When it comes to tight ends, traits tend to translate. They often translate to college production, and they certainly translate to NFL draft capital and production. It is a position we want to know who the FREAKY DUDES are that move differently from their peers. Let’s discuss some of the lesser-known options out there that could be more of a household name in the CFB world, like Fannin or Warren.
For those of you expecting Kenyon Sadiq, I’ll save you the time. He’s a FREAK. Of course, you already knew that if you read Pulse of the CFF Nation from early September of 2024, where he was appropriately labeled “Sadiq the Freak”—no need to address the obvious.
John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming (6’5″, 250 lbs.)
Gyllenborg is one of the more well-known options we will discuss, but people probably don’t understand how explosive he is. He has a 0.96 burst score due to a 126-inch broad jump (95th percentile) and a 37.5-inch vert (91st percentile). He’s got a verified 4.69 forty and has been clocked at 19.5 mph. This translates to the field as 53.2% of these targets were 10+ yards, and 27.7% were greater than 20 yards. JMG led all TEs (over 20 targets) with a 12.4 ADOT in 2024. Too bad he plays in such a vanilla offensive scheme.
Theo Melin Ohrstrom (6’6″, 265)
The Aggies have been waiting on a breakout season from “Thor” for a hot minute now. He has a small sample size, but this massive Swede is a very fluid mover for 265 pounds. He grew up playing soccer as a goaltender in Sweden and didn’t pick up the sport of football until after the age of 16. He primarily played WR until coming to the States.
There is no Star Rating for him at C2C, but his PFF data is interesting. Five of his 14 targets were beyond 20 yards, he was three for three on contested catch opportunities, and he had three missed tackles forced on his five catches of less than ten yards. Again, small sample size, but a 15.5 ADOT for a TE is very interesting. Could he be used similarly to how Collin Klein used Ben Sinnott?
Terrance Carter Jr, Texas Tech (6’2″, 242)
Carter transfers in from Louisiana. Concerns are valid about whether JohnCarlos Miller will start over Carter and whether this scheme is beneficial for tight ends. However, the athletic traits are certainly there. Carter had the third-most missed tackles forced in 2024 with 18. He did that on 48 receptions. To put that into perspective, Tyler Warren, a guy who ran the wildcat, had 19 missed tackles forced on 104 receptions. Carter has a 0.799 star index, thanks in large part to a 95th percentile shuttle time. He is undersized but agile and explosive in space.
Heinrich Haarberg, Nebraska (6’5″, 225)
The former QB seems to be making the transition to TE well, based on spring camp reports out of Lincoln. Haarberg isn’t in the C2C database, so there is no STAR rating on him, but he was a dual-threat QB that flashed some wheels at times, specifically on a 72-yard rushing TD against Louisiana Tech. His speed scores probably aren’t very reliable, as they are close to five years old and from when he was 35 pounds lighter. However, he did run an 11.10 in the 100-meter, finishing third in the state of Nebraska. He also finished third in the high jump and was runner-up in the 200-meter.
