Where does the Vikings tight end group rank in the NFC North in 2025?
Where does the Vikings tight end group rank in the NFC North in 2025?
We are continuing a Summer series here on Vikings Wire, ranking the position groups across the division.
The major pit stops of the offseason have come and gone, which means rosters are set for the most part. Now, could someone pull off a major trade or sign a veteran free agent down the line? Of course, and they likely will based on our luck to throw things off. Regardless, we wanted to do this exercise just to give you, the reader, a state of the division.
At the end of each article, we will also provide a recap of the scorecards so that we can keep a running tally for you to keep track of and see who has the best roster in the division.
Next up are the Tight Ends in the NFC North.
4) Chicago Bears
Depth Chart: Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Durham Smythe, Stephen Carlson, and Joel Wilson
Rookies have been hard to ignore in these rankings, and Colston Loveland with the Bears is just another example of that. The incoming tight end from Michigan is poised to play the Sam LaPorta role in Ben Johnson's offense in Chicago, so he could very well make this group one of the best this time next year. Behind him is Cole Kmet, who has proven to be a good tight end, but not a great one. All in all, it's an outstanding group, but the division is once again very deep at this position.
Depth Chart: T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Gavin Bartholomew, Ben Yurosek, and Bryson Nesbit
T.J. Hockenson has proven to be one of the best tight ends in the NFL, and the Vikings have paid him as such. Despite that, he was slow out of the gate coming off a torn ACL in 2024 so he will look to bounce back in 2025. On top of that, the Vikings also lack the depth of the teams ahead of them so sadly they fall in at the three spot here in our rankings.
Depth Chart: Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, Ben Sims, John FitzPatrick, Messiah Swinson, and Johnny Lumpkin
The one-two punch of Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft is one of the best and most underrated tight end duos in the NFL. For Kraft, especially, he has become one of the best tight ends in the NFL at picking up yards after the catch, as well as a reliable redzone target. Musgrave is not to be forgotten either, but he has shown he still has some growing to do. Once he hits his stride, this duo will be unstoppable for the Packers.
Depth Chart: Sam LaPorta, Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra, Kenny Yeboah, and Luke Deal
It may seem like I am going against myself, but Sam LaPorta is enough to tip the scales for the Lions here to give them the best group. Before I talk about him, it is worth highlighting that Brock Wright does not get enough love like he deserves because of the role he is tasked with. Back to LaPorta now, the Lions struck gold with him, the same way they did with Jahmyr Gibbs.
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