2025 NFL Draft has sweet spot in Round 2 at tight end and they could change the Fantasy Football TE landscape

Which tight end taken after Round 1 will be on your radar?

We knew going into the 2025 NFL Draft that tight ends were going to be one of the more plentiful positions. And sure enough, two of them went within the first 15 picks.

But more came off the board on Day 2 of the draft, and there's real Fantasy Football potential in most of them to matter in drafts as soon as this season.

• Colston Loveland's Fantasy impact with the Bears
• Is Tyler Warren the next big thing in Indy?

Seattle's new offense under Klint Kubiak figures to involve the tight end, much like it did with the Saints in 2024. That position group is awfully crowded heading into the season but Arroyo's speed and receiving traits should give him a track to lead the group in targets, catches and yards as soon as this season.

With Cam Ward at Miami, Arroyo was a sparsely-used speedster who provided matchup problems from week to week. He's got good agility, particularly for his size, and long arms and hands to snag passes (just a 2.1% drop rate last year). And it's that size -- 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds -- that will make him a headache for slower linebackers and shorter safeties. He's also a pretty smart player with the savvy to know how to use his body and leverage to his advantage and where and how to beat zone coverage. Just know he's a four-year starter -- that experience also means he's an older prospect -- and really didn't break out until 2024, in part because of injuries suffered in 2022 and 2023.

Could he be stuck in a target squeeze in Seattle? On paper, absolutely. The Seahawks moved on from DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett but brought in Cooper Kupp to work next to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, plus veteran Noah Fant and second-year tight end A.J. Barner are on the depth chart. But Kupp and Fant have each battled injuries throughout their careers, and Barner didn't get enough action in 2024 to buy into him as a prominent part of the offense. There is a chance Arroyo could ascend to a meaningful role as a rookie, though it could take time. If you draft him, you better be patient, but it's a good fit for him as a field-stretching mismatch.

• Redraft leagues: Late-round pick
• Keeper leagues: Mid- to late-round pick
• Dynasty rookie-only draft: Between 10th and 15th overall (ahead of Taylor)

The son of NFL Hall of Famer (and one-time Jets defender!) Jason Taylor, Taylor gives the Jets an athletic freak who was a three-year starter at LSU. The smooth-mover has good agility and great hands with impressive body control. However, he's not elusive as a runner and not stocky enough as a post-contact winner or blocker. He's much more of a receiver than blocker.

If you're a stat-hawk, and many of you probably are, Taylor won't be one of your favorites. It's a projection to buy into him as a consistent target-getter in the Jets' new offense because he was never a consistent target-getter at LSU, at least not until his senior season. In each of three seasons, Taylor ran at least 320 routes but had a low target share (under 18.5%). And his average depth of target (ADOT) was stuck under 6.5 yards until 2024 when he was finally allowed to roam a little further downfield and collect an 8.65 ADOT. He had drop issues until 2024 when he had just one, but his explosive play rate never went higher than 14.5% in any season.

I'm sure the Jets' new offensive playcaller Tanner Engstrand views Taylor as a version of Sam LaPorta. In fact, Taylor is taller, but not as physical. Having a mismatch piece in the Jets offense should be helpful, and a lack of quality pass-catchers after Garrett Wilson could create a path for Taylor to be their second-best target-earner. He should get picked much closer to his floor than his ceiling.

• Redraft leagues: Late-round pick
• Keeper leagues: Mid- to late-round pick
• Dynasty rookie-only draft: Between 10th and 15th overall

Fannin is probably the Day 2 tight end who Dynasty leaguers will go after first -- and redraft managers might pass on. Everyone will agree that the guy who set a FBS single-season record for catches (117) and yards (1,555) by a tight end deserves proper recognition.

Yet another tight end who is much more of a pass-catcher than a blocker, the 6-foot-3, 241-pounder can work as a vertical threat with some sudden movement. He's a little slow to accelerate, especially off the snap, but his top trait is his ability to snare the ball from a wide catch radius, bust tackles, stay on his feet with a low center of gravity, and finish plays strongly. He's got potential as a blocker, too.

Obviously, the Browns have David Njoku at tight end. That's a pretty big blocker for playing time and targets this year. However, Njoku's contract will be voided after the 2025 season, so there's a chance Fannin plays the tight end role for Cleveland in 2026, albeit not like Njoku played it. Different style of game, but great hands nonetheless.

• Redraft leagues: Late-round pick
• Keeper leagues: Mid- to late-round pick
• Dynasty rookie-only draft: Between 10th and 15th overall (ahead of Arroyo)

It feels like the Rams have been looking for a versatile tight end for years. Tyler Higbee had the role, but last year they spent some good cash for Colby Parkinson, and previously took shots on players like Brycen Hopkins, Hunter Long and Davis Allen.

Oregon's Terrance Ferguson is their next attempt to fill that need -- and it's probably their best shot to do so.

Ferguson's a big man with very good athleticism for his size. Not only can he block effectively but he's smooth enough to separate from linebackers and tack on yards after the catch. He's not sudden in his movements, but he can work underneath and fight for extra yardage. He's kind of like Tyler Warren in that regard, just not as productive: 16 touchdowns and 10 games with over 50 yards in four seasons (53 games) for the Ducks.

If Ferguson's going to hit for L.A., it's probably going to happen after 2025. There's no doubt that Davante Adams and Puka Nacua will both see red-zone targets ahead of him, not to mention the other tight ends on their roster including (for now) Higbee and Parkinson. Ferguson's one to keep in mind for the future.

• Redraft leagues: Not worth drafting
• Keeper leagues: Late-round pick
• Dynasty rookie-only draft: Between 17th and 24th overall