Mike D's TE rankings: No big names, but intriguing options in 2026 draft

Hear Mike Detillier's full TE breakdown in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here, and catch Mike D's draft breakdowns daily on WWL and Audacy.

It's unlikely the Saints shop at the top of the market at the TE position in this year's draft, but there are still a host of possible options if they decide to go that route. Scroll below for Mike D's rankings at the position.

Also check out:

- Mike D's WR rankings
- Mike D's first-round mock/player rankings

1. KENYON SADIQ, TE, Oregon

Mike's take: “He’s a freakish athlete. He’s not your 6-5, 6-6 tight end, he’s more of the compact guy and around that 6-3 range, but unbelievable straight-ahead speed. He has ease of movement into and out of his cuts and breaks. He knows how to set you up to get separation downfield, and he puts that one foot on the ground and takes off with the ball, you’re in a lot of trouble. You’d better catch him and real fast and with his tye of pullaway speed, you’d better have great recovery speed. I think what’s underrated and I’ve heard some people on air talk about he’s not a great blocker — you haven’t watched him play. He is a good blocker. He knows how to get into a block quickly, he’s aggressive and he finishes you off as a in-line run-blocker or blocking downfield for a running back.

"The negatives … way too many drops for a guy super talented, and the drops he has are almost super ridiculous. They’re right in his hands and it’s a concentration issue. You can see almost his head and his eyes moving, he’s looking to go downfield and he’ll drop that pass that’s real easy to catch. His drops are not the tough drops. I mean, they’re easy catches and you know, he just puts it on the ground.”

Projection: 10-20

2. ELI STOWERS, TE, Vanderbilt

Mike's take: “What I would call a flex tight end. He’s a guy that was a former high school quarterback, got recruited to Texas A&M. They didn’t know exactly where he was going to play but he was a great athlete and then he messes up his shoulder so he’s in a transition from the quarterback position to tight end. He ends up at New Mexico State and a quarterback there that was pretty good at that time, Diego Pavia, but his connection to New Mexico State was his dad Mr. Donald, actually played safety at New Mexico State, so he had some familiarity there, transfers with Pavia to Vanderbilt and then in the last two years has caught 111 passes, last year 62 catches, a tall drink of water, kind of hybrid wide receiver-tight end. We see so many of them. He catches the ball so clean out, up, over his head. He tracks the ball well in flight. He’s a good runner after the reception and he’s got some elusiveness out into the open-field. Now, as a blocker, ehh, he’ll get in the way and he’ll sort of leverage you, but man, is he a big-time player in the right offense that, again, will feed the football to the tight end. Eli Stowers is a really, really good football player. ... If he goes to Sean Payton and the Broncos, I would say, man, that’s a perfect fit.”

Projection: Round 2

3. MAX KLARE, TE, Ohio State

Mike's take: “[Klare] started out his college career at Purdue and then transferred to Ohio State, 6-4, 245. Max has put up some nice numbers, 94 catches the last couple seasons at both Purdue and then you look at what he did at Ohio State. Tall kid, makes the plays, will fight for the football in traffic, has gotten really, really good as a route-runner. I think that’s the biggest improvement in his game. He’s always been really natural catching the football, out front with his hands, good contested catch guy, solid as an in-line blocker. He is not the athletic freak of Kenyon Sadiq, but not many are, and his run after catch skills isn’t as good as Eli Stowers, but if you’re looking for a short-yardage, short to medium-range receiver, red zone-type guy, Max Klare is your guy.”

Projection: Late 2nd to early 3rd round

4. OSCAR DELP, TE, Georgia

Mike's take: “He was never the featured tight end like we’ve seen Georgia do in the past with a Brock Bowers, but come on, how many people are Brock Bowers? ... [Delp] comes from a very athletic family. His dad thought he would follow in his footsteps because his dad was a college athlete, scholarship player in lacrosse, and he thought Oscar would do that same. Man, I don’t want no 6-5, 245-pound guy running at me with a stick, so he ended up playing football instead, a really good receiver, gives you a big size guy over the middle, has worked on getting better into and out of his cuts and his breaks. He gives you a big target to hit downfield, and he’s above average in-line blocker. He’s a very good downfield blocker for the running backs, but Oscar Delp is a guy that, man, you see him on the hoof and you are like, why didn’t they throw him the football more downfield. ... That has more to do with the quarterback than it does with Delp.”

Projection: Late Day 2 to Early Day 3

5. JUSTIN JOLY, TE, NC State

Mike's take: “Watched him at Connecticut. He was a big-time player there and then transfers to North Carolina State, 6-3.5, 242. ... That guy is really natural as a pass-catcher, does it with such ease, catches the ball well out in front of his body. Also, he can get up in the air to make a tough catch look a lot easier than what it really is. He is a very refined route-runner, and in many ways Justin reminds me of Harold Fannin of a year ago, who was a very productive player for the Cleveland Browns.
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“I think Joly, you’ll know how to use him. He’s going to find a way to get open downfield. Man, he’s just got a knack for it, setting up a secondary guy and breaking loose.”

Projection: Late Day 2 to early Day 3

6. SAM ROUSH, TE, Stanford

Mike's take: “Sam last year, 74 catches, averaged 9.8 yards a catch, which means he didn’t went too far with it after the catch, but man, he’s a big dude. He’s 6-6, 262 pounds, the best in-line blocker of all the guys we’ve talked about. No question about it, and the last two years, you know, again with the 89 catches ... he knows how to get open."
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"He’s a, most of the time, a sure-handed receiver. He goes to the Senior Bowl he’s wide open, Nussmeier hits him in a bad place right between the hands and he drops it and I text Charlie, I’ll be damned, come on, you’re wide open, make that play, but most of the time he’s a reliable receiver, but the best of the in-line blockers in this draft class who we’ve talked about, it’s Sam Roush.”

Projection: Early to mid Day 3

7. TANNER KOZIOL, TE, Houston

Mike's take: “Started out at Ball State ... gets into the transfer portal, goes to Wisconsin, didn’t like it, said I’m out. Willie Fritz is waiting … and what a great season he had last year for [Houston]. He’s not this long-range guy with great speed, but you talk about a tall drink of water that can catch the ball and he catches it like a basketball forward would go up for a rebound, really surehanded guy. In the right scheme, Tanner is really going to help out a team in the National Football League as a receiver and if I got him, red zone, short yardage, Tanner, hey, just turn around, I’ve got you.”

Projection: Mid Day 3