NFL ranking confirms what Ravens fans already knew about their lethal tight end duo

The Baltimore Ravens have been known for their tight ends in their history. From Shannon Sharpe, Todd Heap, and Dennis Pitta over the years. Since 2018, Baltimore has had one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Mark Andrews. He's been super productive with quarterback Lamar Jackson, and he's become not only Jackson's go-to guy but the Ravens' all-time leader in touchdowns.

In 2022, Baltimore added to that position by drafting Isaiah Likely. In his playing time, especially when Andrews was injured, Likely has shown great promise as a long-term future tight end for Baltimore. He's someone the Ravens really like.

NFL Ranks Ravens TE Duo As Top 10 At Their Positions

Baltimore is in a position currently where both Andrews and Likely are in contract years. So, one will have to get paid after the season. Andrews was the subject of trade discussions over the offseason, but he enters the season still on Baltimore's roster. Reports are that Baltimore wants to pay Likely, and they see him as the future at the position. On the field, Baltimore has a tremendous tight end duo, and the NFL sees that as such.

ESPN has been releasing its yearly surveys from NFL executives, coaches, and scouts about the top players at each position heading into the 2025 NFL season. For the tight ends, Andrews and Likely were placed right among the top 10. Likely was at eight, and Andrews was sixth on the list. Andrews was below Travis Kelce, Trey McBride, Sam LaPorta, George Kittle, and Brock Bowers. The highest ranking for Andrews was third.

Here's what the excerpt said about Andrews:

"Andrews held up in the voting despite declines in yards and catches per game compared to previous years. But he was highly efficient when Lamar Jackson looked his way. Andrews produced a 140.9 passer rating for his quarterback on 69 targets, with 55 catches for 673 yards, 11 touchdowns and 1 interception."

One NFL Coordinator said:

"Elite instincts. A QB's best friend. Dominates the middle of the field. Understands zones and man-to-man better than anyone outside of Kelce. Baltimore is a totally different team without him. Bummer about the playoff game thing because this guy is a total G."

As for Likely, his highest ranking was fifth. One coach described Likely:

"He's a matchup guy, very loose, can separate, big catch radius, pretty diverse route tree."

Jeff Fowler writes:

"Cracking the top eight as a TE2 is an impressive feat for Likely. But his profile in Baltimore is growing. He averaged 8.2 yards per target, ranking high within this tight end pool. His 4.3 yards of separation per route also is among the best for his position. Likely had 13 red zone targets, the most for any NFL tight end who isn't the primary starter. He turned those targets into eight catches for 56 yards and five scores."

Andrews and Likely both look to have big years in 2025 and show the NFL why the league values them so highly.