• George Kittle easily comes in at No. 1: He was also the only tight end to earn a PFF receiving grade of at least 90.0 (92.4), and he also garnered the position’s second-best PFF run-blocking grade (70.8).

• Jonnu Smith enjoyed a late breakout: After solid but middling numbers over his career, the almost-30-year-old Smith set career highs in most categories.

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

The Philadephia Eagles’ win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 put a bow on the 2024 NFL season — and PFF’s grades. Here were the top 10 tight ends across the regular season and postseason.

1. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (92.1)

2024 was a nightmare for the injury-riddled 49ers, who failed to make the postseason one of the preseason favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. George Kittle was not one of their disappointments, however. Not only was he the highest-graded tight end overall, but he was also the only tight end to earn a PFF receiving grade of at least 90.0 (92.4). He also garnered the position’s second-best PFF run-blocking grade (70.8). There is no better all-around tight end in the NFL than Kittle.

2. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals (86.8)

Much to fantasy owners’ chagrin, Trey McBride did not record a receiving touchdown until Week 17 (though he did record a rushing touchdown against the Bears in Week 9). Aside from the lack of scoring, McBride had a significant uptick in production following his breakout 2023 season, catching 111 passes for 1,146 yards.

3. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders (85.1)

If not for Jayden Daniels’ heroics, it would have been hard to argue against Brock Bowers for Offensive Rookie of the Year after he put up arguably the greatest rookie tight end season ever. He comfortably broke Mike Ditka’s long-standing rookie tight end receiving yards record, and his 1,194 receiving yards and 112 receptions led the position.

Only Travis Kelce was targeted more than Bowers (149 to 148), and Kelce’s total was inflated from playing two additional playoff games. This also came despite erratic play from Bowers’ quarterbacks, as he was catching passes from Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder all season. If this is what Bowers was capable of as a rookie, one shudders to imagine what he can do as he develops.

4. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (83.1)

After a slow start to the season that saw him catch zero passes in two of his first four games, Andrews regained his groove as the campaign went on. While his overall numbers weren’t gaudy — 62 catches for 761 yards, never going over 68 receiving yards in a game — he was a reliable red-zone target. All 11 of his receiving touchdowns came in that part of the field, which led the position, including one in six consecutive games to close out the regular season.

Andrews’ 88.9 PFF receiving grade in the red zone trailed only George Kittle and Pat Freiermuth among tight ends with at least 50 such snaps.

5. Jonnu Smith, Miami Dolphins (78.2)

Years of middling results and untapped potential finally gave way to a big breakout season for Jonnu Smith. He smashed his previous career highs in targets (109 to 69), receptions (88 to 50) and receiving yards (886 to 582) and tied his career best with eight receiving touchdowns.

Smith also set career highs in PFF overall grade (78.2) and PFF receiving grade (84.0). He turns 30 in August, so there will certainly be questions over how long he can keep this up, but if nothing else, he was well worth the two-year, $8.4 million contract he inked with Miami prior to the 2024 season.

6. Austin Hooper, New England Patriots (75.8)

Not a lot went right for the Patriots in 2024, but Austin Hooper was quietly their most reliable offensive weapon. The veteran journeyman turned 30 this past October yet put up his second-best season in terms of PFF grading, as his 75.8 overall mark and 75.5 receiving mark trailed only his 2019 performance. Hooper is also the only tight end on this top 10 list who didn’t drop a pass all year.

7. Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens (75.6)

The Ravens have an embarrassment of riches at tight end — the only team to have two players crack the top 10. With Mark Andrews not having his elite stuff for much of the year, Likely picked up the slack, setting career highs across the board in targets (65), receptions (49), receiving yards (603), receiving touchdowns (seven), PFF overall grade (75.6) and PFF receiving grade (77.0).

Likely also had very reliable hands, dropping only one pass all year, which came in Week 13 against the Eagles when he tried to unnecessarily one-hand a ball.

8. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (74.8)

Despite not making his season debut until Week 9 due to injury, Hockenson continued to be one of the most reliable tight ends in the league, catching multiple passes in all 11 games he appeared in. On a limited sample size, Hockenson still managed to catch 46 passes for 519 yards while putting up a 78.9 PFF receiving grade.

9. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions (73.6)

Like Mark Andrews, LaPorta didn’t get off to the fastest start to his sophomore campaign, though he did manage to finish as one of the NFL’s more productive tight ends. He caught 66 of his 85 targets for 777 yards and eight touchdowns, all of which were drop-offs from his outstanding rookie campaign but are more than respectable outputs for a tight end. LaPorta finished the season strong, catching at least three passes in each of his final nine games and adding six scores over that span.

10. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (72.6)

Despite missing some time due to injury, Goedert still had a solid season for the Super Bowl champion Eagles, catching 59 passes for 711 yards and three scores. Goedert was particularly impactful during the Eagles’ postseason run, putting up a 79.9 PFF overall grade during the playoffs, which included an 87.6 number in their NFC Championship blowout of the division rival Commanders. Goedert’s blocking reached new heights during that run, as well. He posted a 75.8 PFF pass-blocking grade and a 72.1 PFF run-blocking grade during that stretch.