This post-draft look at each Minnesota Vikings position group continues with the tight ends.
Tight Ends
T.J. Hockenson
Josh Oliver
Gavin Bartholomew
Ben Yurosek
Bryson Nesbit
Tight end was one of the position groups not addressed in free agency. With only two on the roster, the position was sure to be addressed in draft. Gavin Bartholomew was selected in the sixth round. Ben Yurosek and Bryson Nesbit were signed after the draft.
T.J. Hockenson is one of the best tight ends in the league. It’ll be nice having him healthy from the start this season. Last year, he missed the first half of the season as he rehabbed the knee injury suffered late in the 2023 season. He contributed upon his return to the lineup but he was never quite back to his impactful ways. When the Chicago Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, his highlight package was filled with J.J. McCarthy peppering him with passes from their 2023 college season. It made clear that McCarthy does quite well throwing across the middle and down the seams to tight ends. He’ll like throwing to Hockenson.
Josh Oliver filled in well as TE#1 as Hockenson worked his way back to the field. Oliver is a big, reliable target in the pass game and his blocking is critical in the run game. He’s a strong TE#2.
As a drafted player, Gavin Bartholomew has the edge over Ben Yurosek and Bryson Nesbit in the competition for TE#3. Pre-draft, I was actually more intrigued by Yurosek. It’s clear that the Vikings decision-makers saw it the other way. Bartholomew is probably the best blend of receiving and blocking. Of the two undrafted tight ends, Yurosek is the better blocker and Nesbit is the better receiver. The competition for TE#3 should be an interesting one.
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