ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released his annual survey of NFL tight ends on July 10, polling more than 70 coaches, executives and scouts across the league. Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders came out on top for the second straight year in ESPN’s 2026 NFL tight end rankings — a result that surprised some, given the season he just had.
Bowers caught 64 passes for 680 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games in 2025. Solid numbers on paper. But they were nearly half his rookie totals, when he set an NFL rookie record with 112 catches and 1,194 yards. Injuries and a struggling Raiders offense cut into his workload, and this time around, the vote for No. 1 wasn’t unanimous.
Why Voters Still Believe in Bowers
According to ESPN, Bowers, McBride and San Francisco’s George Kittle were the only three tight ends to receive a first-place vote, and no other player finished higher than third on any ballot. That gap explains why Bowers held on at the top even after a rough year — the field simply didn’t close in behind him.
An NFL coordinator explained the thinking to Fowler: “As far as route running, separation, zone instincts, yards-after-catch ability combination — he’s better than the field in those areas. A down year won’t change that.”
That’s the case for Bowers in a sentence. It’s not about last year’s stat line. It’s about what evaluators see on tape — the way he separates from linebackers and safeties, the way he turns short catches into long gains. Defenses have noticed too. The Denver Broncos reportedly assigned star cornerback Pat Surtain II to shadow Bowers last season, an unusual move reserved for a receiver, let alone a tight end.
The Full 2026 ESPN Tight End Rankings
Here’s the complete top 10, based on composite voting from league coaches, executives and scouts:
| Rank | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brock Bowers | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 2 | Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals |
| 3 | George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers |
| 4 | Sam LaPorta | Detroit Lions |
| 5 | Tyler Warren | Indianapolis Colts |
| 6 | Tucker Kraft | Green Bay Packers |
| 7 | Colston Loveland | Chicago Bears |
| 8 | Kyle Pitts Sr. | Atlanta Falcons |
| 9 | Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens |
| 10 | Travis Kelce | Kansas City Chiefs |
Kittle nearly took the top spot himself. An NFC executive told ESPN he’s still “the gold standard for blocking, running and catching” when healthy, though durability concerns have crept into the conversation. Kraft, meanwhile, might have finished even higher if a Week 9 ACL tear hadn’t ended his season early — he was pacing for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns at the time.
The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen Backs Bowers to Bounce Back
Bowers’ ranking didn’t go unnoticed outside ESPN. The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen posted his own take on X, arguing the ranking is fair — with a caveat. Nguyen posted on X: “Obviously, Bowers is by far the best receiving TE and for him to retain the top spot, he has to have elite elite receiving production and because of injuries, he didn’t. I think he’s going to have a bonkers season this year and justify that top spot though.”
That view lines up with what Fowler heard from his own sources. Nobody inside the league seems to be treating 2025 as the new baseline. It’s being treated as a season interrupted, not a decline.
What It Means for the Raiders Offense
Bowers isn’t walking into 2026 alone. Las Vegas enters the season with quarterback Fernando Mendoza and running back Ashton Jeanty as the other pillars of a retooled offense. If the line holds up and Mendoza settles in, Bowers could see a jump in targets simply because defenses will have more to worry about than just him.
That’s the bet embedded in this ranking. Voters aren’t scoring Bowers on 2025. They’re scoring him on what a healthy, featured version of him looks like — and daring the rest of the league to catch up.
