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NFL Power Rankings: 30 best TE of all-time

By Jeffery Reynolds

Dec 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85, left) speaks with San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (85) after the game at Levi
Dec 20, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85, left) speaks with San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates (85) after the game at Levi /
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Nov 9, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) catches an apparent touchdown catch, but was flagged for offensive pass interference on the last play of regulation against the San Francisco 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The 49ers won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) catches an apparent touchdown catch, but was flagged for offensive pass interference on the last play of regulation against the San Francisco 49ers at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The 49ers won 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 12 Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints

In his first five seasons in the NFL, Jimmy Graham has already earned 2 Pro Bowl berths and an All Pro selection. A third round pick out of Miami in 2010, Graham epitomizes the evolution of the modern tight end – blazing fast, tall, lean, able to block, a matchup nightmare for one-on-one defenders. The tight end position routinely requires double teams in today’s NFL defensive schemes – none more so than Graham.

Graham’s production has been so off the charts that his contract negotiations after his rookie contract expired centered around whether he was worth what the market would bear for tight ends, or whether he’d earned wide receiver money. As route trees become more complex and quarterback reads of defensive coverages become more difficult, the tight end position is transforming into the focal point of many offensive schemes.

Graham is a prime example of another evolution at the tight end position – valuing former basketball players who played in the front court. In order to succeed in snaring rebounds, power forwards must learn to use their lower body to block out the man assigned to them – to block out. When they are successful, they create a bubble under the basket that no opponent can penetrate to challenge their ownership of the rebound.

This skill, to the surprise of many, was discovered to translate very well to the tight end position. When jockeying for position in a hole in zone coverage, or fighting in the condensed spaces of the red zone for high passes, the block out skills from basketball are invaluable. The best tight ends today have transformed the position with these skills, and they all share one common bond – they are all former basketball players.

Graham is already knocking on the door of the top 20 all time in receiving yards at the position after just five seasons. If we revise this list in a couple of years, it’s entirely possible that Graham will be in the top five – or even higher.

Next: The No. 11 Tight End in NFL History

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