Draft month, finally, has arrived.
Continuing our series, which began earlier this month and will run until the 2026 NFL Draft begins on April 23, The Detroit News will spotlight one prospect a day who could be a first-round fit for the Detroit Lions, who own the 17th overall pick. Assuming the Lions don’t trade out, it’ll be their highest selection since running back Jahmyr Gibbs went No. 12 in 2023.
Today’s focus is on Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
By the numbers
Led all FBS tight ends with eight receiving touchdowns in 2025
Caught 80 passes for 892 yards, 11 touchdowns in three college seasons
Fastest 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) by a tight end since at least 2003
Relative Athletic Score (RAS): 9.52/10
Career background
Sadiq was a four-star prospect, the No. 1 prospect in the state, and the No. 79 prospect overall in the 2023 recruiting class, coming out of Skyline High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with whom Sadiq won three straight state title games from 2020-22. Sadiq played running back as a freshman at RARE Academy in Boise, Idaho, before transferring to Skyline, where he played wide receiver, tight end and defensive back. In addition to playing two ways on the gridiron, Sadiq also played basketball and ran track and field. He was invited to the All-American Bowl at the end of his senior season.
He committed to Oregon, where he played in all 14 games as a true freshman. Sadiq didn’t contribute much in the passing game that first season, hauling in just five passes for 24 yards and a touchdown.
Sadiq, who just turned 21 in March, showed considerable improvement as a sophomore, upping his receiving production to 24 catches for 508 yards and two touchdowns. He also saw a significant improvement in his run-blocking, as his Pro Football Focus grade for that area jumped from 54.2 to 78.0.
As a junior, Sadiq put it all together to become the mismatch nightmare his traits suggested he would be. He caught 51 passes, a program record for Oregon tight ends, for 560 yards (second on the team) and eight touchdowns. He was named an Associated Press Second Team All-American, First-Team All-Big Ten and was a John Mackey Award (top tight end in the nation) finalist, becoming the first Oregon tight end to do so.
“Kenyon’s a special player, man. I think we’re lucky to have the best tight end in the nation,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning told ESPN last season.
Sadiq’s college career ended on a bit of a low note, production-wise. Oregon finished the regular season 10-1 and reached the College Football Playoff, reaching the semifinal against Indiana. In three playoff games, Sadiq caught a total of 11 passes for 70 yards and no scores.
Analysis
Like many elite prospects, the first thing you notice about Sadiq is his physique and athleticism. He lit the NFL Combine on fire with his record-setting 40-yard dash, and also briefly set the vertical jump record for tight ends (43 ½ inches) since at least 2003 before Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers reset it with a jump of 45 ½ inches later in the day, then recorded an 11-foot, 1-inch broad jump. The thing preventing his RAS from reaching the stratosphere is his size; 6-foot-3, 241 pounds is not a prototypical frame for an NFL tight end.
It doesn’t take long to spot Sadiq’s athleticism on film, though. His speed is a serious problem for linebackers, and his physicality is tough for defensive backs to match. Several of Sadiq’s touchdowns last season came after he broke multiple tackles to reach the end zone. Others came by way of him going full extension and hanging on through contact. In a touchdown against Minnesota, he was table-topped by a defender, used his hand to break the fall, and got back on his feet to reach the end zone.
He has excellent body control in the air and routinely goes full extension to hang on to passes through contact. After the catch, he looks like a receiver with the ball in his hands. Scouts also praise his developed route tree. One notable critique of his game is the drops: he had six last season, a drop rate of 10.5%.
“Sadiq lacks height and consistent hands, but he is a versatile, explosive weapon with toughness,” NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah writes. Lance Zierlein, another NFL.com draft analyst, compared Sadiq to All-Pro Trey McBride, who thrived under new Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
Like just about every tight-end prospect, Sadiq needs to refine his run blocking, but any shortcomings in that department do not come from a lack of effort. “As a blocker, he needs continued technique work but competes with outstanding physicality to latch, drive and win his assignment,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said.
The Lions’ tight end room is as strong as it’s ever been under Dan Campbell after adding Tyler Conklin, who’s not far removed from some truly excellent pass-catching seasons, to a room that already included Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright. The problem is that all three of those players will be unrestricted free agents next offseason.
General manager Brad Holmes has been consistent about his desire to extend LaPorta, a circumstance that would make adding another elite tight end prospect seem questionable. But the league is trending toward multiple tight-end sets, and LaPorta is coming off a back injury.
There could, in theory, be room for Sadiq to make an impact alongside LaPorta, especially if Sadiq proves valuable as an NFL run-blocker, while also serving as a short-term insurance policy and a potential long-term successor. By drafting Sadiq, the Lions could take a wait-and-see approach on LaPorta as he enters the final season of his rookie contract; if Sadiq performs early, or if LaPorta’s back injury lingers, they could move on from LaPorta next offseason and get solid tight-end production for a much lower price over the duration of Sadiq’s rookie deal.
Previous profiles
Clemson edge defender T.J. Parker
Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling
Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman
Texas Tech edge defender David Bailey
Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs
Auburn defensive lineman Keldric Faulk
Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano
Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy
Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor
Miami edge defender Akheem Mesidor
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: 23 prospects, 23 days: Examining Kenyon Sadiq’s fit with the Lions
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
