Tier 1: Rob Gronkowski

Tier 2: Jimmy Graham

Tier 3: Travis Kelce, Greg Olsen, Martellus Bennett

Tier 4: Zach Ertz, Dwayne Allen, Jordan Cameron, Jason Witten, Julius Thomas, Delanie Walker

Tier 5: Antonio Gates, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Josh Hill, Owen Daniels, Larry Donell, Jordan Reed, Kyle Rudolph 

Tier 6: Charles Clay, Tyler Eifert, Vernon Davis, Ladarius Green, Heath Miller, Mychal Rivera

* Players in bold are those players that I expect to significantly outperform their average draft position based on current ADP. 

Analysis 

The tight end tiers spell the situation out quite clearly. We’ve got one undisputed top option in Gronkowski, followed by another single tier level in Jimmy Graham, followed by the rest of the tight end crew starting in tier 3. Gronk sits at the late first-early second round area, while Jimmy Graham should be selected in the late third-early fourth round portion of the draft. Feel free to grab either Gronk or Graham if you can select either at a good value spot. Otherwise, be patient and grab someone from tiers 3 through 5. Tier 3 should be selected no earlier than tier 6 – get your RB and WR situations squared away first. Tiers 4 and below should be selected no earlier than tier 8. 

Finally, a quick rapid-fire note as to why I think each player in bold has a good chance to outperform his ADP:

Dwayne Allen: Dwayne Allen was my sleeper TE, as I wrote about in my Burning Questions – Sleeper/Busts article. No question that the Colts offense is loaded this season – with many mouths to feed. But Allen, and not Coby Fleener, is the Colts’ best TE. Allen finished 2014 with 8 TD catches, and he has slimmed down this offseason in order to play faster. He just needs to stay healthy, which has been a problem for him. You’ll be able to select Allen late in your draft, with most teams having already selected a TE. Grab him late and enjoy the rewards.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins: Austin Seferian-Jenkins has top 5 TE talent, with great hands and off-the-chart athleticism. Now that he has an upgrade at QB, look for him to post low-end TE1 stats, while entrenching himself in future seasons as a surefire TE1. This will be the last season where you’ll be able to draft him this cheap.