Sleepers: 6 Tight Ends Available Late in Your Draft

Photo: Imagn Images

This article will provide you with potential starters at a position where they can be hard to find outside the top tier. Understanding the offensive scheme, target opportunity, or versatility and talent of the player may provide an edge.

What Makes a Sleeper Tight End?

A tight end can emerge as a sleeper in three ways.

1. Scheme - When an offense simply emphasizes the tight end.
2. Opportunity - When there aren't many other viable receiving (either at tight end, wide receiver, or both positions) options on the team.
3. Versatility - When a player has many talents and finds himself on the field in various ways.

We will find six possible sleeper tight ends and reference our current ADP while identifying the reason why the player should be considered a sleeper: scheme, opportunity, or versatility.

Sleeper Tight Ends: Known Entities

Let's start with three players who, while they are known names, are still being drafted after the top-12 tight ends.

Scheme: Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh – TE15

Arthur Smith is Pittsburgh's new offensive coordinator. George Pickens figures to lead the offense in targets. The unknown for the second target leader in Pittsburgh presents value with Freiermuth. Through three seasons, Freiermuth has averaged 5.1 targets per game. He now has a coordinator interested in scheming to the tight end position. Last season, Smith's tight ends accumulated 174 targets. Whether the quarterback is Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, I am not concerned about who is under center.

Opportunity: Hunter Henry, New England – TE18

The questions surrounding the New England wide receiver room may leave an opportunity for Henry to be a top target. He will not blow you away with his speed, but he is a reliable target. In 2023, he finished as a TE1 in 36% of games played while averaging 4.4 targets per game. Current rumblings indicate Jacoby Brissett may be the starting quarterback. It has been noted that there is a strong connection between the two over the middle of the field. If rookie Drake Maye takes under center, there still may be security with Henry and the rookie quarterback. New England had the third-most touchdowns to tight ends last season. There is an opportunity for Henry to succeed in 2024.

Versatility: Taysom Hill, New Orleans – TE19

Hill has finished as a TE1 in back-to-back seasons. Looking at his scoring distribution, he has 11 rushing touchdowns, four receiving touchdowns, and three passing touchdowns accounted for. He is a versatile weapon, and his skill set is being exploited within the structure of the offense. Head coach Dennis Allen noted Hill will be doing "a lot of stuff" in the offense. He will be running routes aligned all over the field, taking hand-offs, and lining up under center. If your league provider allows Hill to be started as a tight end, he's a great sleeper in any scoring system.