Positional ADP: TE19 | Projected Finish: TE24
The Cleveland Browns drafted tight end David Njoku in the first round, but he's not ready for fantasy prime time yet.
First of all, we know that rookie tight ends don't usually produce very well. We also know that Cleveland is starting either Cody Kessler or DeShone Kizer at quarterback. Assuming it's Kessler, we project him to throw just 18 touchdowns all year. We project 10 will go to Kenny Britt or Corey Coleman. Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson should account for another one or two receiving scores. Even if Njoku were to get all the rest, that's not a lot of upside.
Njoku also isn't the only tight end in Cleveland. Seth DeValve has a year under his belt, and he is comparable athletically to Njoku.
| PLAYER | Height | Weight | 40 | Bench | Vertical | Broad | 3-Cone | Shuttle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeValve | 74" | 244 | 4.68 | 22 | 40 | 125 | 6.96 | 4.18 |
| Njoku | 76" | 246 | 4.64 | 21 | 37.5 | 133 | 6.97 | 4.34 |
DeValve is looking good this offseason after showing well in limited duty last year. His Reception NEP per target of 0.98 was 13th-best among all tight ends. That was on just 13 targets, so we can't read too much into it, but DeValve can't just be written off, either. His presence further limits Njoku's 2017 upside.
Instead Try
Jason Witten. We project him to finish as TE16. That isn't too exciting, but it is considerably better than Njoku. Even better, he's got no positional competition in what should be a quality offense.