Tight end TE
Athletic profile + receiving share + age. Volatile because role usage swings the projection.
Class tier mix.
The board.
All 15 tight ends with a draftable grade on Draftanomics's 2018 board, tier by tier.
No blue-chip tight end this cycle — Hayden Hurst is the class's best, and he carries the next grade down.
Hayden Hurst out of South Carolina is the first-round tier by himself, projected No. 25 overall. After Hurst the board breathes — Dallas Goedert projects 15 picks later. The model is planting a flag on Hayden Hurst, 18 spots ahead of where the room ranks him (No. 43).
The Day 2 tier is a pair: Dallas Goedert out of South Dakota St. at No. 40, with Mike Gesicki at No. 100 behind him. Then the board falls off a cliff — 26 projected picks between Gesicki and Jaylen Samuels, the next name down. The room is higher on Mike Gesicki than we are: consensus No. 49 to our No. 100.
The Day 3 tier runs 12 deep, opening with Jaylen Samuels out of North Carolina St. at No. 126 and closing with Will Dissly at No. 254. Troy Fumagalli carries the tier's risk, a 63 percent bust probability from a model with real signal at tight end.