The NFL’s list of most productive tight ends in 2020 wasn’t very long for names in front of Miami Dolphins’ TE Mike Gesicki. Gesicki finished the year with in excess of 700 receiving yards; one of the best single-season marks in the history of the franchise. And with the team facing a big decision on Gesicki this upcoming fall and winter, the former Penn State player is hoping for a repeat performance in production to help sell his long-term appeal to the team.
But for all of the production put together, the NFL appears to not be buying Gesicki as a top-flight player at his position. Because as was revealed by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and a poll of 50 NFL executives, Mike Gesicki did not make the cut as one of the NFL’s ten best tight ends entering the 2021 season.
The latest positional release of a series by Fowler came out today and was dedicated to the tight end position — and two teams had multiple tight ends make the cut:
You also saw the usual suspects of Kittle, Kelce and Waller at the top of the charts, too. But no Gesicki, at least based on 2020 production, is a bit of a surprise. Perhaps it gives further clues into how the NFL and its decision-makers perceive Gesicki, who spends about 80% of his snaps detached from the formation and in a slot/perimeter wide receiver role. The vast majority of names to be included in the top-10 over him are players that offer more in the run game and as an in-line player; so perhaps that’s a road block that league executives struggle to navigate with valuing Gesicki.
And that’s something to watch with Miami, too. Not only does the team have a decision to make, they need to figure out the best balance to use him. And the Dolphins just added a 3rd-round tight end in this year’s NFL draft. Gesicki can use this as fuel for the fire in 2021. But this is something Dolphins fans should watch closely; because it serves as another clue that his league perception may not match the perception in the fan base.