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Average Draft Position: TE11; 100th Overall
For some time now, David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns has been paid like an elite tight end. But until last year, he hadn’t really played like one.
That changed in 2023, with career highs in receptions (81), receiving yards (882), and touchdowns (six) on the way to finishing sixth in PPR points among tight ends.
Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal, former Browns great Bernie Kosar sees last year’s big numbers as only the beginning for the soon-to-be 28-year-old:
“What David’s done with his confidence and self-esteem in the community, hats off to him that he’s able to do this. Where he’s come on the field with that even more so. A lot of people when he got drafted maybe were down on him, but he was 20 years old.
“A lot of people kind of were on his case back four or five years ago. But a lot of people were supportive of him, and he was supportive of himself, and it was big when he had that confidence and belief. I love what Travis Kelce’s doing, but David Njoku’s up there as one of the elite tight ends in the game.”
The problem is Njoku did the majority of his statistical damage last year with Joe Flacco under center. With Deshaun Watson at quarterback for six of the first nine games last year, he barely ranked inside the top-15 tight ends in PPR points. He found the end zone just twice over that span. Then Watson went down, Flacco took over and Njoku’s numbers spiked.
Last year’s 123 targets weren’t just a career high, they were also just 10 more than Njoku had in 2021 and 2022 combined.
Throw in the arrival of wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, and Njoku is more likely to finish outside the top-15 TEs in 2024 than finish inside the top 10.
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on X at @IDPSharks.
