When the Buffalo Bills brought in Tyler Kroft during the 2019 offseason, it was expected that the veteran would be able to provide a much bigger impact than his predecessor Charles Clay had in the previous season. Unfortunately for both the team and Kroft himself, the tight end immediately succumbed to various ailments that kept him from suiting up for the team until late October. By then, Kroft had virtually been supplanted by a pair of drafted rookies—Dawson Knox and Tommy Sweeney—and really didn’t provide much in the way of production. Because of the performance of those rookies, general manager Brandon Beane could easily choose to move on from the somewhat pricey veteran and look to the draft to provide some decent depth. Below are some of the options that Beane will no doubt be considering.
Tier I
Brycen Hopkins (Purdue)
Cole Kmet (Notre Dame)
Hunter Bryant (Washington)
Hopkins has the size and overall presence of a Jimmy Graham on the field while having the frame to grow into a more complete role. If you’re looking for a complete player at the position, look no further than Kmet, who can block and catch equally well. Bryant has the size and speed of a wide receiver but he struggles with drops, which might keep him from being a first-round selection.
Tier II
Thaddeus Moss (LSU)
Albert Okwuegbunam (Missouri)
Adam Trautman (Dayton)
Randy Moss’s son isn’t the biggest player at his position, but he is battle tested and looks to have sneaky-good athleticism. A big combine will be important to his stock. Okwuegbunam looks like a potential tight-end/H-back hybrid with good athleticism but, unfortunately, he has struggled with injuries for a significant amount of his college career. A Senior Bowl standout, Trautman is raw, but has an ideal frame for the position as well as a pair of very soft hands.
Tier III
Jared Pinkney (Vanderbilt)
Cheyenne O’Grady (Arkansas)
Jacob Breeland (Oregon)
Colby Parkinson (Stanford)
After a massively disappointing senior season, Pinkney should be viewed as a developmental selection who needs to continue to learn the position but an investment that could pay off. O’Grady pretty much does everything well, but doesn’t really excel in any particular area. Breeland isn’t going to run away from anyone, and his in-line blocking needs some work, but he can be an effective target in the middle of the field. While Parkinson has similar issues to Breeland, he is a massive target at 6’7” and 251 lbs.