• Mason Taylor is one of the most experienced tight ends in the class, having spent the last three seasons as LSU’s full-time starting tight end. • Taylor hopes to follow in the footsteps of Brian Thomas Jr., who never excelled at LSU before becoming an NFL star. Taylor plans to follow in the footsteps of his former teammate. • The 2025 NFL Draft season is arrived. Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator to learn about the top 2025 prospects while trading and picking for your favorite NFL team.

PFF’s fantasy football player profile series provides the most detailed fantasy football research available for the 2025 season. Using PFF’s proprietary data, we assess player performance, competition for touches, and how teammates and coaching staffs will affect each player’s fantasy football prospects.

Athlete Performance Taylor has been LSU’s leading tight end for the past three seasons. His production hasn’t been as strong as other tight ends likely to be picked in the first two days. Nonetheless, he has faced substantially more competition for touches and the caliber of opponents. In 2022 and 2023, he will fight for targets with Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers. With those two out of the picture, he produced significantly better results in 2024. Taylor’s production issues could also be attributed to the quarterback. Taylor was targeted 11 times on long passes during the regular season, the fourth-most by a Power-Four tight end last year. He caught three passes for 80 yards, and only four of the eleven targets were deemed catchable. While he had Jayden Daniels earlier in his career, Garrett Nussmeier didn’t grade as well as a passer in 2024 as Daniels did in previous years. Taylor’s separation rate was in the 96th percentile among tight ends, suggesting the team may have been a more significant part of the problem.

Our draft guide stated several times that his strength is an issue, but it should be modifiable. Taylor is a bit of a projection given his minimal collegiate productivity, but that is one area where he might improve to become more prolific in the NFL.

Projected Taylor is expected to play as a receiving tight end, as per his pre-draft profile. The main concern is whether he can be an every-down tight end. At the combine, he stood 6-foot-5 and weighed 251 pounds, which is about typical for a tight end. He had a 64.5 run-blocking grade over the last three seasons, ranking second among tight ends anticipated to be selected in the first two days. He has more run blocks than any of the other five tight ends. He has also made 248 pass blocks, more than the other four tight ends combined. Taylor, like in college, could play every down as a tight end in the NFL.

Most mocked teams Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce did not retire this season, but he plans to retire in the coming seasons. While the Chiefs have Noah Gray and Jared Wiley, Taylor could be the long-term option at the position. Philadelphia Eagles Dallas Goedert has been the target of trade rumors due to his hefty salary and that of other Eagles players. Taylor might be a good replacement for Goedert as an every-down tight end. Colorado Broncos The Broncos signed Evan Engram in free agency, another veteran who is not a long-term solution for the franchise. The Broncos have a habit of revolving tight ends, so this would not be the best landing location for Taylor.

Bottom line. Taylor is a very seasoned tight end with room to improve. He will need to mature in order to become a starter in the NFL, let alone a starter in fantasy football. If he can realize his full ability, he has a high ceiling. Footnotes Statistics in tables and charts were chosen primarily for their potential to forecast future fantasy success on a per-game or per-opportunity basis, as well as their ability to describe the player in comparison to others in the same position. “Opportunities” include passing dropbacks, rushing attempts, and receiving routes. Numbers are either seasonal or based on the previous three years. Only college numbers are provided to rookies. Only NFL numbers are included for non-rookies will most likely witness a decrease from their historical numbers. Only FBS data is used for college player comparisons. Knee-downs are excluded from the rushing data to produce more accurate quarterback rushing rate statistics. All tables in this article are color coded from blue (good or high) to red (bad or low). All percentiles or colors compare the supplied player to other players with a large number of opportunities. In general, the cut-off represents one-third of the available chances in the sample. If a player does not have enough opportunities, they are still compared, even if the tiny sample size makes them appear good or poor, which may be less predictive. Information about utilization classes and their significance  can be discovered herefor running backs, wide receivers and tight ends.

2WFB4H1 TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 01: LSU Tigers tight end Mason Taylor (86) runs with the ball after catching a pass during the ReliaQuest Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers on January 1, 2024 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)