Bottom Line
Round 7 pick (221) to a Cincinnati TE room headlined by Mike Gesicki, paired with a 31st-percentile model grade and TE13 class rank — this is a deep-stash, not a draft pick. Pass in single-TE, late-round dart in TE-premium.
Team Fit & Opportunity
Cincinnati spent Day 3 capital here, but the depth chart is crowded: Mike Gesicki returns as the move/seam TE, Drew Sample is the entrenched in-line blocker, and Cam Grandy and Tanner Hudson round out the room. With Burrow healthy and 90 vacated targets mostly funneling to Chase, Higgins, and Gesicki underneath, Endries' realistic Year-1 role is TE3/4 — special teams, jumbo packages, and emergency reps. No clear path to meaningful snaps absent injury.
Talent Profile
The profile is a route-runner without a true differentiator. The 93rd-percentile route versatility score and 72nd-percentile athleticism (4.62 at 245, 36" vert, 8.1 RAS) suggest a functional movement TE who can align flexed or in-line, but the 18th-percentile explosiveness and 25th-percentile YPRR-over-expected say he wins on alignment and feel, not separation or YAC. Texas usage was schemed — 34th-percentile production despite a senior season in a pro-style passing offense tells the efficiency story.
Strengths
- Alignment versatility: 93rd-percentile route versatility score points to a TE who can play Y, F, and slot — valuable depth trait for a coordinator carrying only 3 TEs.
- Functional size/speed combo: 6'5"/245 with a 4.62 clears the bar for an NFL move TE; 8.1 RAS is starter-grade athleticism.
- Age-adjusted experience: 22-year-old senior with Power-5 production at Texas — pro-ready in protection and assignments, which is why a blocking-needy room took him.
Concerns
- No explosive trait: 18th-percentile explosiveness and 25th-percentile YPRR-over-expected mean he doesn't separate or break tackles — the floor for that profile is TE3 forever.
- Buried depth chart: Gesicki and Sample are both signed and ahead; even one injury likely promotes Hudson or Grandy first depending on package.
- Round 7 capital: Pick 221 is taxi-squad money; teams don't force the field for late-Day-3 TEs.
Historical Comp Read
The comp set splits cleanly. Mason Taylor and Terrance Ferguson (both 2025, 70%+ models) are the optimistic ceiling — but their model grades dwarf Endries' 31%, so the similarity is shape-of-profile, not quality. The grounded comps are Josiah Deguara and Daniel Bellinger: NFL roster-fillers, occasional streaming weeks during injury runs, never fantasy-relevant outside of bye-week desperation. That's the honest projection.
Outlook
Year 1: TE3, inactive most weeks, zero fantasy relevance. Three-year arc trends toward a Deguara/Bellinger NFL career — useful blocker, situational pass-catcher, fantasy afterthought. The catalyst is a Gesicki injury or departure in 2027 opening 50+ targets; the trigger for collapse is simply the depth chart staying intact, which is the base case. Realistic dynasty ceiling is TE25-30 streamer in a contract year; floor is off rosters by camp 2027.