Eric Smith

Welcome to Part 8 of our 2025 draft preview series, which will be a position-by-position look at key prospects and where the Chargers roster stands ahead of the NFL Draft. This series will include a look at which prospects could be options for the Chargers later this month.

We chatted with Dane Brugler of The Athletic to break down the tight ends in this draft class. Brugler can be found on X/Twitter@dpbruglerfor his analysis.

Chargers status at tight end

Will Dissly, Tyler Conklin, Tucker Fisk, McCallan Castles, Jordan Petaia

The Chargers tight end room is led by a pair of veterans in Dissly and Conklin.

Dissly joined the Bolts as a free agent in 2024 and had a career year with 50 receptions for 481 yards both personal bests while still being a standout blocker in the run game.

Conklin is a new face in the room after hesigned with the Chargersin March.

Conklin, a 2018 fifth-round pick of the Vikings, has worked himself into a solid tight end in recent years. He spent the past three seasons with the Jets and has 11 career touchdown catches.

The Chargers brought back Fisk in free agency after he provided strong blocking in nine games in 2024.

Castles spent part of the 2024 season on the practice squad while Petaia was recently added to the room in an attempt to transition from rugby to the NFL.

Petaia, who is part of the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) training program,was a star player in Australiawho became the youngest player to appear at two Rugby World Cups (2019 and 2023) for his home country.

Petaia made his national team debut at just 19 years old and was primarily used as a center back.

Is it a position of need?

The Chargers have given themselves flexibility where they don't absolutely need a specific position at No. 22, a line of thinking that applies to tight end.

But Brugler noted this could be the time for the Chargers to add a vital piece to their offense in that position group, especially if they take a long-term approach at tight end.

"Conklin is penciled in there along with Dissly, but here is a chance to add a young, talented playmaker to that mix," Brugler said. "Maybe you don't force him to be the guy on Day 1 but you develop him, he helps out this year and then going into 2026 he is your starter.

"There's potential for that because this is a pretty good tight end year," Brugler added. "You don't necessarily have to go that direction in the first round because you could attack it in the second, third or fourth [rounds]. There's multiple ways to attack it."

Key Questions for 2025

1. What would a young tight end mean for Justin Herbert and the offense?

"You watch the playoff game last year and you don't have to search very long to realize what having a more consistent threat at tight end would have done to help the offense and the quarterback. To add another tight end to the mix, he could help Justin Herbert, get open, draw coverage and just be a two-way threat. That should definitely be a goal when searching for a tight end this offseason."

2. How does this tight end class compare to previous years?

"You start at the top with Tyler Warren [of Penn State] and [Michigan's] Colston Loveland. Depending on who you talk to in the league, they are split on who the top tight end is. I think they go in the top 20 so it's likely the Chargers won't have a chance at either one of those guys. But after that, there are some guys on Day 2, and some are maybe more ready to go than others while some have more upside and potential. And even on Day 3, there is good depth. So I think it's a position where we're going to see ... six or maybe seven go in the Top 100."

3. Who is your favorite Day 2 prospect?

"I like a few of these guys. In terms of value, Terrance Ferguson from Oregon would be one of my guys. He's a player where, if he were healthy for a full year, he would be getting more play. He was just banged up a little bit but I still think he's one of the best tight ends in this class. He ran really well, tested really well. He can help you as a pass catcher and is OK as a blocker, but the effort is there to be assignment-sound and get the job done. I just don't think we've seen the full picture of what Terrance Ferguson can be. There's a lot of meat left on that bone."

Expert rankings

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah currently has four tight ends in his latestTop 50list, while ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has two in hisTop 25.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler has seven tight ends in his most recentTop 100list, with the highest coming in at No. 10 (Tyler Warren).

Pro Football Focus has five tight ends in the top 100 in theirBig Board Rankings, with a high of No. 10 (Warren).

Potential Chargers options

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Tyler Warren

School:Penn State| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:256 pounds

2024 stats:16 games; 104 receptions for 1,233 yards (11.9 avg.) and eight touchdowns; 6.5 receptions per game, 77.1 yards per game; 26 rushes for 218 yards and four touchdowns

Quick fact:Warren finished first among Penn State tight ends in total touchdowns (25), receptions (153), receiving yards (1,839), receiving touchdowns (19) and 100-yard games (5).

Colston Loveland

School:Michigan| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-6| Wt:248 pounds

2024 stats:10 games; 56 receptions for 582 yards (10.4 avg.) and five touchdowns; 5.6 receptions per game, 58.2 yards per game

Quick fact:A Second-Team All-American last year, Loveland was a key contributor to the Wolverines' National Championship run in 2023 finishing second on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Brugler's Breakdown:"I would be surprised if he lasted to 22. If he is there, it's because of concerns due to injury. He didn't really do much this draft process. But if you want to chase the upside, Loveland has that in terms of his ability as a pass catcher down the seam, he's fluid, he's fast, I love him at the catch point. He's really natural in terms of framing the football and finishing. He doesn't have many drops on his film. And he's a threat after the catch ... he immediately looks upfield to make something happen."

Mason Taylor

School:LSU| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:251 pounds

2024 stats:12 games; 55 receptions for 546 yards (9.9 avg.) and two touchdowns; 4.6 receptions per game, 45.5 yards per game

Quick fact:The son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, the tight end finished his collegiate career as the LSU record holder for tight ends in both receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,308).

Brugler's Breakdown:"He's my No. 3 tight end and No. 33 on my Top 100, so he's knocking on the front door of the first round. The fact that his dad is a Hall of Famer is going to be what people talk about, but Mason is his own player. He's so useful with everything that he does and the different ways he impacts the game. He's fluid and athletic and I love his focus at the catch point. I wish he was used more in the red zone and as a true explosive target down the field ... but the routes are clean and he can win through contact. I think he belongs somewhere in the top 40 picks."

Elijah Arroyo

School:Miami| Year:Redshirt Junior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:250 pounds

2024 stats:13 games; 35 receptions for 590 yards (16.9 avg.) and seven touchdowns; 2.7 receptions per game, 45.4 yards per game

Quick fact:Arroyo earned Second-Team All-ACC honors after ranking fifth on the team in catches, fourth in receiving yards and third in touchdown catches.

Brugler's Breakdown:"A Round 2 guy. And say the Chargers go defensive line in the first round, Arroyo would be the guy I want to target in the second round. He's someone that can help now but he isn't expected to be No. 1 on the depth chart. You bring him along, develop him and then in 2026 he's ready to be that impact player. His speed is outstanding with him and defenders had a tough time covering him at the Senior Bowl. And that matches his tape. He had so many 20-yard plays 34.3 percent of his catches were for 20-plus yards which is astounding for a tight end. He works the seam, works vertical and is just a really promising player who has a bright future ahead of him."

Harold Fannin Jr.

School:Bowling Green| Year:Junior| Ht:6-foot-3| Wt:241 pounds

2024 stats:13 games; 117 receptions for 1,555 yards (13.3 avg.) and 10 touchdowns; 9.0 receptions per game, 119.6 yards per game

Quick fact:Fannin had a historic final season, becoming the school's first-ever Consensus All-American after setting single-season records by a tight end in receiving yards and receptions.

Brugler's Breakdown:"If you really value production, it's hard to argue with what Fannin did. And a lot of that came against MAC competition, but throw on the Texas A&M tape or Penn State tape and you see him go over 100 yards in both games. He makes an impact before and after the catch. He's a little bit of an awkward athlete where it doesn't always look smooth and clean, but he has straight line explosiveness to him and he catches everything. So even though it might not look perfect, he's like a perfect H-back. He's only 20 years old but was the centerpiece of that Bowling Green offense."

Terrance Ferguson

School:Oregon| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:247 pounds

2024 stats:12 games; 43 receptions for 591 yards (13.7 avg.) and three touchdowns; 3.6 receptions per game, 49.2 yards per game

Quick fact:After tying a single-season program record in receptions, Ferguson finished as Oregon's all-time leader among tight ends in receptions (134) and receiving touchdowns (16).

Gunnar Helm

School:Texas| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:241 pounds

2024 stats:16 games; 60 receptions for 786 yards (13.1 avg.) and seven touchdowns; 3.8 receptions per game, 49.1 yards per game

Quick fact:Helm was a key member of the Longhorns offense, hauling in 11 receptions for 175 yards in three of Texas' College Football Playoff games.

Mitchell Evans

School:Notre Dame| Year:Senior| Ht:6-foot-5| Wt:258 pounds

2024 stats:16 games; 43 receptions for 421 yards (9.8 avg.) and three touchdowns; 2.7 receptions per game, 26.3 yards per game

Quick fact:A physical presence for the Fighting Irish, Evans was the team's top receiving target in 2023 averaging 52.8 yards per game.