Year of the tight end Michael Mayer Dalt

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The 2020 NFL Draft had only one tight end selected within the first 90 picks. The 2021 draft likewise had only two tight ends selected within the first 80 picks. In 2022, no tight end came off the board until pick No. 55. Expect this year's draft to make that trend a distant memory.As it becomes more difficult to win in the NFL without a legitimate weapon at tight end, one of the position's best collections of young talent in recent memory is ready to enter the league. NFL Network' Delino DeShields Jersey s Daniel Jeremiah ranks six tight ends among his top 50 prospects, and there are as many as nine who could be in position to come off the board on the draft's first two nights.Size and strength are what make tight ends stand out, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see a few players from the position dominate at the NFL Combine.MORE:The Sporting News takes a look at some of the top tight ends who could light up  Luke Farrell Jersey the combine in Indianapolis.Top NFL Draft tight end prospectsBelow are the top tight end prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, according to .Michael Mayer, Notre Dame (No. 7 on SN's Big Board)Mayer is the premier tight end in this draft cla s, thanks to his complete skillset.Iyer cites Mayer's "exceptional athleticism, hands and route-running skills" as what could interest teams picking in the top 10, and he has the Lions selecting the Notre Dame tight end sixth overall in his latest mock draft. Only two tight ends have ever been drafted higher than No. 6.MOREalton Kincaid, Utah (No. 34 on SN's Big Board)Kincaid Nolan Ryan Jersey  seems to be trending toward the first round after a hugely productive season at Utah. More of a receiver than a blocker, he has the skillset to put up big numbers as a rookie.Kincaid finished with 890 yards and eight touchdowns in another Pac-12 title season for the Utes.Darnell Washington, Georgia (No. 49 on SN's Big Board)Iyer lists Washington's "strong, physical frame for blocking" as his best attribute. If he can put it all together as a receiver, Washington suddenly has the tools to be a complete tight end at the NFL level.Listed as a ma sive 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, Washington had only 454 yards and two touchdowns this past season in a dominant Georgia offense that spread the ball around.MOREuke Musgrave, Oregon State (No. 61 Wei-Chieh Huang Jersey  on SN's Big Board)According to Iyer, Musgrave's "intriguing speed, quickne s and route-running" is what could interest teams picking in the second-round.Like Washington, the production wasn't always there at the collegiate level. Musgrave finished with 308 yards in 2021 and mi sed all but two games in 2022, so there's an unknown factor to his scouting report, but his size (6-6, 252 pounds) will make teams pay attention.Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State (No. 101 on SN's Big Board)If you're looking for a small-school talent who could move up draft boards in the coming weeks, Kraft could be it. He also didn't play a full season in 2022 but posted 780  Russell Wilson Jersey yards and six touchdowns for South Dakota State in 2021. At 6-5 and 255 pounds, Kraft has NFL strength and can be a quick-impact pa s-catcher.Cameron Latu, Alabama (No. 106 on SN's Big Board)Latu made the most impact as a blocking tight end at Alabama but also became a red-zone weapon for Bryce Young with 12 touchdowns in two seasons. Could we see the team that selects Young try to reconnect the duo in the third round?2-ROUND MOCK DRAFT:Sam LaPorta, Iowa (No. 109 on SN's Big Board)LaPorta doesn't have intimidating size, but according to Iyer, he can "do everything  Blank Jersey as an intermediate receiver and also is a willing blocker when needed."LaPorta had back-to-back seasons of more than 650 yards in a dismal Iowa offense and played four years for the Hawkeyes. While on the smaller side at 6-4, he should be NFL-ready compared to some of the projects taken in this range of the draft.Is 2023 the best NFL tight end cla s ever?This looks like the best tight end cla s in recent memory, but where might it rank among the best ever? From a pure prospect standpoint, it has some strong competition.Draft weekend might not look too different than the 2019 Draft, when two tight ends came off the board in the first round and eight total were taken in the first 100 picks. Only two of those eight have become high-level starters, though: T.J. Hockenson and Dawson Knox, with Noah Fant and Irv Smith Jr. the only other impact players from the group.MORE:The 2017 Draft had five tight ends selected in the first 45 picks but none from that point until pick No. 100. This cla s might not have a trio of first-rounders like that one did with O.J. Howard, Evan Engram and David Njoku (though it wouldn Ariel Jurado Jersey 't be shocking to see Washington jump into that range), but it has more depth.In 2013, five tight ends were drafted in the first two rounds,  Ivan Rodriguez Jersey including Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, and Tyler Eifert. We could see a similar dynamic this year with five or six tight ends in the first two rounds.Mayer has a chance to be a rare top-10 tight end selection.Only 15 tight ends have ever been selected in the top 10, including five this century.Only once have two tight ends been selected in the top 10 in the same draft (1973, Charle Young and Paul Seymour). It's highly unlikely the 2023 Draft will match that mark, but Mayer's presence gives a deep tight end cla s a big-time talent at the top.