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Detroit Lions, NFC North Position Rankings: Tight Ends

By Jack Ozark

Nov 20, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron (85) celebrates his touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron (85) celebrates his touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) catches a pass against Chicago Bears defensive back Tracy Porter (21) in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) catches a pass against Chicago Bears defensive back Tracy Porter (21) in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings rank third because of the consistency and production of one player, Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph was drafted in 2011 and has put up pretty similar numbers every season. That is until last season when quarterback Sam Bradford came to the Vikings.

The combination of offensive coordinator Norv Turner and Bradford led to a short and quick passing game. This allowed Rudolph to flourish as a consistent check down option. Due to this, he almost doubled his catches and yards last season. This season, as long as Bradford plays over Bridgewater, the production should be pretty similar.

To find a younger compliment to Rudolph, the Vikings looked to the draft. In the sixth round, they selected Bucky Hodges out of Virginia Tech. Hodges ended his college career as Virginia Tech’s top tight end ever, even though he entered the school as a quarterback. He should be a pass-first tight end, but his size shouldn’t stop him from becoming a good blocker as well.

Maybe the most interesting Viking tight end is Nick Truesdell. Truesdell’s story since starting college football is a wild one. And after bouncing around the Arena Football League and NFL camp invites, he finally landed himself a roster spot. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him as a featured player in this offense by the end of the season.

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