Anthony Firkser looks like the No. 1 sleeper-type guy at tight end. He appears to be a solid pass catcher, and he’s going to get a lot more opportunities this year.
Former Tennessee tight end Delanie Walker, who’s hoping to get back into the league, says he’s among those who thinks Firkser is ready to ascend.
"He sat under me for years and I tried to teach him everything I know,” Walker said on the Talking w/TD podcast with Turron Davenport. “He can get open, he can catch the ball. I think he going to be elite.
"I feel like it's going to be a good year for him," Walker said. "I'm excited. I hope he does well, cause I want him to get paid. That's what it comes down to. Just hope he does well. I know he built his confidence over the years. Now he has that opportunity to be the starter. I told him the last time I saw him, I said it's your opportunity, don't lose it. Cause they don't give it to many people often. He has the opportunity to be great."
Firkser spent his first two seasons as a backup behind Walker. Last year he was mostly a backup behind Jonnu Smith, who’s now with the Patriots. But when Firkser has been given a chance to play, he’s looked fine. He caught 8 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown last year in a game against Houston.
At Harvard, Firkser caught 99 passes and 14 touchdowns – pretty similar to the other notable Harvard tight end who’s in the pros right now: Cameron Brate.
In the last two years, Firkser has had 10 games where he’s seen at least 4 targets, and he’s caught 37 passes for 388 yards and 2 TDs in those 10 games. He caught 19 of the 20 passes thrown his way as a rookie.
In my eyes, Firkser looks like a candidate to maybe sneak into the top 10 among tight ends. I wouldn’t draft him to be my No. 1 tight end, but I like him a whole bunch as a second.
In the Mock Auction in the magazine, I purchased a modest tight end as my starter (Mike Gesicki), so I added Firkser as another option.
| TIGHT END DROPS (2020) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Rec | Drop | Pct |
| Robert Tonyan, GB | 52 | 52 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Travis Kelce, DC | 107 | 105 | 2 | 1.9% |
| Jimmy Graham, CHI | 51 | 50 | 1 | 2.0% |
| Dallas Goedert, PHI | 47 | 46 | 1 | 2.1% |
| Anthony Firkser, TEN | 40 | 39 | 1 | 2.5% |
| Hunter Henry, LAC | 62 | 60 | 2 | 3.2% |
| Darren Waller, LV | 111 | 107 | 4 | 3.6% |
| Mike Gesicki, MIA | 55 | 53 | 2 | 3.6% |
| Austin Hooper, CLE | 48 | 46 | 2 | 4.2% |
| Rob Gronkowski, TB | 47 | 45 | 2 | 4.3% |
| Jared Cook, NO | 39 | 37 | 2 | 5.1% |
| Dalton Schultz, DAL | 67 | 63 | 4 | 6.0% |
| Tyler Higbee, LAR | 47 | 44 | 3 | 6.4% |
| Hayden Hurst, ATL | 60 | 56 | 4 | 6.7% |
| Jonnu Smith, TEN | 44 | 41 | 3 | 6.8% |
| Drew Sample, CIN | 43 | 40 | 3 | 7.0% |
| Noah Fant, DEN | 67 | 62 | 5 | 7.5% |
| Jordan Akins, HOU | 40 | 37 | 3 | 7.5% |
| Mark Andrews, BAL | 63 | 58 | 5 | 7.9% |
| Logan Thomas, WAS | 79 | 72 | 7 | 8.9% |
| George Kittle, SF | 53 | 48 | 5 | 9.4% |
| T.J. Hockenson, DET | 74 | 67 | 7 | 9.5% |
| Eric Ebron, PIT | 63 | 56 | 7 | 11.1% |
| Zach Ertz, PHI | 41 | 36 | 5 | 12.2% |
| Gerald Everett, LAR | 48 | 41 | 7 | 14.6% |
| Evan Engram, NYG | 74 | 63 | 11 | 14.9% |
—Ian Allan