Who Should I Start? Mason Taylor or Elijah Arroyo

Tuesday, April 29, 4:39 PM

The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt writes that rookie second-round tight end Mason Taylor will immediately walk into the Jets building at the top of the tight end depth chart going into his rookie season in 2025. Jeremy Ruckert projects as the No. 2, but he has yet to make an impact since the Jets drafted him in 2022. The Jets are at least hoping he can take a step forward as a blocker and contribute in the running game. The 20-year-old Taylor not only will be a starter immediately, but he could see plenty of targets from quarterback Justin Fields in his first year in the NFL, giving him TE1 fantasy upside in 2025. Outside of WR1 Garrett Wilson, the Jets don't exactly star-studded receiving depth in Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard and Arian Smith. Taylor will have intriguing rookie upside, but he'll still be better off drafted as a TE2 sleeper than a staple for those in single-TE leagues.

Friday, May 2, 11:55 PM

Seattle Seahawks rookie tight end Elijah Arroyo (knee) said that the knee injury that slowed him down during the pre-draft process is behind him. Arroyo didn't run the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine in February or at his Pro Day due to his knee injury, but the Seahawks estimated that the 6-foot-5, 254-pounder would run a 4.52-second 40 based on his GPS speeds. Despite his knee issue, the Seahawks selected the 22-year-old former Miami product in the second round (50th overall) in last week's draft. Seattle still has Noah Fant, who caught 48 passes for 500 yards and a touchdown on 64 targets in 14 games in 2024, but Arroyo has a shot to carve out a significant role in his rookie season, especially as a red-zone target for quarterback Sam Darnold. Arroyo can probably be ignored in standard redraft leagues this fall but will be an intriguing dynasty/keeper prospect long-term.