Eagles draft: Amid Dallas Goedert’s uncertain future, TE prospects Mason Taylor and Harold Fannin could intrigue the Birds

There aren’t many positions on the Eagles roster that feel more in flux entering the draft than tight end.

With Dallas Goedert on the trade market and in the final year of a contract with no guaranteed money remaining, the Eagles find themselves in somewhat uncharted territory, prepared to move on from their No. 1 tight end without a clear successor.

Could the Eagles find that successor in a deep class of tight end prospects in this month’s NFL draft? Let’s look at a handful of the options:

Tyler Warren, Penn State

As the consensus No. 1 tight end in the class, Warren is a prototypical high-end prospect at his position with a rare combination of size, strength, and athleticism. Penn State used him in numerous roles and even deployed the 6-foot-5, 256-pound prospect as a Wildcat quarterback in some scenarios while splitting his snaps between the slot and in-line. While those Wildcat quarterback snaps won’t be instructive in the NFL, they did showcase how dangerous Warren can be with the ball in his hands running through tackles with a head of steam.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: Could the team add receiving depth behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith?

Pair that with his remarkably reliable hands — he managed several one-handed catches during his college career — and physicality serving as a blocker, and it’s easy to see why Warren isn’t expected to make it out of the first 15 picks or so. He projects as a Day 1 starter with the upside to be a true difference-maker at the position.

Colston Loveland, Michigan

Loveland widely is considered the No. 2 tight end in the class because of his athleticism and reliability as a route-runner working in the middle of the field. The 6-6, 248-pound prospect has drawn comparisons to Zach Ertz because of the consistency with which he creates separation, his instincts finding open space, and the general versatility he offers in the passing game. As the focal point of a struggling Michigan offense last year, Loveland led the team with 56 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns. In 2023, he had 45 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns.

Also like Ertz, Loveland will enter the NFL with legitimate questions about his ability to contribute as an in-line blocker in the running game. He showed flashes in a run-heavy Wolverines system, but he may need to bulk up and improve his technique to develop into a two-dimensional threat. With that said, Loveland has the physical tools to be a difference-making receiver early in his career. If he slides to the end of the first round, Loveland could be a fit for Goedert’s role in last year’s offense, albeit without as much juice in the run game.

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Elijah Arroyo, Miami

The quickness and straight-line speed Arroyo moves with at 6-5, 250 is flat-out special, but his evaluation is far more complicated than just the high-level plays he made last season for the Hurricanes.

There’s plenty to like about the 22-year-old, who was a four-star recruit out of high school. His best plays jump off the screen because of how smoothly he changes directions with and without the ball in his hands. He can bowl through defenders or run around them and showcased some legitimate upside as a vertical threat out of the slot because of his top speed. He’s also plenty capable of using his frame and quickness off the ball to contribute as a blocker.

Still, there are a handful of factors that make Arroyo’s upcoming transition less of a sure thing. He missed the better part of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with a torn ACL and had just one year of high-level production as a result, notably catching passes from first-round quarterback prospect Cam Ward. And while he was sure-handed in college (he had just one career drop according to The Athletic), there weren’t many examples of him making contested catches last year.

All of these factors make Arroyo’s draft range harder to pin down. His upside is as high as anyone’s because of his run-after-catch ability and athleticism, but the unknowns make him more of a Day 2 prospect than someone pushing closer to the end of the first round.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: LSU tight end Mason Taylor could intrigue the Birds after strong Senior Bowl practices

Mason Taylor, LSU

When assessing which tight end prospects make the most sense for the Eagles on Day 2 of the draft, Taylor’s profile stands out for a handful of reasons. The 6-5, 251-pound prospect was a three-year starter for LSU and is the son of Hall of Fame edge rusher Jason Taylor and the nephew of Hall of Fame linebacker Zach Thomas. Pedigree aside, Mason Taylor has significant experience playing at a high level in the Southeastern Conference and won’t even turn 21 until just after this month’s draft.

Taylor’s game revolves around a fluid route-running style and an ability to pick up yards after the catch once he gains a head of steam downfield. He’s more smooth than explosive, but he managed 55 catches for 546 yards last season as a focal point in LSU’s offense.

When assessing how he would fare as a direct replacement for Goedert, Taylor is yet another prospect whose blocking leaves something to be desired. Perhaps he’ll grow into his frame and make strides in that area, but his college tape does not suggest he’ll be a capable in-line blocker as a rookie.

Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green

The Eagles should have plenty of intel about Fannin, who played for Eagles quarterbacks coach and former Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler the last three seasons. At 6-3, 241, he’s slightly undersized for the position but didn’t have as much trouble serving as a blocker as those measurements might indicate.

In the passing game, Fannin served as the driving force for the Bowling Green offense and logged a staggering 117 catches for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns last season alone. For those worried about level of competition, that production didn’t tail off against some of the nation’s best teams, either. Fannin had 11 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown against Penn State last year while also turning in a few quality reps as an in-line blocker as well.

That said, Fannin’s numbers at the NFL scouting combine might ding his draft stock some. He ran a 4.71-second 40-yard dash, even more dubious when you consider his weight falls into the ninth percentile at the position. That said, Fannin did test more accordingly for his size in the 10-yard split, which was in the 87th percentile and perhaps more predictive of the speed with which he plays.

Overall, Fannin will need to win with athleticism and instincts at the next level to compensate for his smaller frame. If the Eagles’ evaluation process leads them to believe he will be able to do that, he could be an ideal multidimensional tight end who could even last into the third or fourth round.

» READ MORE: Eagles three-round mock draft: Birds get upgrades in the trenches and add versatile piece in secondary

Terrance Ferguson, Oregon

If the Eagles are after a height-weight-speed prospect in the middle rounds, Ferguson stands out at 6-5 and 247 pounds with high-level athletic testing. The 22-year-old ran a 4.63-second 40-yard dash with a 93rd percentile 10-yard split of 1.55 seconds. That explosiveness showed up on the field during his three years starting for the Ducks.

Ferguson projects as a Day 2 pick because of his athleticism, but he still might not have the upside of the others in that range because of a lack of polish as a route-runner or an in-line blocker. If he develops either aspect of his game, though, he could turn into a solid tight end because of his physical traits.