Perhaps no position requires a wider range of skills to succeed in the NFL than tight ends, who are asked to thrive as receivers in the middle of the field as well as being key parts to the run and pass games with their blocking.
While many teams divide those roles among multiple players, George Kittle's ability to do it all for the San Francisco 49ers as one of the most efficient receivers and top blockers helped him score the honor of being voted the top tight end in the league by The Associated Press.
A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at tight end, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
Kittle got five first-place votes and three seconds to win the voting. Las Vegas' Brock Bowers was the only other player selected on all eight ballots and came in second with two first-place votes, five seconds and one fifth.
Kansas City's Travis Kelce got the other first-place vote and finished third, followed by Arizona's Trey McBride and Baltimore's Mark Andrews.
Detroit's Sam LaPorta and Minnesota's T.J. Hockenson also received votes.
1. GEORGE KITTLE, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle is coming off one of his most productive seasons as a receiver, catching 78 passes for 1,106 yards and eight TDs for an injury-riddled San Francisco offense. He led all tight ends and ranked third overall with 2.62 yards per route run in a sign of how efficient he is as a receiver. Kittle also remains one of the top blocking tight ends, helping him earn first or second-team All-Pro honors in five of the past seven seasons.
2. BROCK BOWERS, Las Vegas Raiders
Bowers burst on the scene during a record-setting rookie season when his 1,194 yards receiving were the most ever by a rookie tight end and his 112 catches were the most ever by any rookie. Bowers was a first-team All-Pro and quickly established himself as perhaps the top receiving threat at the position.
3. TRAVIS KELCE, Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce is one of the most productive tight ends ever, with his 1,004 catches and 12,151 yards receiving ranking third all time at the position. But he showed signs of slowing after turning 35 last October. He still managed 97 catches for 823 yards, but his 8.5 yards per reception were down 4 yards from his career average entering 2024 as he had significant drops in yards after catch and missed tackles forced.
4. TREY MCBRIDE, Arizona Cardinals
McBride has made steady improvement since being drafted in the second round in 2022 and reached star status last season, when his 111 catches and 1,146 yards receiving trailed only Bowers among tight ends. The only thing missing for McBride was success in the red zone, where he had only two TD catches — tied for the second-fewest ever for any player in a 100-catch season.
5. MARK ANDREWS, Baltimore Ravens
Andrews has been one of the top tight ends for years, but his production has started to tail off since he was an All-Pro in 2021. After missing significant time with injuries in 2023, Andrews had 55 catches for 673 yards and led all tight ends with 11 TD receptions last season. Unfortunately for Andrews, his season might be best remembered for a dropped 2-point conversion late in a 27-25 playoff loss to Buffalo.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
