Tight End Rankings Include a Nice Surprise for the Vikings
In recent history, the tight end duties in the Twin Cities were mostly handled by Kyle Rudolph. Irv Smith was drafted to be his successor, an idea that didn’t work out whatsoever. When Smith went down in the 2022 season, the front office didn’t bother adding a random veteran backup, but invested big-time to acquire T.J. Hockenson.
Tight End Rankings Include a Nice Surprise for the Vikings
Hockenson is one of the best tight ends in the business, and the latest tight end rankings from PFF confirm that theory. He is listed 6th despite missing half the year due to his torn ACL suffered late in the 2023 campaign.
PFF’s John Kosko wrote: “After missing the first eight weeks of the season, Hockenson picked up right where he left off, producing the second-highest PFF receiving grade of his career (78.9). Fantasy football managers were disappointed he found the end zone just once, in the playoffs, but despite missing half of the 2024 season, Hockenson has generated the ninth-most PFF WAR over the past two seasons among his peers.”
The Vikings took a cautious approach with the pricey tight end. He played in ten games and caught 41 passes for 455 yards. His only touchdown in 2024 came in the lone postseason game when he was the only Vikings to cross the goalline and he added 64 yards that day.
He was not as effective as he was in his first two seasons in purple, but the injury is a valid excuse. After a full offseason, he should be back to full strength in 2025. Hockenson is a sweet tight end because he can run an extensive route tree and hurt defenses by running vertical. He is also not a bad blocker, although that surely isn’t why he is amongst the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL.
The blocking aspect is the key component of teammate Josh Oliver’s game. Surprisingly, he was also listed. It turns out that it’s helpful to have an elite blocking grade on the same site that produced the rankings. Oliver clocked in 21st.
Kosko noted: “If there were a fantasy football league that prioritized run blocking, Oliver would be one of the first off the board. His 76.5 PFF run-blocking grade over the past two seasons ranks second at the position, behind George Kittle, and his 77.2 PFF overall grade ranks eighth.”
Oliver’s addition was quite surprising in 2023, considering Hockenson was the obvious tight end going forward. However, head coach Kevin O’Connell wanted a top blocker next to him, and he surely got one.
As a pass-catcher, the veteran had a big chance last year when Hockenson was unavailable, and while he logged career-best yard and touchdown numbers, he still only generated 258 yards and three scores. Oliver is fantastic at what he does. His third year in Minnesota will be his contract season.
The third tight end in the mix, Johnny Mundt, departed in free agency. He signed a deal in Jacksonville and followed backup QB Nick Mullens and former Vikings’ assistant OC Grant Udinski to the Jaguars.
Gavin Bartholomew, April’s sixth-round pick, is the favorite to take over the TE3 job. He will be challenged by fellow rookies Ben Yurosek and Bryson Nesbit. They arrived as undrafted rookies and, therefore, should be viewed as the underdogs.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.