There are many names to know for the 2026 NFL Draft, but the endless list of players can be narrowed down to those who have a fitting skillset for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon could be on that short list. Let’s take a closer look at the Raridon:
Background
Raridon joins a long list of Notre Dame tight ends who will make it to the NFL. Raridon was the second-best tight end in his recruiting class. Raridon had offers from every team in the Midwest. He enrolled at Notre Dame over schools
like Tennessee, Missouri and Auburn, among others.
Injuries plagued the first two seasons of Raridon’s career. One red flag for Raridon is that he tore his ACL in his right knee twice. Those injuries occurred in 2021 and 2022, so he’s been healthy for a few years, but that could be a long-term concern.
In his first year fully healthy, Raridon was the second tight end behind Mitchell Evans, who went on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft. Raridon only had 11 catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns, mainly playing to block.
With Evans gone this year and better quarterback play, Raridon’s production went up. Raridon went for 32 catches and 482 yards.
Raridon’s stock went up after testing. He came in at 6 feet 6 inches tall and 245 pounds with nearly 33-inch arms. He ran an impressive 40-yard dash (4.62 seconds) with a 1.6-second 10-yard split. He jumped 36 inches in the vertical jump and 10 feet 3 inches in the broad jump.
Raridon’s Strengths
As a receiver, Raridon is capable of getting open in multiple ways. One of his best traits is his downfield receiving skill. He’s great running down the seams, on corner routes, or on skinny post routes. Raridon has good speed for a tight end, and he’s fearless on catches over the middle of the field. He also has great ball skills and will elevate to catch passes in traffic.
Raridon is also good at setting up his vertical routes. One of the best things he does is a “leak” route, where he’ll sell a block and then run open downfield. He can bait defenders into crashing down, and he has the speed to get past them from there.
Raridon changes directions well for his size. Notre Dame used him on tight end screens, when the tight end would have him make a quick pivot to get the ball. He can cut without losing speed.
Raridon has positional versatility as well. He can play out wide, in the slot, or close to the line of scrimmage. He’s more used off the line of scrimmage as a move tight end, but he also flashed some ability to play in-line and block. Over time, I think he can grow into being more of an inline tight end with his frame. But even if he doesn’t, he can block in space or catch passes from a receiver spot.
As a blocker, Raridon is pretty good already. He’s at his best inserting into a gap to block a linebacker, which is why he’s best off the line of scrimmage. He’s pretty good at blocking defensive ends in pass protection and has some flashes blocking defensive ends in the run game.
What Raridon needs to improve
That being said, Raridon still needs to make some strides as a run blocker from the Y position. Raridon is on the skinnier side of tight ends at 245 lbs, but he’s 6’6 with nearly 33” arms, so there’s a good chance he can add some strength to his frame. Hopefully, with more strength and reps playing inline, he can at least become functional there.
This could be a byproduct of his role in college, but I would like to see Raridon dominate over the middle of the field more. He’s great on vertical routes and out-breaking routes, so if he can add some more routes over the middle as well, he’ll be hard to defend.
Raridon also needs some work at recognizing zone coverages and the right holes to sit in, which isn’t uncommon for a young tight end. Raridon working with tight end Travis Kelce would be ideal for him, learning how to recognize zone coverages and honing his route running.
Why Raridon fits with the Chiefs
Raridon likely won’t be relied on to play in-line as a rookie, so that could be a tricky fit for 2026. However, he would have a role as a rookie. Raridon has more speed downfield than Kelce has now, so Raridon could help stretch the seams to clear space for the All-Time tight end underneath.
Raridon, as a prospect, is a significantly better blocker than tight end Noah Gray is; he may be an immediate upgrade over the veteran, even if it could be a tough fit positionally.
In the short-term, Raridon could be an upgraded version of Gray’s role and give the Chiefs more verticality from the tight ends. With more development, he could be the future tight end beyond Kelce.
The Bottom Line
The consensus best tight end in this draft class is Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq. Sadiq is also my top tight end.
However, I do see a scenario in which Raridon becomes a better player than Sadiq. Raridon isn’t quite as athletic as Sadiq, but Raridon might fit into offenses more naturally than Sadiq. Raridon is a better blocker than Sadiq and has more size to play on the line of scrimmage.
Like Sadiq, Raridon can also get open downfield and stretch a defense. Sadiq definitely has more fluidity in his movements than Raridon, but I like Raridon more in contested catch situations.
Raridon will likely be selected down the line from Sadiq, but there might be more value in waiting for him than taking Sadiq with a potential top-10 pick. If his medicals are clean, I think you could justifiably take him with pick No. 40.
