Ask Farrell: Which three-star TE will emerge in the 2020 class?
MORE ASK FARRELL: Which three-star WR will emerge in 2020 class? | Which three-star RB will emerge in 2020 class?
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The tight end position rankings have had many hits over the years but also some curious cases throughout the history of Rivals.com dating back to 2002.
George Kittle was a three-star prospect. So was T.J. Hockenson. Both played at Iowa and they could be the future of the position in the NFL.
Travis Kelce led the NFL in receptions and receiving yards this season, and he’s one of the best tight ends in the game. But in high school he was ranked as a two-star athlete and his only Power Five offer came from Pittsburgh.
Darren Fells and Dallas Goedert are two of the top tight ends in the NFL, but neither is even in the Rivals database, since Fells played at UC Irvine and Goedert starred at South Dakota State before becoming a second-round pick.
Oftentimes, the tight end spot is tough to project and those are just a few examples of how it played out in recent years.
The 2020 class could be one of the best tight end groups in recent memory as LSU’s Arik Gilbert and Georgia’s Darnell Washington led the way in the rankings, but four-star Michael Mayer, who signed with Notre Dame, has superstar potential as well. Penn State’s Theo Johnson and Kevin Bauman, who also signed with the Irish, round out the top five.
In total, there are two five-stars (which is a rare occurrence at the position) and then 11 four-stars. If history is any guide, many of the three-star prospects will turn into special players in college and further down the line.
Leading the way in the three-star tight end rankings are Florida’s Jonathan Odom, Wisconsin’s Cole Dakovich, South Carolina’s Eric Shaw, Vanderbilt’s Diego LaMonica and Alabama’s Caden Clark. Next on the list is Iowa’s Elijah Yelverton, and you already know how we feel about tight ends who play for the Hawkeyes.
FARRELL'S TAKE
We ask Rivals National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell to pick out a three-star tight end from the position rankings who could be special in college.
“I’m going with Yelverton, having had a chance to see him at Under Armour and seeing his upside. I like the marriage with Iowa as a team that does a great job developing tight ends. Yelverton has solid size and good athleticism, and I think he will improve in so many areas in the Iowa system that he could be next in line for the program. His hands are reliable, he’s a hard worker and I expect him to have a very solid career.”