Every single season, the NFL concludes its draft with so many talented players left without a team. That goes for every position, and here, we are going to tune our focus to the tight ends. These are five tight ends that went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, who have a chance to make immediate impacts throughout their careers in the NFL.
Dallin Holker, New Orleans Saints
Dallin Holker appeared to be the best available tight end following the conclusion of the 2024 NFL Draft. Holker, like many other undrafted rookies, wasn’t on the market for very long. He’s a pass-catching tight end who had multiple productive years, though one stood out more than the rest. He can handle his own in the blocking game, and his ball skills can make him a threat instantly.
Holker spent multiple years at BYU and had moderate production. It wasn’t until he switched over to Colorado State that he exploded onto the scene. He started all 12 games, was named a Team Captain, had 64 receptions for 767 yards and six touchdowns, and was a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which is awarded to the best tight end in the nation.
When it comes to fantasy football relevancy, there’s a chance that Holker can garner some interest early on. He gets a decent situation in New Orleans, a team that needs tight-end depth. He’s likely third on the depth chart, and fourth if we include Taysom Hill, but that shouldn’t matter much. All of the above tight ends are getting up there in age, leaving the Saints with a need for a youthful tight end to move up. Holker could be exactly what they’re looking for.
Trey Knox, Minnesota Vikings
Trey Knox is an interesting name as he wasn’t always considered a tight end. He started his football career as a wide receiver but turned into a tight end down the line. Knox has a long wingspan to help him catch passes and he’s displayed a willingness to get his hands dirty at the line of scrimmage and block. There’s genuine talent as a blocker and pass catcher, though he didn’t time well as a runner during the NFL Combine. Something that might have hurt his draft stock initially.
Knox didn’t have a great statistical season in 2023 at South Carolina, hauling in 37 receptions for 312 yards and two touchdowns. He did well with designed short-yardage plays but wasn’t always explosive.
He got picked up by the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, T.J. Hockenson is the top guy at that spot, and there are other notable veterans such as Josh Oliver and Robert Tonyan standing in his way. When it comes to fantasy football relevance, Knox is a few years out from that, due to there being so many other veterans on the roster that block his way to the field in 2024.
McCallan Castles, Philadelphia Eagles
McCallan Castles is an intriguing prospect because it wasn’t his production that caught the eye of many teams, it was his potential. That potential directly stems from his size and frame, because it is exactly what teams look for when running multiple tight-end sets. He stands at 6’4” and is listed at 250 lbs.
Last season, he had 22 receptions for 283 yards and five touchdowns. It was the second-worst receiving season of his collegiate career, though he scored more touchdowns than in any of his previous seasons.
Castles landed with the Philadelphia Eagles and has a path to playing time immediately. He’s behind Dallas Goedert and C.J. Uzomah, though Castles stands out physically. If he can prove that he can utilize his size and speed correctly, then Philadelphia might use him out of three tight end sets rather often. He could crowd coverage, block on run plays, and use his bend to seal edges.
The downside of this skill set is that it doesn’t translate into much fantasy football relevance. If anything, he’ll be used early on as a decoy or a blocker to help others shine. It’s a good role in an offense, just not one worth a fantasy football pickup.
Brevyn Spann-Ford, Dallas Cowboys
Brevyn Spann-Ford interested teams due to his size, much like Castles, though in a different way. Spann-Ford presents defenses with a tough matchup on the outside, due to his 6’6”, 260 lbs frame. If he lines up near the red zone, opposing teams have to pay attention to where he is at all times.
He put together two decent seasons in college heading into the draft but struggled mightily with dropped passes. Luckily, for the Dallas Cowboys, his size makes up for that, and they signed him after the draft concluded.
He’s fourth on the depth chart as of right now, but the top three feel locked in at the moment barring an unbelievable camp from Spann-Ford. If that stands, Spann-Ford likely only sees the field to present a different matchup look near the red zone, making him entirely touchdown-dependent in fantasy football. There could be some relevancy there given how weak the tight end position has been in fantasy lately, but he has to cut down on the drops.
Thomas Yassmin, Denver Broncos
Thomas Yassmin lands in the final spot on this list, mostly for the opportunity that he’s been given. Yassmin is a great athlete, yet he didn’t have much production at all throughout college, which sort of makes him an unknown on the football field. In three seasons at Utah, Yassmin caught only 22 passes for a little under 400 total yards but had seven touchdowns.
He’s not much of a blocker, so he’ll need to make an impact in his route-running, separation, and pass-catching. Given that he’s got a tendency to find the end zone, he could fit in straight away with the Denver Broncos, the team that signed him.
Denver’s tight-end room isn’t great. Adam Trautman, Greg Dulcich, and Lucas Krull could all be unseated in the depth chart if a terrific talent comes around. This leaves the door wide open for Yassmin to impress early and earn more playing time.
Given the fact that he was so limited in production in college, I wouldn’t bet on him being an immediate fantasy football contributor. However, down the line, there’s a chance that he will earn red zone snaps and moves up the depth charts. Denver needs help at the position, and he could be it.