No surprise: Seahawks ignored in ESPN's rankings at this key position

There has been a changing of the guard amongst elite NFL tight ends in the past twelve months. Nowhere is that clearer than on ESPN’s latest rankings of the best players at the position. Second-year Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers led the way while perennial top-dog Travis Kelce fell to fifth.

It is hard to argue with the selection of Bowers. His 112 receptions led all tight ends. He blew away the previous rookie record of 86, set by Detroit’s third-year player Sam LaPorta, who finished third in the rankings. The only other TE who went over 100 catches in 2024 was Arizona’s 25-year-old Trey McBride, who snagged 111 balls from Kyler Murray.

Seattle Seahawks’ fans are well aware of what McBride can do. In two games against Seattle last year, the former Colorado State star combined for 19 catches and better than 200 yards.

And Hawks’ fans have long known what kind of tight end is playing for another division rival down in San Francisco. George Kittle, along with Kelce, represented the old guard on ESPN's list, finishing second to Bowers. Kittle led all tight ends in yards-per-catch at better than 14. That would be a decent number for a wideout, as would his eight touchdowns.

Where do the Seahawks’ tight end stack up against the rest of the league?

In all, ESPN recognized 22 players from 20 different teams. Baltimore, despite a down year from Mark Andrews, put two players into the top ten, while Pittsburgh’s acquisition of Jonnu Smith left them with two honorable mentions.

No Seattle tight end made the ESPN list.

It’s hard to get very worked up about the omission. Though Noah Fant’s numbers may have earned him a spot in the lowest tier – “others receiving votes” (ORV) – he clearly was not one of the league’s best. 500 yards, one TD, and 25 first downs are nothing to write home about.

Is Fant clearly less effective than players like Dallas’ Jake Ferguson (honorable mention) or Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts (ORV)? Probably not. Indeed, Ferguson’s selection as an honorable mention may be the single biggest head-scratcher on the ESPN list (if Mark Andrews’ holding onto the 6th spot isn’t.)

But players like Ferguson and Pitts still impress with potential. Fant, who turns 28 this November, is only a year older than Ferguson, but he somehow seems to have reached his peak.

Seattle recognizes this. That is why they spent a second-round draft pick on Miami’s Elijah Arroyo last April. Arroyo has the size and speed to become a very productive pass catcher at the pro level. There was some initial thought that his selection might spell the end of the road for Fant in Seattle.

The veteran boasts one of the biggest salaries on the rebuilding team, and if John Schneider needed to free up some cash to address another area of concern, Fant would seem to be first on the chopping block.

So far, that has not happened, and if Schneider doesn’t find another player to spend the money on, there is no rush to jettison Fant. He can certainly contribute in 2025, the final year of his current deal.

Second-year player A.J. Barner could develop into a very good two-way player, able to man a traditional in-line blocking spot while occasionally splitting out as a flex option. He should pair very well with either Fant or Arroyo, whichever establishes himself as Seattle’s primary pass-catching tight end in 2025.

But Barner, who caught just 30 passes for 245 yards in his rookie season, is far from being considered one of the league’s best.

Two tight ends were taken in the first round of the 2025 draft, and both Chicago’s Colston Loveland and Indianapolis’ Tyler Warren are expected to do big things early on. Arroyo was the fifth tight end selected (four picks after NFC West foe Los Angeles took Terrance Ferguson).

If he can adapt to the NFL game quickly, perhaps Seattle will at least have a player recognized in one of ESPN's tiers of tight ends when they get around to doing the 2026 rankings.

For now, we will just have to hope that position coach Mack Brown can develop both of his young players. Arroyo and Barner have the potential to form one of the league’s better tight end tandems. But for now, it remains potential.