Football List of Famous Football Tight Ends

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List of the most famous (American) football tight ends in the history of the sport, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. There have been many legendary tight ends in the NFL and NCAA, and you'll find all of them on this list below. Some of these men are considered to be the best tight ends to ever play the game, and if you're looking for a specific football player you can look for them by using the "search" function on this list. These amazing tight ends may currently be active while others have been retired for quite sometime. This list of the top tight ends in American football includes all the greats from both the NFL and college football.

Use every item on this list for yours, from Tony Gonzalez to Rob Gronkowski.

This list answers the questions, "Who is the greatest tight end of all time?" and "Who are the best tight ends of all time?"

1
Tony Gonzalez is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Anthony David Gonzalez is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of California, Berkeley, and was ...more

2
Rob Gronkowski is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Robert James "Rob" Gronkowski, nicknamed "Gronk", is a tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He played college football for the University ...more

3
Jimmy Graham is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jimmy Graham is an American football tight end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He ...more

4
Antonio Gates is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Antonio Ethan Gates, Jr. is an American football tight end for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. He has been selected onto the Pro Bowl nine times and is a five-time ...more

5
Jason Witten is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Christopher Jason Witten is a color analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football and former American football tight end who played 15 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League ...more

6
Vernon Davis is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Vernon Leonard Davis is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the 49ers. Upon ...more

7
Mike Ditka is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Michael Keller Ditka is a former American football player, coach, and television commentator. A member of both the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fames, he was the 1961 UPI NFL Rookie ...more

8
Shannon Sharpe is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Shannon Sharpe is a former American football tight end who played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, as well as a former analyst for CBS Sports on its ...more

9
John Mackey is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end John Mackey was an American football tight end who played for the Baltimore Colts and the San Diego Chargers. He was born in Roosevelt, New York and attended Syracuse University. He was the ...more

10
Dave Casper is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end, Wide receiver David John Casper, nicknamed "The Ghost." is a former American football player best known for being a prominent member of the Oakland Raiders. He was a Tight end and also played as an ...more

11
Jackie Smith is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jackie Larue Smith is a former professional American football player in the National Football League. He played tight end for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys from 1963 to 1978. He ...more

12
Owen Daniels is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Owen Gerald Daniels is an American football tight end for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Wisconsin, and was drafted by the ...more

13
Ozzie Newsome is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Ozzie Newsome Jr. is a former American Football Conference tight end for the Cleveland Browns, an inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the current General Manager of the Baltimore

14
Julius Thomas is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Julius Dewayne Thomas is an American football tight end for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL ...more

15
Greg Olsen is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Gregory Olsen is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played ...more

16
Dallas Clark is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Dallas Dean Clark is a former American football tight end who played 11 seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Iowa, earned unanimous ...more

17
Todd Christensen is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Fullback, Tight end Todd Jay Christensen was an American football player who played in the National Football League from 1978 until 1988, spending most of that time playing tight end for the Oakland and Los Angeles ...more

18
Mark Bavaro is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Mark Bavaro is a former American football tight end who played for the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League. Bavaro was selected to the Pro ...more

19
Martellus Bennett is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Martellus Demond Bennett is a former American football tight end and children's author. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft after playing college football at ...more

20
Jordan Cameron is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jordan Cravens Cameron is an American football tight end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. ...more

21
Jermichael Finley is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jermichael Decorean Finley is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Packers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at

22
Jay Novacek is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jay McKinley Novacek is a former American football tight end in the National Football League who played for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys. Novacek was a five-time Pro ...more

23
Dwight Clark is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end, Wide receiver Dwight Edward Clark is a former American football wide receiver and executive. He played for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League from 1979 to 1987. With the 49ers, Clark ...more

24
Charlie Sanders is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Charles Alvin Sanders is a former American football player who played tight end for the Detroit Lions from 1968-77. On February 3, 2007, Sanders was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

25
Ben Coates is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Ben Terrence Coates is a former American football tight end in the National Football League and former CIAA football coach and former NFL tight ends coach. Coates didn't play football until his ...more

26
Jared Cook is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jared Cook Jr. is an American football tight end for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He ...more

27
Kyle Rudolph is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Kyle Daniel Rudolph is an American football tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. Rudolph played college football for the University of Notre Dame, and was chosen ...more

28
Aaron Hernandez is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Aaron Michael Hernandez is a former American football tight end and convicted murderer. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Hernandez played ...more

29
Fred Davis is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Frederick Martin Davis is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He is currently suspended indefinitely. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of ...more

30
Brent Jones is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Brent Michael Jones is a former American football tight end who played almost his entire National Football League career with the San Francisco 49ers from 1987 to 1997. He was selected in the ...more

31
Coby Fleener is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jacoby "Coby" Fleener is an American football tight end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League. After playing at Joliet Catholic Academy during high school, Fleener ...more

32
Bob Tucker is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Robert Louis "Bob" Tucker is a former professional American football player in the National Football League. A 6'3", 230 lbs. tight end from Bloomsburg University, Tucker played ...more

33
George Halas is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
End, Tight end George Stanley Halas, Sr., nicknamed "Papa Bear" and "Mr. Everything", was a player, coach, owner and pioneer in professional American football. He was the iconic founder and ...more

34
Zach Miller is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Zachary Joseph Miller is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and played college football for Arizona State University, where he received ...more

35
Mike Vrabel is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Linebacker, Tight end Michael George Vrabel is a former American football linebacker and current linebackers coach for the Houston Texans in the National Football League. He played college football at Ohio State ...more

36
Delanie Walker is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Hubert Delanie Walker is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He has also played fullback and wide receiver. He was drafted by the San ...more

37
Dustin Keller is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end, Wide receiver Dustin Kendall Keller is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2008 NFL ...more

38
Jeremy Shockey is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jeremy Charles Shockey is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the New York Giants 14th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami. ...more

39
Todd Heap is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Todd Benjamin Heap is a former American football tight end. After playing college football for Arizona State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2001 NFL ...more

40
Raymond Chester is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Raymond Tucker Chester is a former American Football tight end. After graduating from Douglass High School in Baltimore, Maryland, Chester played college football at the historically Black ...more

41
Heath Miller is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Earl Heath Miller, Jr. is an American football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. Miller played college football for the University of Virginia, earned ...more

42
Keith Jackson is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Keith Jerome Jackson is a former professional American football tight end who played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and Green Bay Packers.

43
Jerry Smith is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Gerald "Jerry" Sanford Smith was a professional American football tight end for the National Football League's Washington Redskins from 1965–1977. By the time he retired he held the ...more

44
Billy Joe DuPree is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Billy Joe DuPree is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League who played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys. He attended Michigan State University.

45
Jermaine Gresham is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Jermaine Gresham is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma and received All-American honors. He was drafted by ...more

46
Steve Jordan is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tight end Steven Russell Jordan is a former American football tight end who played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Brown. Jordan's son Cameron is currently a ...more

47
Ed Sprinkle is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Defensive end, Guard, Tight end Edward Alexander Sprinkle was an American football player. He was known to many as "The Meanest Man in Pro Football" and was nicknamed "The Claw." He played for 12 seasons ...more

48
Connor Barwin is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Defensive end, Linebacker, Tight end Connor Alfred Barwin is an American football linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2009 NFL ...more

49
Leon Hart is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
End, Tight end Leon Joseph Hart was an American football end. He won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award while at the University of Notre Dame in 1949 and played in the National Football League for eight ...more

50
Riley Odoms is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list List of Famous Football Tight Ends
Tackle, Tight end Riley Mackey Odoms is a former American football tight end. He played college football at the University of Houston and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos of the National ...more