After all the poking and prodding during medical exams and tons of team interviews, the tight ends took to the field at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Friday. Along with the traditional measurements (height, weight, arm, and hand), the athletes tackled the drills. They closed the weekend out with the bench press and media interviews on Saturday.

The tight end position is strong this season, with 21 players invited to the 2025 NFL Combine. However, as usual, not all players participated in all the drills for various reasons.

Immediate NFL Combine Tight End Reactions

We started with the news that three top tight-end prospects would not participate in drills this weekend. Tyler Warren (Penn State), Colston Loveland (Michigan), and Elijah Arroyo (Miami) will not take the field. Loveland's arm was still in a sling after having right shoulder surgery in January, and Arroyo is still recovering from a knee injury he sustained at the Senior Bowl. Warren will take the field at his pro day.

In an interview in Indianapolis, Loveland commented on his shoulder injury. It's doing good," he said. "It's feeling great. Surgery went great. The X-rays look really good. I am just taking it day by day. So from the 29th, after three months, I am able to run around and catch balls, have the whole range, and after six months, I can do contact." This injury timeline adds a little risk to Loveland as a prospect.

Tight Ends Trending Up

• Terrance Ferguson, Oregon - Ferguson had the highest vertical jump and third longest broad jump, but also impressed with speed. He had the fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.63 seconds and tied for the fastest 10-yard split. Ferguson was the seventh tight end off the board according to NFLMockdraftdatabase, and The Athletic's Dane Brugler had a Round 3 grade on him, but this overall strong athletic showing in Indy should make NFL teams give him a more in-depth look, pushing him up to a potential Day 2 pick. This 6'5" Oregon Duck also showed constant improvement over his four years in the program, consistently improving yearly in yards per reception, yards after contact, and yards after contact per reception.

• Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech - Conyers weighed in at 260 pounds but ran the fastest three-cone drill at 6.94 seconds. Of the 149 tight ends drafted in the last decade, only one ran that fast at 260 plus pounds - that was Jimmy Graham. Conyers' overall athletic profile remained strong, with a 33.5" vertical and a 10'1" broad jump. For a tight end on almost no one's radar with lower production at Texas Tech after transferring from ASU, he will now be getting second glances.

• Joshua Simon, South Carolina - Simon is an older prospect with six years of college production under his belt. There seemed to be some tread left on the tires, at least in the drills on Friday, as Simon ran a 4.65-second 40-yard dash (78th percentile) with a 10-yard split in the 86th percentile. His broad and vertical jumps were also over the 90th percentile. During his final year at South Carolina, Simon had the fourth-highest yards after contact per reception among tight ends in his draft class, with at least 24 targets.

Tight Ends Trending Down

• Gunnar Helm, Texas - Helm ran a 4.93, then 4.84 on the 40-yard dash, which was surprising. He is currently TE6 in Footballguys rookie rankings, but those numbers could push him down the rankings, especially with the strong performances of some of the other athletes this weekend. Heading into the Combine, Helm was profiled as a Day 2 pick, and this performance might drop him to Day 3. He finishes the day with a 2.23 Relative Athletic Score out of a possible 10.

• Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green - Fannin weighed in on the lighter side of the tight ends at 241 pounds and didn't get anywhere near the 4.6 seconds that was theorized he might run in the 40-yard dash. He ran a 4.71, giving him a 47th percentile speed score.

Tight Ends Treading Water

• Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Elijah Arroyo - These three did not even test. Still, they might have cemented their place in the top three, given the disappointing showings by several players looking to impress.

Notable Numbers

• Harold Fannin Jr. from Bowling Green, currently TE3 in Footballguys rookie rankings, had a 9'10" broad jump. The average among NFL starters is 9'11".

• Joshua Simon from South Carolina had the highest vertical jump at 38", while Helm from Texas, a John Mackey award semifinalist, had the lowest at 30".

• Oronde Gadsden II from Syracuse hit 19.23 mph on the Gauntlet Drill, the fastest by a Tight End in the last two years. Gadsden had 73 receptions in 2024, an ACC and school record.

File This Away

• Mason Taylor from LSU, born of a football pedigree with NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor II, his father, did not participate in the 40-yard dash but did perform well in the on-field drills. He moved the sled like it weighed nothing and ran an incredible Gauntlet Drill, staying right on the line. Taylor currently comes in as TE4 in Footballguys consensus rookie rankings.

If you want to read more from Julia, check her out on Twitter/X at @JuliaPapworth.