NFL Draft 2019: 5 teams most likely to take a tight end

These five teams are likely to draft a tight end in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. They will either use an early pick or trade up to grab one.

There have been three installments in this series to this point, and the main purpose has been to examine which teams are most likely to draft fantasy-relevant players early in the 2019 NFL Draft. We have looked at what teams are most likely to draft a running back, a wide receiver and a quarterback, and we have also considered what prospects might fit well with those teams.

In this final installment, we will consider what teams are most likely to spend a first round pick on a tight end. By the assessments of most scouts and draft analysts, there are three tight ends who are the cream of the crop this year. They are consistently being ranked as the top three tight ends, and I have seen all of them being mocked within the first round by one analyst or another.

We should assume that each team values these prospects slightly differently, and one might have T.J. Hockenson as the top tight end of their board, while another team might have Noah Fant as the top tight end on their board, and yet another team might have Irv Smith Jr. as the top tight end on their board. However, despite these differences we can assume that most teams value those three players as three of their top tight ends, worthy of a premium pick.

For the purposes of this article, let’s imagine which five teams are most likely to use their first round pick (or trade up into the first round) to draft one of these three players. Which teams are most likely to end the night on Thursday, April 25 with a new tight end on their roster?

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars are certainly not known for their tight end play. This is not hyperbole: the best Jaguars tight end in history is Marcedes Lewis. It’s no knock on Lewis, but it’s worth pointing out that they have never had a dominant tight end to help their passing game. This past year they brought in Austin Seferian-Jenkins hoping he might fill that void, but he was injured and placed on IR after only five games.

Meanwhile, they just signed Nick Foles in free agency, who has really enjoyed throwing to Zach Ertz recently. He and the offense as a whole would really benefit from an athletic young tight end to catch the ball, help with blocking, and open up space for Dede Westbrook and Co. on the outside.

The Jags have seven picks in the draft, including the No. 7 overall pick. There have been recent mocks that had Hockenson going to the Jags at seventh-overall, and many think he would be an excellent fit in Jacksonville within that offense. He would truly elevate their offense in multiple ways. But if they choose not to go tight end at seven, they could also package their second rounder (No. 38 overall) and one of their third rounders to get back into the back end of the first and select Fant or Irv Smith, assuming Hockenson goes earlier.