David Carr over at NFL.com recently put together his top-10 tight ends heading into the 2019 season.
Kyle Rudolph’s spot on the list might surprise NFL fans. The Vikings tight end ranked fifth overall.
Here’s what Carr wrote about Rudolph:
Rudolph reminds me of Jason Witten when he was in his heyday, and signing him to a four-year extension this offseason was huge for the Vikings. Rudolph has been extremely reliable in starting 104 of 112 games played since he was drafted in the second round in 2011. Over his eight seasons, he’s averaged 9.8 yards per catch and his 41 receiving touchdowns in that span are tied for third most among players selected in the 2011 draft behind only A.J. Green and Julio Jones. Rudolph will remain a big part of the offense in 2019 even though Minnesota drafted TE Irv Smith Jr. in Round 2 this year.
Did Rick Spielman force Carr to write this?
While a fun thought, probably not. Rudolph’s numbers, especially when you add them up over the years, have been solid. He’s just not an explosive tight end like Travis Kelce or George Kittle.
Rudolph is coming off a season in which he caught 64 passes for 634 yards and four touchdowns. We’ll see what his numbers look like with Smith Jr. also on the team.
