Which rookie tight end do you think will have the most value in the 2021 season?
Jason Wood
Hockenson is a once-in-a-decade prospect, so I can't credibly argue against him if we're projecting a season or two ahead.
Sigmund Bloom
I'm almost ready to give the nod to Sternberger here, and if we see evidence that the Lafleur/Rodgers marriage is a good one, then I'll commit to Sternberger. He has a ready-made seam ripper skillset and Rodgers only has one trusted name at wide receiver right now. Hockenson will be held back by the Lions run-first mentality and Fant will have to hope Drew Lock (or Brett Rypien?) is good to foster his fantasy value growth.
Daniel Simpkins
Irv Smith would be an excellent choice here. The Zimmer regime seems to be fairly stable, one that I could see lasting until this time. Smith as a talent rivals even T.J. Hockenson, something that was covered up in his time at Alabama because Nick Saban does not make it a point to feature this position prominently as a catcher of the football in his offense. While Kyle Rudolph could hang around with an extension, it’s probable that Smith will have overtaken him on the depth chart by this time.
Chad Parsons
Round 1 tight ends plain do not miss is the long-standing dynasty mantra. Noah Fant has more upside, but T.J. Hockenson is a high-floor bet to hit and be a multi-year starter. In the rarified air of the top-10 NFL Draft picks, even the early-career sag of Eric Ebron turned into a mid-career revival with a change of scenario as the most recent patience play from high in draft pedigree land.
Jeff Haseley
My gut says T.J. Hockenson or Noah Fant. It's a fairly cliche answer because those two are the consensus top-two rookie tight ends in this class. There's a reason why they are ranked as they are because they have the talent and the teams that drafted them have a vested interest in their success.
Andy Hicks
It has to be a top 10 draft pick in T.J. Hockenson. Premium players at the position tend to dominate at fantasy as well, so the only concern is the repeated mistakes Detroit makes at the position. Eric Ebron was drafted in the top 10 in 2014 and looked a bust. He arrives in Indianapolis and becomes a touchdown machine. Last years tight end group looks good and so does this year from a fantasy perspective. We could easily see a handful of guys drafted this year becoming fantasy relevant tight ends over the next few years.
Dan Hindery
T.J. Hockenson is the best bet based upon his talent, the opportunity in Detroit, and the huge draft capital the Lions spent to acquire him. After passing on players like Odell Beckham and Aaron Donald to draft Eric Ebron 8th overall in 2014, there had to have been a massive amount of belief in Hockenson for Detroit to take the plunge on another top-10 tight end. The clear intent is to make Hockenson a centerpiece of the offense.
Matt Waldman
After T.J. Hockenson, it's either Irv Smith or Jace Sternberger. Smith has the goods to become a much superior blocker to Kyle Rudolph and he's equally skilled at stretching the seam. He might also be the best runner after the catch of this tight end class.
However, Sternberger is a player that is growing up fast. His greatest flaws are releases off the line of scrimmage and specific types of blocks where he overextends his frame and loses leverage. A worker and a fast learner, I wouldn't be surprised if Sternberger improves in both areas by midseason. And if any player on this list rivals or beats Smith as a ball carrier, it's the rugged Sternberger.
Justin Howe
As with re-draft leagues, here's another spot where Hockenson looks like the smart play, but draft position didn't indicate much for our 10 top-15 picks above. So, I'm not inclined to believe he's fast-tracked for success, at least not on draft status alone. Since this is a developmental question, I'll throw in another hat for Sternberger, who's got Jimmy Graham in his way for the time being. By the time Graham is deemed redundant, Sternberger, a seam-stretcher who averaged 17.3 yards per catch in 2018, should be ready to roll. Aaron Rodgers is a physical marvel who should still be throwing the ball in 2021, and if all goes to plan, Sternberger will be entering Year 2 as a starter. He'll never be confused with Mark Bruener as a blocker, with all of his focus on working inside-out from the slot. He presents a great, Tyler Eifert-like mismatch with a similar nose for the end zone (10 touchdowns in 2018).