Latest news with #TightEnd
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Michael Penix finally unlock Kyle Pitts' fantasy potential?
Yahoo Fantasy analyst Matt Harmon and contributor Chris Allen explore how the Falcons tight end may finally break out for fantasy manager in 2025. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript If we can see Michael Penix continue to have that aggression, we still want to see some of that high-flying attack that we saw in 2024, uh, we might talk about it later, but could this finally be the year? And I'm just gonna throw it out there right now. Could this be the year we see Pitts get back to where we want them to be from a tight end standpoint. I'm just, I'm throwing it out there, OK? I'm just throwing it out there for right now, but at the very least, if this offensive line allows Michael Pitts to stay upright and push the ball downfield, the entirety of the Falcons' offense should be able to benefit from it. I think Pitts can play like a true, real wide receiver role for this team, like mostly a slot receiver, and he's honestly gonna kind of have to because in this system, he can't play inline tight end because he's not a, not a net, he's not a net positive blocker. So do you have enough faith in him being deployed as kind of like, in almost some of the ways that Drake London was deployed last year, as more of like a power slot receiver than you do as a true tight end. I think that's the question. I, I think that's the case. And to me, the way that Pitts has been deployed on the field in previous years, it seemed like a stylistic mismatch with the quarterbacks that he was paired with. Because think about the guys that he had. I mean, he had Matt Ryan in the twilight of his career, and then it was who, uh, Marcus Mariota, uh Taylor Heinicke with his popgun arm. And then of course, now we also see Desmond Ritter, and then now we see. Michael Penix. And now think about the contrast in styles for each of those quarterbacks versus Michael Penix. Most of those guys, they do try and keep it short in intermediate parts of the field. And in just those three games we saw in 2024 from Penix, he was gripping and ripping it, bro. Like he was ready to throw it downfield and take a lot of those whole shots, whether it was to Darnell Mooney for at least one game when Mooney was healthy. And of course those shots to Drake London as well. So with Kyle Pitts averaging around like 10, 11, 12 yards per reception over the first like three to four years, I can see his deployments matching better with Michael Penix than where we've seen him in previous seasons. So, I think at least that matchup alone gives me at least a bit more optimism about a guy like Pitts. Close
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Notre Dame football position preview: Questions abound at tight end
SOUTH BEND—For five straight seasons, Notre Dame football's leading receiver has been a tight end. From 2020-22 it was consensus All-America Michael Mayer leading the way, including a tie with wideout Javon McKinley as a freshman. The past two years, Mitchell Evans topped the list, although with far more modest totals than Mayer posted. Now that Evans is in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, the five-year streak could be in jeopardy. In 2019 Chase Claypool outpaced tight end Cole Kmet in catches (66-43). Eli Raridon enters his senior year with 16 career catches and a block-first reputation. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock is on record predicting 'a huge season' for Raridon this fall, but that will require instant chemistry with a first-time starting quarterback to be determined. Holdovers Kevin Bauman and Jack Larsen return, but promising junior Cooper Flanagan could miss the bulk of the regular season as he recovers from a torn left Achilles suffered in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. 'More like Superman:' What Notre Dame football greats say about Jeremiyah Love Flanagan has five catches through two seasons but consistently earned playing time last year with his blocking prowess. That leaves Arkansas transfer Ty Washington and four-star freshman James Flanigan as potential wildcards. Like Raridon, Washington was mostly counted on to block during his three seasons at Arkansas. Denbrock tried to recruit him to Cincinnati out of high school, so the connection is there, but Washington has just 14 catches for 212 yards and four scores in his career. Flanigan, the son of former Irish defensive tackle Jim Flanigan, is a freak athlete who also starred in hockey and track and field during his Wisconsin prep career. The younger Flanigan, who also played defense, piled up 21 sacks and 26 touchdown grabs over his final three seasons. 'I wouldn't discount young James Flanigan,' Denbrock told reporters this summer. 'He's got size, he's got power and he's a mature kid for his age.' Depth chart 9 | TE | Eli Raridon | 6-7, 251 | Sr. (1L)-& 84 | TE | Kevin Bauman | 6-5, 253 | Gr. Sr. (1L) 85 | TE | Jack Larsen | 6-3, 250 | R-Fr. (4L) 7 | TE | Ty Washington | 6-4, 247 | Tr.-R-Jr. (2L) 88 | TE | James Flanigan | 6-6, 237 | Fr. (4L) 87 | TE | Cooper Flanagan | 6-6, 258 | Jr. (3L)-Inj. &: Denotes remaining eligibility years Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino. This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Previewing Eli Raridon and Notre Dame football tight end position group
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rams rookie Terrance Ferguson says he has some similar traits to Travis Kelce
After the Los Angeles Rams drafted Terrance Ferguson, Sean McVay made some bold comparisons for the rookie tight end. He sees similarities between Ferguson and Travis Kelce, as well as former Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley, whom McVay coached in Washington. McVay isn't the only one who sees Kelce's game in Ferguson's because the rookie tight end himself feels the same way. During an interview on ESPN LA, Ferguson was asked which tight end he plays like and he immediately mentioned Kelce. 'I take a lot of things from everybody's game,' he said. 'I try to be a student of the game and learn a lot from different people. I feel like some of the running routes and things at the top of the routes, I feel like I have some movements like Travis Kelce and that's one of the best ever. I definitely model my game and watch a lot of his tape just because he's so special at the top of his route and after the catch and I feel like I have similar movement patterns as him. But then there's other guys like Mark Andrews and George Kittle that are workhorses. You can learn something from a wide receiver out here on a release. You can learn from everybody, so I try to pick a little bit of everything but I would say definitely Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews.' Ferguson and Kelce are both around 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, so their frames are akin to one another. Kelce has been arguably the best tight end of this generation, so Ferguson has a long way to go before he reaches the All-Pro's level. But it's never a bad thing to model your game after a superstar. Both players are savvy route runners and incredibly dangerous after the catch, which the Rams are sure to take full advantage of his skill set this season. If he becomes anything like the player that Kelce is, Los Angeles will have hit a home run in the second round. This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' Terrance Ferguson says he has similar traits to Travis Kelce
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wisconsin football offers five-star recruit in the class of 2027
Wisconsin football is setting its sights high in the 2027 recruiting cycle, especially at the tight end position. After offering four-star TE Jaxon Dollar on Tuesday, the program also extended an offer to five-star TE Ahmad Hudson -- one of the nation's top players in the class. 247Sports specifically ranks Hudson as the No. 10 overall player in the 2027 cycle, the No. 1 tight end and the No. 1 player from his home state of Louisiana. Wisconsin is unsurprisingly not alone on the five-star recruit's offer sheet. As of July 23, other programs in pursuit of Hudson include Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, Florida, Miami, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas and USC. 247Sports currently lists Alabama, Baylor, Florida State, in-state LSU and Texas A&M as the early favorites in his recruitment, while On3/Rivals gives LSU (95.9%) a prohibitive early advantage over Nebraska (2%) and others. The 6-foot-6 tight end prospect is also a four-star power forward recruit on the basketball court. Only LSU, Grambling State and Louisiana Tech are listed on his basketball offer sheet. Wisconsin will have significant competition for Hudson's commitment. The program has not landed a five-star recruit since offensive tackle Nolan Rucci during the 2021 cycle. It only has five five-star signees in the online recruiting rankings era: 2001 DT Anttaj Hawthorne, 2003 DE Justin Ostrowski, 2007 OT Josh Oglesby, 2019 OT Logan Brown and Rucci. As noted in our story on Wisconsin's offer to Dollar, another blue-chip tight end in the class, the program is looking to rebuild its tight end room as it transitions back to a pro-style system on offense. Top talent at the position will be paramount to the scheme's success. That reality differs from Phil Longo's air raid scheme, which put more emphasis on speed and talent at wide receiver. Contact/Follow on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Wisconsin football recruiting offer 2027 five-star Ahmad Hudson
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kelce Raves About Giants' Late-Round Steal At Tight End
Kelce Raves About Giants' Late-Round Steal At Tight End originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The tight end position has seemingly become more important in recent years. Once considered an afterthought in some offenses, it has become vital thanks to the likes of Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle and Travis Kelce. Advertisement Those three All-Pros have become a measuring stick for other players to try to match at the position. With just Kittle and Kelce left playing, their expertise and leadership among the rest of the tight ends cannot be ignored. It's why the two helped start "Tight End University," a three-day program for players at the position to bond, learn and collaborate on where each can improve. For young tight ends just coming into the league, it's a chance to make a strong first impression amongst their peers. That is precisely what New York Giants seventh-round pick Thomas Fidone II was able to do recently. Advertisement Fidone was impressed during the camp and even shared some surprising words Kelce told him after those workouts. "He told me I was extremely athletic and moved extremely well. He told me that the top of my routes was good. He didn't say it like that, but he said it. So, just being able to hear that from him was cool," Fidone told KETV reporter Matt Sottile. If Kelce is that excited and complimentary over a player like the 6-6, 256-pound Fidone, it's a good first sign that the Giants may have found a steal at the position. The organization currently has Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger ahead of him on the depth chart, but Fidone will fight for a spot on the roster once camp begins. Advertisement Kelce may be onto something here. And if he is? The New York tight end situation will grow in importance, too. Related: Giants Making 'Concerted Effort' to Fix Russell Wilson Major Problem Related: Coach Shockingly Ranks Giants' Jaxson Dart vs. Browns' Shedeur Sanders This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
