Madden 19 Ratings: All the best Tight Ends (TE)

The last 20 years has seen a revolution in tight ends. Blocking has become a smaller part of their game, with receiving talents pushed to the fore by teams hungry for big targets over the middle of the field. Those that can excel as both blockers and receivers are rare, and thus at a premium.

How to choose the best tight ends in Madden 19 Franchise Mode

When it comes to tight ends (TE) it really depends on how you want your offense to function. Do you want to be a run-first team? Then you should prioritize blocking skills. Want to play from the shotgun for the most part? Then focus on the receiving stats. Here are the best tight ends with and OVR rating of 81 or more in Madden 19.

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (OVR 99)

Age: 29

Development Trait: Superstar

Contract: 2 years/$23.52m

2018 Cap Hit: $8.62m

Best Stats: Speed (83), Trucking (86), Catching (96), Catching In Traffic (97), Spectacular Catch (94), Release (94), Pass Block (73), Run Block (83), Short Route Running (88), Medium Route Running (86), Deep Route Running (78)

Of course Rob Gronkowski is the best. The Patriots tight end has been dominant since he entered the league in 2010. He already holds the record for most receiving touchdowns by a Patriot at 76, but what separates Gronk from other tight ends is his devastating physicality.

His trucking stat (86) is the highest among all tight ends, same goes for his catching in traffic (97) and release (94) stats. As well as being a great receiver, Gronk is also a terrific blocker. He has the second-best run block stat (83) and second-best pass block (73) stat. He is the perfect all rounder and easily deserving of his 99 overall rating.

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (OVR 95)

Age: 28

Development Trait: Superstar

Contract: 3 years/$29.04m

2018 Cap Hit: $8.47m

Best Stats: Speed (85), Catching (92), Catching In Traffic (90), Spectacular Catch (91), Jumping (91), Run Block (76), Short Route Running (86), Medium Route Running (83), Deep Route Running (78)

There is a bit of a gap between Gronk and Travis Kelce, but Kelce is arguably a better receiver. He is certainly faster (85), which opens up more routes and formational options. Kelce's strengths are all receiving, as shown by his catching stats (92) and strong route running abilities (86, 83, 78).

Kelce followed up a strong 2016 campaign with a brilliant 2017 season. He caught a career-high 122 passes for 1,038 yards and scored a personal best eight touchdowns. It was his second year in a row with over 115 catches and over 1,000 yards. If you want a pure receiver at tight end then Kelce is your guy.

Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins (OVR 94)

Age: 28

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 4 years/$27.81m

2018 Cap Hit: $5.87m

Best Stats: Speed (85), Catching (95), Run Block (68), Short Route Running (89), Medium Route Running (87), Deep Route Running (79)

Jordan Reed's career has been one long list of injuries. He hasn't played a full season in any of his five years in the NFL. His healthiest season was in 2015 when he played 14 games, catching 87 passes for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. When he's on the field though, Reed is a star.

Reed is a better route runner (89, 87, 79) at every level of the field than either Rob Gronkowski or Kelce, though his hands are not as reliable in tight situations (87). Reed is an elite option if your game is all about hitting the tight end on posts or corners.

Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (OVR 93)

Age: 33

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 1 year/$5.26m

2018 Cap Hit: $5.26m

Best Stats: Speed (85), Stiff Arm (85), Catching (93), Run Block (79), Short Route Running (86), Medium Route Running (82)

Delanie Walker is more in the mold of Gronk than of Kelce and Reed. A bigger, more physical tight end, Walker is a good middle ground between blocker and receiver thanks to his time as a fullback and move blocker in San Francisco. He really came to the fore as a receiver when he moved to Tennessee where he's had at least 800 yards receiving in each of his four years with the Titans, including a 1,088 yard year in 2015.

Walker has great hands (93) to go along with strong underneath route running (86) and nice speed (85). His stiff arm (85) is second only to Gronkowski, and Gronk is the only tight end with a better run block stat that is also a better receiver. When the Patriots man is the only player you can be compared with, you're doing pretty well.

Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers (OVR 92)

Age: 33

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 3 years/$12.8m

2018 Cap Hit: $4.22m

Best Stats: Speed (84), Catching (97), Catching In Traffic (93), Spectacular Catch (93), Short Route Running (87), Medium Route Running (85)

At 33, Olsen is coming to the end of his career, but it's been a remarkable run for the veteran tight end. Since moving to Carolina in 2011 he's come into his own, from 2014 to 2016 he averaged 80 catches, 1,061 yards, and five touchdowns per year. That run of form was only broken by injury last year.

Madden 19's Greg Olsen is a fearsome receiver. Terrific hands (97) and quality route running (87, 85) make him a nightmare for linebackers to stop. His speed (84), acceleration (86), and agility (83) are all a hair below the guys ranked above him, which will hurt if you find yourself with safeties over him, and his run blocking (54) isn't great either, but if all you want is a veteran receiver that can catch everything you throw his way then Olsen is perfect.

Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (OVR 92)

Age: 27

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 4 years/$24m

2018 Cap Hit: $5.65m

Best Stats: Speed (80), Acceleration (87), Catching (97), Spectacular Catch (90), Short Route Running (94), Medium Route Running (90), Deep Route Running (79)

Ertz is the best of the "young" tight end crop. He comes into 2018 after a Super Bowl winning 2017 in which he really came to the fore for the first time as a touchdown-scorer. Last year was his third season in a row with at least 70 catches and 800 yards, but he doubled his best touchdown tally to eight as he and Carson Wentz developed a fantastic chemistry together. He added a ninth touchdown in the Super Bowl that ended up being the winning score. 

He doesn't have the top speed of the veterans, but his acceleration (87) will help him beat the coverage in short areas of the field. Combine that with great catching (95) and position-best route running (94, 90, 79) at every level and you have a tight end that can be a game-changer. His blocking stats are not great (58 pass block, 53 run block), but given his age you have time to improve those until he is the complete package.

Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals (OVR 89)

Age: 27

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 1 year/$3m

2018 Cap Hit: $3m

Best Stats: Speed (84), Catching (88), Jumping (91), Run Block (72), Short Route Running (84), Medium Route Running (81)

Injuries have really hurt Eifert's development as a weapon for the Bengals since he was drafted in the first round in 2013. He hasn't played a full season yet, and managed just 10 games in the last two years due to lingering back issues. At his best, Eifert is a dominant red zone target. He caught 13 touchdowns in 2015 in his best season in the NFL, but we are yet to see if he can replicate that production.

Madden 19's Tyler Eifert is that 2015 weapon though. With good speed (84) and excellent jumping (91) he can still be the red zone target, and while his catching in traffic (88) isn't as good as you'd like, he can still be a real problem for defenses when the ball is put high in the air. 

Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers (OVR 88)

Age: 23

Development Trait: Star

Contract: 2 years/$3.3m

2018 Cap Hit: $1.5m

Best Stats: Speed (84), Acceleration (89), Catching (87), Spectacular Catch (87), Run Block (81), Short Route Running (81)

Henry is unfortunately out for the 2018 season after tearing the ACL in his right knee in May. It's a big shame because the Chargers tight end has had two strong years in the NFL so far. While he hasn't been a high volume receiver in his two seasons, he's been very dependable. With 81 catches, 1,057 yards, and 12 touchdowns in his career so far, 2018 could be a big year for him, and you can make it so in your Madden 19 franchise.

With his speed (84) and acceleration (89) he should be able to create space for himself, even if his route running is below par for now. The biggest asset in Henry's locker is exceptional run blocking (81). That is only two behind Rob Gronkowski, and given his age he could be as good as the Patriots man with a few years of careful training.

Jimmy Graham, Green Bay Packers (OVR 86)

Age: 31

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 3 years/$19m

2018 Cap Hit: $6.17m

Best Stats: Speed (83) Catching (87), Spectacular Catch (94), Jumping (92)

Jimmy Graham is not the force he once was. Back in 2011-13 he was one of the deadliest receivers in the game, but now he doesn't have the same burst, or the same quarterback. After a 2015 move to Seattle, Graham became a bit-part player. He didn't get more than 65 catches in any year in Seattle, nor did he break the 1,000-yard mark. 2018 sees him move to Green Bay, where a partnership with Aaron Rodgers could rekindle his brilliance, but it's more likely that the truly special version of Jimmy Graham is gone.

The Madden 19 version of the veteran tight end is not as fast as he once was, leaving him as a one-trick pony. That trick is in the red zone, where his spectacular catch (87) and jumping (92) still make him a force to be reckoned with. Graham has never been a great route runner, and he has some of the worst stats in that field (77, 75, 70).

Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings (OVR 86)

Age: 28

Development Trait: Quick

Contract: 2 years/$15.03m

2018 Cap Hit: $5.6m

Best Stats: Speed (77), Catching (93), Spectacular Catch (90), Short Route Running (83), Medium Route Running (80)

Rudolph has come into his own in recent years as the Vikings passing attack has improved. Over the last two years the big tight end has caught 140 passes for 1,372 yards and 15 touchdowns. He's been a problem for linebackers to handle in coverage, and is undervalued by Madden this year.

His speed stat (77) is a bit problematic, but he should be able to create solid separation with his route running (83, 80). His hands are more than good enough to feel confident throwing the ball even in tight windows, but he may not be as much of a red zone threat immediately as you would like. He is also a poor blocker, with just a 54 in both run and pass block.

Other star tight ends