Oregon's Jamari Johnson tops 2027 NFL Draft TE rankings
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- Jamari Johnson is pegged as the early TE1 for the 2027 draft, a 'traditional' 6'5", 257-pound Oregon tight end who returned for his fourth season in an offense Renner calls a 'tight end factory' after Ferguson (46th overall) and Sadiq (16th overall) went in consecutive years.
- Luke Reynolds, a former five-star recruit who transferred from Penn State to Virginia Tech, ranks second as a Day 2 do-it-all prospect with 'fantastic footwork' and advanced blocking tape for a sophomore, but lacks featured-role production.
- Terrance Carter Jr. (Texas Tech, 6'2¼", 245 lbs) is slotted at No. 3 as a Day 2 H-back whose 23 broken tackles after the catch led all returning tight ends, drawing a Delanie Walker comp and a note that he'd be the shortest starting NFL tight end today.
- Trey'Dez Green, a 6'6+ LSU target whose wingspan may top Michael Trigg's record 84⅜ inches, had 12 contested catches (second-most among TEs) but at 238 pounds 'is a complete non-factor as a run-blocker' and is roughly 20 pounds away from changing that.
- Caleb Odom was called 'the most frustrating watch in the entire tight end class' — Renner rates him the single most impressive athlete in the class but flagged a 17.4% drop rate (4 drops on 23 catchable passes per PFF) plus three more missed contested catches.
- Theo Melin Ohrstrom, who grew up in Stockholm and discovered football via YouTube before attending an American academy and playing at Texas A&M, transferred to SMU and is highlighted as a possible overseas-TEs trend following Texans second-rounder Marlin Klein.
- Renner warns that with NIL money flowing and tight end usage surging (nine of the top 100 picks in April were TEs), 'half of the top-10 prospects listed below' could skip the 2027 draft entirely when first eligible to declare in January.
Why it matters: Oregon is positioning itself as a draft pipeline at one position after placing tight ends at 16th and 46th overall in back years — if Johnson goes Round 1, it would mark the third straight cycle the Ducks produce an early TE pick. The class is also unusually H-back and move-TE heavy, forcing NFL scouting departments to recalibrate size thresholds: six of the ten prospects are listed at 245 pounds or under or are flagged as non-factors in the run game.
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