Despite outperforming several top-ten peers in yards and touchdowns, Cleveland Browns' rising star Harold Fannin Jr. remains buried in ESPN’s latest tight end rankings, sparking plenty of debate.
List season continues as ESPN rolled out another position group ranking as voted on by executives, scouts and coaches from around the NFL.
The latest list highlights the top 10 tight ends in football, and while Cleveland Browns tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was part of a lengthy group of honorable mentions in the piece, it feels a bit like a snub for the rising star.
The top three featured worthy names like Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders, Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals, George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers. Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions and fellow 2025 pick Tyler Warren of the Indianapolis Colts rounded out the top five, perhaps questionably.
Green Bay Packers TE Tucker Kraft, Chicago Bears TE Colston Loveland (also a rookie in 2025), Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts, Baltimore Ravens veteran Mark Andrews and future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, notably of the Kansas City Chiefs, made up the rest of the top 10.
Meanwhile, Fannin Jr. was the last name mentioned in the honorable mention section of the piece, along with four other players.
"His arrow is up. He's a chess piece that can maneuver in space. He should be a 100-catch guy," commented one NFC executive in the piece.
It's obvious that those around the league see the potential of Fannin Jr. as a player on the rise. Still, his being the 15th name mentioned feels somewhat disingenuous, particularly after the season Fannin Jr. had in 2025 with mediocre quarterback play.
The Bowling Green product ranked eighth in total receiving yards in the NFL with 731. That mark was ahead of Loveland and Bowers. He finished tied with Loveland and Kraft with six total touchdowns, and ahead of Kelce, Pitts and Andrews, who each had five a piece.
He also finished seventh in yards after the catch with 352 and had the eight most receptions (72) with less routes run (442) than three members of the top 10.
There's no denying Fannin is poised for a great career, and he's likely to become even more impactful with an improved offense around him this upcoming season. Additions like rookie wideouts KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, along with a new o-line, are only going to give defenses more to account for, leaving Fannin in more winnable one-on-one situations.
While he may not have fully captured the respect of the key decision makers around the league quite yet, in due time he should. There's plenty more to come for Fannin Jr.
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