Ben Terrence Coates, Jr. is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Livingstone College and was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL draft, where spent all but one season of his professional career. In his final season, he was a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
Anthony David Gonzalez is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is the NFL's all-time leader in receiving yards and receptions by a tight end, along with ranking third in overall receptions. Gonzalez spent his first 12 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, who selected him in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft. During his last five seasons, he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Since retiring in 2013, Gonzalez has served as a football analyst for NFL on Prime Video and was previously at CBS Sports and Fox Sports.
Michael Dean Rucker is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and was selected by the Panthers in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft.
Charles Wesley Walls is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons.
Carlester T. Crumpler Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Seattle Seahawks (1994–1998) and Minnesota Vikings (1999) of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Carolina Pirates, earning first-team All-American honors in 1993.
David Earl Martin is a former American football tight end and is currently the tight ends coach at Maryville College. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL draft. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Tennessee.
Richard Eugene McGeorge is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).
Freddie Ray Jones Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels and was selected by the San Diego Chargers with their second round pick in the 1997 NFL draft. Jones became one of the best tight ends in the league in his 5 years with the Chargers. On November 4, 2001, he caught Drew Brees's first touchdown pass. Before the 2002 season he signed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he played for 3 years. He then signed with the Carolina Panthers before the 2005 season, but never played. On August 7, 2005, he announced his retirement at the age of 30, with 404 receptions for 4232 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Brian Douglas Kinchen is an American former football tight end and long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots.
Gregory Walter Olsen is an American football sportscaster and former tight end who played for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. Olsen also played for the Carolina Panthers, with whom he made three Pro Bowls, and became the first tight end in NFL history to record three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Olsen played his final season with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020. Following his retirement Olsen joined Fox as a sportscaster and is formerly the lead color commentator for the NFL on Fox.
McKenna Sean "Bear" Pascoe is a former American football tight end. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at Fresno State.
Virgil Leo Green is an American football coach and former tight end who is currently the tight ends coach at the University of Nevada, Reno. He played college football at Nevada and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Zachary Adam Ertz is an American football tight end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2012. Ertz was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, winning Super Bowl LII with the team. He has also been a member of the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions.
Eric Ebron is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kelvin Benjamin is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
Tyler Higbee is an American football tight end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Kentucky and was drafted by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
George Krieger Kittle is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2023.
Ian Thomas is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Indiana, and was selected by the Panthers in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Drew Sample is an American football tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Tommy Tremble is an American football tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
