Over the past three drafts, two tight ends—Kyle Pitts (fourth, 2021) and T.J. Hockenson (eighth, ’19)—have been selected with top-eight picks, but prospects such as Pitts and Hockenson are the exception to the rule.
Not only is it uncommon for teams to select tight ends with top-10 picks, but only nine tight ends have been selected in the first round over the past decade. During that stretch, four of 10 first rounds concluded without a tight end selected.
More than likely, the first tight end selected in the 2022 draft will hear his name called Friday (not Thursday). In many cases, however, the tight ends selected on Day 2 (or later) have proven to be more productive options than their first-round counterparts.
