven seasons since then, he’s averaged more than 70 catches per season, topping the 1,000-yard mark four times and earning six Pro Bowl nods.
Injuries have slowed Kittle at times, and his postseason production isn’t quite as strong, but his credentials are above reproach, and he remains close to his peak entering his age-32 season, which was reflected in the top-of-the-market contract extension the 49ers signed Kittle to this spring.
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 69 overall), 2003.
As the fifth tight end selected in the 2003 draft, Witten entered the NFL as a 21-year-old rookie and earned respect early on, playing through most of his rookie season with a broken jaw. He missed one game because of it ... then never again missed a game in his career to injury.
After breaking out in Year 2, Witten became one of the steadiest and best tight ends of his generation -- a model of consistency throughout his career. Although he didn't put up the gaudiest receiving numbers at his position, he did make 110 catches in 2012 -- a single-season record for a tight end at the time -- and he still holds the record for most catches in a game by a tight end (18 in 2012).
Witten’s brief retirement, a tough lone season with the Raiders and a failed stint as a Monday Night Football broadcaster might have sullied his reputation unfairly in recent years. When you combine his receiving ability, blocking prowess, leadership and unquestioned toughness, he stacks up as one of the finest ever to play his position.
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 95 overall), 2010.
Fresh off the franchise’s first and only Super Bowl title, the Saints used a late third-round flier on Graham, who had played far more college basketball than he did football at the University of Miami. But they saw some special traits following his one promising season with the Hurricanes on the gridiron -- as well as a banner NFL Scouting Combine showing -- and were blessed with one of the best red-zone threats in the 2010s.
Graham scored 89 touchdowns in his 13-year NFL career, using his incredible size and athleticism to foil defenders. He earned three Pro Bowl bids in his first five years in New Orleans, leading the NFL in TD catches (16) in 2013, when he was also named first-team All-Pro.
The Saints traded Graham away after Year 5, and he was never considered an elite blocker, but there’s no question they capitalized on his immense value as the fifth tight end drafted in 2010. He caught more passes than Gronkowski (719 to 621) and amassed similar career TDs (89 to 92). Graham fittingly capped his career with four TD catches in his return to New Orleans in 2023, one year after he was out of the league.
