After ranking the top wide receivers of 2001–2025, I applied the same approach to tight ends. The result is a ranking that includes some of the position’s most productive pass catchers and shows the different paths they took to the top.
Tony Gonzalez ranks first with 1,014.9 cumulative Scrimmage Performance Rating points. Jason Witten follows at No. 2, while Antonio Gates, Travis Kelce, and Rob Gronkowski complete the top five.
How the ranking works
I added each tight end’s Scrimmage Performance Rating from every season in which he qualified. The resulting cumulative SPR determines the order.
SPR compares a tight end only with other qualified tight ends from the same season. Total production supplies 60% of the rating, per-game production supplies 25%, yards per touch supplies 10%, and fumble avoidance supplies 5%. Production is scaled relative to the position leader so large differences in yards, touchdowns, and first downs remain meaningful. A tight end needs at least two touches per scheduled game to qualify.
This is a ranking of performance within the 2001–2025 window, not a full-career ranking. Production before 2001 does not count. That notably excludes the first four seasons of Gonzalez’s career and affects other veteran tight ends whose careers began before the window.
The top 20
| Rank | Tight end | Qualified seasons | Cumulative SPR | Average SPR | Best season | Top-five finishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Gonzalez | 13 | 1014.9 | 78.1 | 2003 (97.3) | 9 |
| 2 | Jason Witten | 16 | 973.0 | 60.8 | 2007 (85.4) | 7 |
| 3 | Antonio Gates | 13 | 965.0 | 74.2 | 2005 (96.5) | 9 |
| 4 | Travis Kelce | 12 | 954.6 | 79.5 | 2020 (96.4) | 8 |
| 5 | Rob Gronkowski | 10 | 757.5 | 75.8 | 2014 (97.6) | 7 |
| 6 | Jimmy Graham | 11 | 685.0 | 62.3 | 2013 (95.5) | 5 |
| 7 | Zach Ertz | 12 | 651.6 | 54.3 | 2017 (74.8) | 2 |
| 8 | George Kittle | 9 | 629.2 | 69.9 | 2024 (87.4) | 8 |
| 9 | Greg Olsen | 11 | 627.3 | 57.0 | 2016 (83.5) | 3 |
| 10 | Heath Miller | 11 | 542.8 | 49.3 | 2012 (72.8) | 1 |
| 11 | Jeremy Shockey | 10 | 540.9 | 54.1 | 2005 (79.3) | 3 |
| 12 | Vernon Davis | 10 | 536.0 | 53.6 | 2009 (82.3) | 3 |
| 13 | Jared Cook | 10 | 508.1 | 50.8 | 2019 (69.5) | 2 |
| 14 | Mark Andrews | 8 | 497.9 | 62.2 | 2021 (92.7) | 4 |
| 15 | Hunter Henry | 9 | 476.4 | 52.9 | 2025 (66.4) | 1 |
| 16 | Owen Daniels | 9 | 473.8 | 52.6 | 2008 (64.4) | 1 |
| 17 | Todd Heap | 7 | 441.9 | 63.1 | 2002 (90.5) | 4 |
| 18 | Evan Engram | 9 | 398.7 | 44.3 | 2023 (65.6) | 1 |
| 19 | Dallas Goedert | 8 | 388.4 | 48.5 | 2025 (61.7) | 1 |
| 20 | Zach Miller | 8 | 379.6 | 47.5 | 2010 (61.5) | 0 |
What stands out
Gonzalez moves into the top spot
Gonzalez leads Witten by 41.9 points. He averaged 78.1 SPR over 13 qualifying seasons in the window, earned nine top-five finishes, and posted a 97.3 in 2003.
The cutoff still limits Gonzalez’s total
The study begins with Gonzalez’s fifth NFL season. A full-career calculation would give him four additional seasons and extend a total that already leads the 2001–2025 ranking.
Gronkowski owns the dominant peak
Kelce’s 79.5 average SPR is the highest in the top 20. Gronkowski’s 97.6 rating in 2014 is the best single-season score in the group, and he finished in the top five in seven of his 10 qualifying seasons.
Kelce and Kittle were remarkably consistent
Kelce ranks fourth with 12 qualifying seasons, eight top-five finishes, and a 79.5 average SPR. Kittle is eighth with a 69.9 average and eight top-five finishes across nine seasons.
Witten’s longevity secures second place
Witten’s 16 qualifying seasons are the most in the top 20. His 60.8 average SPR is lower than the other members of the top five, but he remained productive enough to add value over an unusually long span. That sustained production moves him to second.
Production emphasis reshapes the top 20
The production-first formula brings Evan Engram into the top 20 and moves Zach Ertz to seventh. It also rewards the sustained totals of Witten and Gonzalez while preserving elite per-game seasons from Kelce, Gronkowski, and Kittle.
Like the wide receiver ranking, this list rewards accumulated season-relative performance rather than reputation alone. It gives credit to both dominant peaks and the ability to remain productive across many seasons.
Browse the NFL ratings archive to see the complete tight end rankings for each season from 2001 through 2025.