NFL Top 10 Series: Tight Ends

(Credit: Brian Snyder/Reuters)

There appears to be a bit of a revolution going on in the National Football League. With the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Vernon Davis, Jason Witten, Aaron Hernandez and Jimmy Graham, more focus seems to be shifting towards the tight end position. At least, that is what it seems like as we scratch the surface. If indeed there is a tight end revolution, do not expect it to take a breather in 2012. There might be an amount of good-to-great-to-elite tight ends that the NFL has ever seen at once. Here are just ten of them, and there are probably plenty more that could get recognition.

1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots: I will preface this by saying Rob Gronkowski could turn around and not have one of the best seasons for a tight end of all time next year, and could fall down this list. I’ll bet on that, but I do expect nothing but the best from this freakish athlete. He did have a very solid rookie season, and no doubt will be the Patriots’ main weapon going into next season. And last year, of course, Gronkowski had an incredible season. Gronkowski broke two tight end records for most touchdowns in a season by a tight end (17) and most receiving yards for a tight end (1,327). 74.7% of Tom Brady’s passes thrown his way were completed, and Gronkowski proved to be a yards after the catch machine, leading the NFL with 641 yards after a catch was made. Needless to say, “Gronk” was smashing left and right, and 2012 should provide another stellar season.

2. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys: There are a lot of players that could find their way into second place, but I went with the reliable Jason Witten. The Dallas Cowboy veteran is perhaps their best offensive player, and has been for several years. Witten has amassed 7,909 yards over his nine-year career, and has not missed a game since Week 9 of the 2003 season. Perhaps most impressive though are Witten’s blocking ability and low drop-rate. Witten has allowed just eight pressures (220 pass protects) in the last three seasons, and has only dropped 13 passes (280 catchable balls thrown his way) in the last three seasons as well. Furthermore, no tight end has amassed as many yards as Witten has over the last three seasons with 3,099.

3. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers: Vernon Davis blew up in the 2012 NFL Playoffs, pretty much being the San Francisco 49er offense while the rest of it mightily struggled. Davis’ unforgettable catch, and subsequent run over of Roman Harper, lifted San Francisco to their first NFC Championship Game since 1994. In all actuality though, Davis has been very successful for the last few seasons. Only Jason Witten has picked up more yards on the run than Vernon Davis, as Davis has picked up 2,963 yards since the 2009 season. What hurts Davis though is his drops and his blocking ability, making him the complete opposite in that sense of Witten. Davis has the most dropped passes with 24 amongst tight ends, a number tied by Brandon Pettigrew, and what is disheartening is that he has been thrown to 293 times, with 224 passes being catchable. As for blocking, Davis has given up 17 pressures on 182 pass protects in the last three seasons,  so that is an egregious 9.3% of the time that Davis is on the field that he is giving up pressures to opposing defenders. Nonetheless, Davis is a vital key to the 49ers and still is one of the best in the league, despite these discrepancies.

4. Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints: Much like Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham broke out in 2011. He did so in a big, big way too; the second-year player from The U, Miami (not to be confused with The University of Minnesota) picked up 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns, falling one reception short of the century mark. Graham had a ridiculous 13.2 YPR, and his large stature continually caused problems for opposing defenses. His blocking ability isn’t the best, but there is no reason to believe he cannot improve on that either. I expect Graham to continue to be a reliable target for Drew Brees and a focal point of the New Orleans Saints going forward in his career, which he is only scratching the surface of.

5. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers: It seems peculiar at best to put Antonio Gates anywhere but the #1 position on this sort of list. For a long tie Gates was widely renowned as the best tight end in the league and was on his way to becoming one of the best of all time. Who could argue that in his peak years, either? From 2004-2007, Gates amassed 3,973 yards, 41 touchdowns and 316 receptions. As of late though, after seemingly being an ironman, Gates has seen his time spent more off the field than on the field. He has missed nine games in the last two seasons, including six missed in 2010 thanks to injury. It is unfortunate, given Gates’ playing ability, but it is hard to put him anywhere but here. That is no disrespect either, because when healthy, Gates is still a difference-maker and one of the best this league has ever seen.

6. Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons: Sure, his peak years are long gone and there is no doubt that his career is on the downswing. But last year Tony Gonzalez proved that he still has a lot left in the tank. In nothing short of a renaissance, Gonzalez bounced back from an ugly 2010 to have his best season in three years. Gonzalez picked up 875 yards and seven touchdowns on 80 receptions, which while not the caliber of what he was doing in his prime, was still enough to find himself on this portion of the list. Now, if only his team could pick up the slack and help him win a playoff game. (Note: Hey, Kansas City, show him some love in Week 1 when he comes back for the first time since being traded to Atlanta)

7. Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots: As if having one New England tight end is a problem, the Patriots have a second tight end that had defensive coordinators to have a lot of sleepless nights in the 2011 NFL season, and probably going forward too. Aaron Hernandez was the other New England tight end that was torching defenses and performing at a consistently high rate. Last year in his second season in the league, Hernandez found the endzone seven times, tallied up 910 yards, and caught 79 balls thrown his way. New England found a lot of versatility with Hernandez, as Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus pointed out once, as Hernandez found himself playing in the backfield, in the slot, as a tight end, and as a wide receiver. He really is an incredible player, despite his inefficiencies in blocking that could very well find himself much higher in years to come.

8. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers: Not a lot of people find themselves talking about Heath Miller when it comes to the best tight ends in the league. That does not mean that they shouldn’t be; Heath is an extremely complete tight end who can catch the ball, cleanly block and be reliable in big situations. Heath’s picked up 1,932 yards over the last three seasons, including 631 last season, and a career best in 2009 with 789 that gave way to his only Pro Bowl appearance. Miller has dropped just 10 passes in the last three years, with 179 catchable balls thrown to him, providing for a miniscule 5.6% drop rate. Next time you hear Steeler fans gather up a “HEAAAATHHHH,” just know that he probably made a big play.

9. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals: I didn’t think that Jermaine Gresham would be anything special going to the Cincinnati Bengals for one and one reason only: they didn’t use tight ends very effectively. Of course, two seasons later, Gresham has made me look a bit foolish. Not too much though, as his numbers are not eye-popping, but they are enough to get him into this list. He bounced from a solid season in 2010 to a really good season in 2011, accumulating 596 yards on 56 receptions, and finding the end zone six times. All numbers for Gresham are pointing in the right direction, so there is no reason to believe that we won’t see some more steady improvement from the former Sooner in 2012. Hopefully, his pass-catching skills improve though. While Gresham has dropped just 14 passes in two seasons, there have only been 122 catchable balls thrown his way, meaning he is dropping the ball at a very high 11.5% of the time. Perhaps Gresham could get some tips from fellow teammate, A.J. Green, on how to improve on this very necessary skill.

10. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay Packers: Rounding out the Top 10 is Jermichael Finley of the Green Bay Packers. When you take a look at this 6’4”, 240 pound-tight end, you have to think that his skills would translate him to being higher than just tenth on this list, right? Not so fast; people always tell you to not judge a book by its cover, and that could not be any truer with Finley. Finley has had his flashes, including his incredible performance in the 2010 NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals. Jermichael picked up 159 yards through the air on just six receptions, for an absurd 26.5 YPR. The only thing that would have made his performance better was a touchdown or two, but even with that said, Finley had a tremendous performance there. Since then it seems that the bottom has dropped out; Finley was injured for much of the 2010 season when the Packers won the Super Bowl, and then last year caused a lot of unrest with his excruciating drops, and flub performances throughout the season. Finley was re-signed by the Packers, and hopefully for their sake, he proves his worth, and plays as well as he looks like he should be able to play.