Trey McBride didn’t just top Pro Football Network’s tight end rankings heading into 2026. He lapped the field. McBride graded out at 92.4 in PFN’s tight end impact scoring last season, a full 10 points ahead of second-place George Kittle, and he built that number on a Cardinals team that spent most of the year searching for answers at quarterback.
Trey McBride Set the Standard Among the NFL’s Best Tight Ends
The position is having a moment, and McBride is its headliner. “The tight end position is officially sexy again in the NFL,” PFN analyst Jacob Infante said on the Hot List, pointing to the rise of multiple tight end sets and defenses that have shed size to chase speed. Offenses have answered with bigger bodies who can block and catch, and no one caught it better than McBride.
He led all tight ends in receptions and receiving yards last season and tied for the position lead in touchdowns, finishing with 126 catches for 1,239 yards and 11 scores in 17 games. “He was the bona fide top tight end in the NFL last year,” Infante said. “The stats say it, but also the analytics say it from an efficiency perspective.”
The separator is range. “He’s truly one of a kind from a receiving perspective,” Infante said. “If you need him to win above the rim, he can. If you need him to get open across the middle of the field, he can.” Others in this tier block better, but as a pass catcher, McBride stands alone.
George Kittle earned the No. 2 spot on the strength of how long he has stayed elite. “If you’re talking about efficiency, George Kittle is the definition of consistency,” Infante said. Kittle caught 57 passes for 628 yards and 7 touchdowns in only 11 games, a pace that projects near 970 yards across a full season.
The Injuries That Reshaped the NFL Tight End Rankings
Health is the through line for almost everyone behind McBride. Kittle, who turns 33 in October, tore his Achilles in the postseason and is pushing to be ready for Week 1. Brock Bowers, ranked third, played through a knee injury before Las Vegas placed him on injured reserve, and No. 4 Sam LaPorta had back surgery in November after a herniated disc ended his season eight games early.
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Bowers still projects as a future No. 1. “Maybe [he’s] one of the most athletic, if not the most athletic, and the best route running tight end in the NFL today,” Infante said. Bowers scored 7 touchdowns in 12 games despite unstable quarterback play, and help is on the way with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza now in Las Vegas.
Travis Kelce, a fixture on these lists for a decade, didn’t crack the Top 100 at all this time and settled for honorable mention after a third consecutive season below 1,000 yards. He remains productive, with 851 yards in 2025, but the every-week dominance is gone.
McBride is the exception, the one elite tight end who stayed upright and dominated anyway. That is what makes his ceiling the most unsettling detail on PFN’s list. “If he’s been this productive with poor quarterback play,” Infante said, “you can only imagine, whenever the Cardinals do figure out their long-term starting franchise quarterback, just how good McBride’s gonna be.”
