Travis Kelce and George Kittle are the two best tight ends in the NFL since 2020. Kelce owns the strongest receiving and postseason résumé from the 2020 through 2025 seasons, while Kittle has been the most complete blocker-receiver combination at the position.
This is a subjective SOG Sports tier ranking of 33 tight ends, not a strict one-through-33 order. Players inside the same tier are treated as members of the same general level. The evaluation combines completed regular-season production, peak play, blocking and formation value, availability, red-zone contribution and postseason responsibility.
The ranking ends with the completed 2025 season. Young players such as Trey McBride, Brock Bowers, Sam LaPorta, Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren and Harold Fannin Jr. are evaluated only on NFL production already recorded, not future projection.
Table of Contents
- Ranking Method and Eligibility
- Tier 7: Reliable Veterans and Role Starters
- Tier 6: Productive Starters and Versatile Weapons
- Tier 5: Breakout Seasons and Shorter Résumés
- Tier 4: Proven Multi-Year Starters
- Tier 3: High-End Peaks and Major Team Value
- Tier 2: Top-Level Production With a Shorter or Less Complete Case
- Tier 1: The Two Standards Since 2020
- Biggest Debates and Tier Boundaries
- Toughest Cuts
- Full Tight End List and Stats
- FAQ
- Sources and Data Notes
- Conclusion
- Related NFL Rankings
Ranking Method and Eligibility
The page measures tight end performance from the 2020 regular season through the completed 2025 postseason. The receiving totals beneath each player and in the recap table are regular-season statistics only. Playoff performance is considered in the tier evaluation but is not mixed into those totals.
Receiving production creates the statistical baseline, but tight end cannot be evaluated like wide receiver. Run blocking, pass protection, alignment flexibility and the ability to remain on the field in different personnel packages all affect placement. Those areas do not have one consistent public statistic covering all 33 players, so the article treats them as editorial context rather than pretending the receiving table captures the entire position.
The supplied tiers and player order are preserved. The names inside each tier are not numbered, and appearing first within a tier does not create a separate in-tier rank. The graphic and recap table each contain the same 33 players.
For the raw statistical comparison across positions, see the most receiving yards in the NFL since 2020. This page answers a different question by evaluating the complete tight end role.
Tier 7: Reliable Veterans and Role Starters
Tier 7 features Dawson Knox, Tyler Higbee, Mike Gesicki, Noah Fant, Cade Otton, Austin Hooper and Juwan Johnson.
Tier 7 contains useful multi-year starters whose production, peak or all-around role falls short of Tier 6. Several have larger receiving totals than players in higher tiers, but this ranking also weighs blocking, postseason responsibility and how often the player functioned as a central offensive piece.
Dawson Knox
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,306 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Knox scored 25 receiving touchdowns despite finishing with 2,306 yards. That red-zone efficiency and his blocking role helped him remain useful in Buffalo’s playoff offenses. Lower target volume and the emergence of Dalton Kincaid limited his case against the Tier 6 starters.
Tyler Higbee
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,543 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Higbee accumulated 2,543 yards and 20 touchdowns while serving as a dependable part of the Los Angeles Rams’ passing structure. His route awareness and willingness to handle in-line work supported a championship offense. Injuries and the lack of a high-end individual season keep him in Tier 7.
Mike Gesicki
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,061 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Gesicki produced 3,061 yards, one of the largest receiving totals in the bottom two tiers. He created value as a detached matchup target rather than a conventional in-line tight end. That specialization helped his receiving numbers but reduced his formation versatility compared with the players above him.
Noah Fant
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,031 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Fant recorded 3,031 yards while moving through Denver, Seattle and New York. His speed gave each offense a vertical option at the position, but the athletic profile never became a sustained high-volume peak. Tier 7 reflects useful production without a defining season.
Cade Otton
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,018 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Otton produced 2,018 yards and 11 touchdowns while starting 58 games across four seasons. He offered Tampa Bay durability, assignment reliability and enough receiving value to stay on the field in varied personnel packages. The absence of a major yardage or touchdown peak limits the ranking.
Austin Hooper
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,197 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Hooper supplied 2,197 yards and 14 touchdowns across several teams during the window. His hands and short-area route work gave offenses a stable secondary target. Most of his best career production occurred before 2020, so this ranking correctly focuses on a lower-volume later-career version.
Juwan Johnson
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,511 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Johnson closed the window with a career-best 889 receiving yards in 2025 and finished the six seasons with 2,511 yards and 21 touchdowns. That late breakout makes the Tier 7 placement one of the closest boundaries in the graphic. The earlier low-volume seasons are the reason the final-year surge does not automatically move him above the more established Tier 6 cases.
Tier 6: Productive Starters and Versatile Weapons
Tier 6 features Taysom Hill, Cole Kmet, Dalton Kincaid, Pat Freiermuth, Jake Ferguson and Jonnu Smith.
Tier 6 includes established starters and hybrid weapons with a clearer defining strength than the Tier 7 group. They remain below Tier 5 because their receiving peak, durability or complete six-year résumé was less convincing.
Taysom Hill
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 796 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Hill’s 796 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns do not represent most of his offensive value. His rushing, short-yardage, quarterback and special-package work forced defenses to identify his role before every snap. Tier 6 is a compromise between a limited receiving résumé and one of the most unusual multi-role profiles in the league.
Cole Kmet
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,939 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Kmet played 100 regular-season games and produced 2,939 yards with 21 touchdowns. He remained on the field because he could block, work underneath and finish in the red zone. A reduced 2025 receiving role and the absence of a true top-tier peak keep the durable résumé in Tier 6.
Dalton Kincaid
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 1,692 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Kincaid reached 1,692 yards and nine touchdowns through three seasons. His 2025 line of 571 yards and five scores showed better downfield efficiency even though injuries limited him to 12 games. The receiving skill is clear, but the total body of work remains shorter than the Tier 5 group.
Pat Freiermuth
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,676 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Freiermuth has been a steady middle-of-field and red-zone target, producing 2,676 yards and 22 touchdowns. The floor is reliable, but the offense rarely ran through him for a full season. That separates a solid long-term starter from the higher-volume players in Tier 5.
Jake Ferguson
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,029 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Ferguson built 2,029 yards and 15 touchdowns while becoming a dependable option in Dallas. His best work comes on option routes, play-action releases and contested catches between the numbers. The production is useful, but his peak and durability have not yet matched the tier above.
Jonnu Smith
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,675 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Smith finished the window with 2,675 receiving yards, 22 receiving touchdowns and additional rushing production. His speed and strength after the catch allowed several offenses to use him on screens, motion and quick throws. The late-career receiving peak was strong, but his role changed too often to build a higher six-year placement.
Tier 5: Breakout Seasons and Shorter Résumés
Tier 5 features Tucker Kraft, Colston Loveland, David Njoku, Tyler Warren and Harold Fannin Jr.
Tier 5 is built around strong recent peaks and younger players whose completed NFL production already matters. The group has more upside in its existing résumé than Tier 6, but less sustained evidence than the veterans in Tier 4.
Tucker Kraft
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Kraft accumulated 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns in 42 games while averaging 13.7 yards per catch. He created explosive gains through contact and held a meaningful in-line role before his 2025 season ended after eight games. The existing peak justifies Tier 5, but the shorter sample still matters.
Colston Loveland
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 713 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Loveland’s placement can now be evaluated through a completed rookie season rather than projection. He finished 2025 with 713 yards and six touchdowns, including 185 yards over the final two games. One season is not enough to move higher, but the route range and immediate production support his place among the breakout group.
David Njoku
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,996 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Njoku produced 2,996 yards and 25 touchdowns, totals that exceed several players in the tiers above him. His best season showed how dangerous his speed and strength can be after the catch. Injuries and role volatility created a less stable six-year case, which explains the supplied Tier 5 placement.
Tyler Warren
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 817 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Warren delivered 817 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns as a rookie, then added a rushing touchdown through designed usage. That versatility made him more than a stationary outlet in Indianapolis. Tier 5 recognizes a complete first season without pretending one year equals the longevity of Tier 4.
Harold Fannin Jr.
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 731 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Fannin recorded 72 catches for 731 yards and six receiving touchdowns during his rookie season. Cleveland also used him on seven rushing attempts, showing that his role extended beyond conventional tight end routes. The completed production supports inclusion, while the one-year sample keeps the ranking measured.
Tier 4: Proven Multi-Year Starters
Tier 4 features Kyle Pitts, Dalton Schultz, Evan Engram, Hunter Henry and Zach Ertz.
Tier 4 contains tight ends who supplied several seasons of dependable starter production. They separate from Tier 5 through longevity and workload, while the lack of a defining championship run or top-of-position peak keeps them below Tier 3.
Kyle Pitts
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,579 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Pitts owns the best receiving total in Tier 4 with 3,579 yards and reached 928 yards with five touchdowns in 2025. His downfield ability creates a different target profile than most tight ends. The low touchdown production across his first four seasons and uneven week-to-week usage keep the rare athletic profile from carrying him into Tier 3.
Dalton Schultz
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,944 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Schultz ranks fifth among all tight ends in the window with 3,944 receiving yards. He provided steady chain-moving and red-zone production across Dallas and Houston without requiring a specialized offense. The cumulative case is excellent, but he never produced the matchup-changing peak of the Tier 3 players.
Evan Engram
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,617 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Engram’s 3,617 yards came through high reception volume and movement-based receiving roles. He can stress linebackers and safeties in space, but his 14 touchdowns are the lowest total among the high-volume veterans in Tier 4. That scoring limitation and a lighter blocking profile shape the placement.
Hunter Henry
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,586 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Henry scored 30 receiving touchdowns, the fourth-highest total among the listed players. His strongest value came in the red zone and on tightly contested middle-of-field targets. He lacked the yardage peaks of Pitts, Schultz and Engram, which makes Tier 4 the right balance of reliability and ceiling.
Zach Ertz
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,849 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Ertz added 2,849 yards and 22 touchdowns during the later portion of his career. His route awareness allowed him to remain useful across Philadelphia, Arizona and Washington even after his athletic peak. Injuries and reduced blocking value prevent the veteran production from reaching Tier 3.
Tier 3: High-End Peaks and Major Team Value
Tier 3 features T.J. Hockenson, Dallas Goedert, Darren Waller and Rob Gronkowski.
Tier 3 rewards either a major receiving peak, strong two-way value or meaningful championship contribution. The cases are stronger than Tier 4, but injuries or a shorter window prevent them from joining the top two tiers.
T.J. Hockenson
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 4,073 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Hockenson ranks fourth among the listed tight ends with 4,073 receiving yards. He earned enough targets to function as a primary option rather than a complementary outlet. Major injuries and a lower touchdown total than the top tiers are the main reasons his strong volume case stops in Tier 3.
Dallas Goedert
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,735 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Goedert’s 3,735 yards and 26 touchdowns came with consistent yards-after-catch and blocking responsibility in Philadelphia. His postseason role strengthens the case because he remained useful in both passing and heavier personnel packages. Missed games prevented him from building the volume needed for Tier 2.
Darren Waller
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,084 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Waller’s case is concentrated around the beginning of the window, especially a 1,196-yard season in 2020. At his best, he aligned and won like a large wide receiver, forcing defenses to use different personnel rules. Injuries and a shorter period of high-end production keep the peak in Tier 3 rather than Tier 2.
Rob Gronkowski
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Gronkowski played only two seasons inside this window, yet still recorded 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns. His blocking and red-zone work were central to Tampa Bay’s championship offense, making his value larger than the cumulative table suggests. The 28-game sample is the clear limitation.
Tier 2: Top-Level Production With a Shorter or Less Complete Case
Tier 2 features Mark Andrews, Trey McBride, Brock Bowers and Sam LaPorta.
Tier 2 contains the strongest challengers to Travis Kelce and George Kittle. Mark Andrews owns the established six-year résumé, while Trey McBride, Brock Bowers and Sam LaPorta reached this level through exceptional completed production in fewer seasons.
Mark Andrews
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 4,548 yards and 43 touchdowns.
Andrews finished only two receiving touchdowns behind Kelce despite playing six fewer regular-season games. He became Baltimore’s most trusted middle-of-field and red-zone target while still contributing in the run structure. Tier 2 reflects a proven top-of-position peak, with postseason production and availability creating the separation from Tier 1.
Trey McBride
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 3,475 yards and 17 touchdowns.
McBride’s 2025 season changed his completed résumé from promising to established. He caught 126 passes for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, lifting his career-window total to 3,475 yards in four seasons. His volume now supports Tier 2, although he has not yet matched the longer playoff and blocking résumés of Kelce and Kittle.
Brock Bowers
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 1,874 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Bowers produced 1,874 yards and 12 touchdowns through his first 29 games. That works out to roughly 64.6 receiving yards per game, a pace comparable to the top veteran receivers at the position. The only real weakness is sample size, which is why the supplied Tier 2 placement remains aggressive but defensible.
Sam LaPorta
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 2,104 yards and 20 touchdowns.
LaPorta scored 20 receiving touchdowns in 42 games and immediately became an important part of Detroit’s passing and run-game structure. A back injury limited him to nine games in 2025, reducing the cumulative yardage case. His scoring rate and two-way role still give him a stronger argument than most tight ends with a similar career length.
Tier 1: The Two Standards Since 2020
Travis Kelce and George Kittle form Tier 1 of the best NFL tight ends from 2020 through 2025.
Tier 1 belongs to Travis Kelce and George Kittle. Kelce produced the best receiving and postseason résumé of the window, while Kittle paired top-tier receiving efficiency with the most complete blocking case among the ranked players.
Travis Kelce
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 6,537 yards and 45 touchdowns.
Kelce leads every tight end in the ranking with 6,537 receiving yards and 45 receiving touchdowns. His route adjustments, third-down reliability and postseason workload made him the passing-game centerpiece of multiple championship teams. Kittle offers the stronger blocking case, but Kelce’s larger receiving and playoff résumé gives him the clearest argument at the top of the era.
George Kittle
2020-2025 regular-season receiving: 5,063 yards and 40 touchdowns.
Kittle generated 5,063 yards and 40 touchdowns while averaging 13.4 yards per reception. Those numbers are strong enough for Tier 1 before his blocking is considered. His availability has been less consistent than Kelce’s, but no other tight end in the window matched his combination of explosive receiving and point-of-attack value.
Biggest Debates and Tier Boundaries
Why Kelce and Kittle Remain Together
Kelce has the better receiving and postseason production, while Kittle supplies the stronger blocking argument. Separating them into different tiers would imply that one version of tight end value clearly outweighs the other. The supplied Tier 1 instead recognizes two different standards at the position.
Established Production Versus Shorter Young Peaks
Mark Andrews has 4,548 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns across the entire window. McBride, Bowers and LaPorta have shorter careers, but their per-game volume or touchdown pace already reached a top-of-position level. Tier 2 treats the young production as real without equating two or three seasons with six.
The Closest Lower-Tier Boundary
Juwan Johnson has a legitimate Tier 6 argument after recording 889 yards in 2025. Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant also own larger receiving totals than several players placed above them. They remain in Tier 7 because the supplied ranking weighs complete role, peak seasons and sustained offensive importance rather than sorting only by yardage.
What the Table Misses About Taysom Hill
Hill is the clearest example of why receiving totals cannot control this ranking. His 796 receiving yards are modest, but designed quarterback runs, short-yardage carries and formation changes created value that does not appear in the two statistical columns.
Toughest Cuts
Tyler Conklin was the hardest statistical omission. He produced 2,510 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns during the window, but never supplied the same scoring peak, playoff role or hybrid value as the closest included players.
Gerald Everett and Isaiah Likely also had credible cases. Everett built several useful receiving seasons, while Likely produced strong stretches when given a larger role. Neither had a complete enough six-year case to displace a player from the supplied 33-name graphic.
Full Tight End Tier List and Stats Since 2020
The compact table preserves the supplied tiers and summarizes regular-season receiving production from 2020 through 2025. The tier is the ranking, so the order of names within each tier should not be read as a strict placement.
| Tier | Tight End | Rec Yds | Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Travis Kelce | 6,537 | 45 |
| Tier 1 | George Kittle | 5,063 | 40 |
| Tier 2 | Mark Andrews | 4,548 | 43 |
| Tier 2 | Trey McBride | 3,475 | 17 |
| Tier 2 | Brock Bowers | 1,874 | 12 |
| Tier 2 | Sam LaPorta | 2,104 | 20 |
| Tier 3 | T.J. Hockenson | 4,073 | 24 |
| Tier 3 | Dallas Goedert | 3,735 | 26 |
| Tier 3 | Darren Waller | 3,084 | 21 |
| Tier 3 | Rob Gronkowski | 1,425 | 13 |
| Tier 4 | Kyle Pitts | 3,579 | 15 |
| Tier 4 | Dalton Schultz | 3,944 | 27 |
| Tier 4 | Evan Engram | 3,617 | 14 |
| Tier 4 | Hunter Henry | 3,586 | 30 |
| Tier 4 | Zach Ertz | 2,849 | 22 |
| Tier 5 | Tucker Kraft | 1,551 | 15 |
| Tier 5 | Colston Loveland | 713 | 6 |
| Tier 5 | David Njoku | 2,996 | 25 |
| Tier 5 | Tyler Warren | 817 | 4 |
| Tier 5 | Harold Fannin Jr. | 731 | 6 |
| Tier 6 | Taysom Hill | 796 | 5 |
| Tier 6 | Cole Kmet | 2,939 | 21 |
| Tier 6 | Dalton Kincaid | 1,692 | 9 |
| Tier 6 | Pat Freiermuth | 2,676 | 22 |
| Tier 6 | Jake Ferguson | 2,029 | 15 |
| Tier 6 | Jonnu Smith | 2,675 | 22 |
| Tier 7 | Dawson Knox | 2,306 | 25 |
| Tier 7 | Tyler Higbee | 2,543 | 20 |
| Tier 7 | Mike Gesicki | 3,061 | 19 |
| Tier 7 | Noah Fant | 3,031 | 15 |
| Tier 7 | Cade Otton | 2,018 | 11 |
| Tier 7 | Austin Hooper | 2,197 | 14 |
| Tier 7 | Juwan Johnson | 2,511 | 21 |
FAQ: Best NFL Tight Ends Since 2020
Who are the best tight ends in the NFL since 2020?
Travis Kelce and George Kittle form Tier 1. Kelce has the strongest receiving and postseason résumé, while Kittle offers the most complete combination of receiving and blocking value.
Is this a strict ranking from No. 1 through No. 33?
No. This is an unordered tier list. Players inside the same tier are grouped at the same general level, and their sequence within the graphic is not a separate ranking.
Why are Brock Bowers and Trey McBride already in Tier 2?
Their completed production already supports the placement. McBride has 3,475 yards and produced 1,239 yards with 11 touchdowns in 2025, while Bowers reached 1,874 yards in his first 29 games.
Why is Rob Gronkowski included with only two seasons in the window?
Gronkowski produced 1,425 yards and 13 touchdowns from 2020 through 2021 while providing major blocking and championship value. The shorter sample limits him to Tier 3, but the peak was too important to omit.
Do the table statistics include playoff games or rushing production?
No. The table contains regular-season receiving yards and receiving touchdowns only. Playoff performance, blocking and hybrid rushing value are considered separately in the written evaluation.
Statistical scope: NFL regular-season receiving yards and receiving touchdowns from 2020 through 2025. Playoff receiving, rushing, passing and return production are excluded from the recap table.
Ranking scope: Receiving production, peak value, blocking and formation versatility, red-zone contribution, availability and postseason responsibility. The ranking is SOG Sports’ editorial evaluation rather than an official league list.
Important limitation: Blocking quality is not represented by one consistent public statistic across the full six-season window. It is therefore discussed as role context and does not appear as a recap-table column.
Last Reviewed: August 5, 2026.
Conclusion
Kelce and Kittle remain the two standards among the best tight ends in the NFL since 2020. Kelce won through unmatched receiving and postseason production, while Kittle paired explosive catches with the most complete two-way role.
The central debate begins in Tier 2, where Andrews’ six-year résumé is compared with the shorter but exceptional production of McBride, Bowers and LaPorta. That peak-versus-longevity question is what separates the top of this ranking more than raw receiving yards alone.
