Kenyon Sadiq
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University of Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
The Baltimore Ravens lost a supremely talented tight end in free agency as Isaiah Likely bolted to the New York Giants and former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on a 3-year, $40 million contract.
That doesn’t mean Likely can’t be replaced with another, even more talented player.
ESPN’s Peter Schrager released the 1st of 2 highly-anticipated mock drafts on Tuesday and has the Ravens taking University of Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq with the No. 23 overall pick in the 1st round.
“What better way to show Lamar Jackson and Ravens fans that the Baltimore offense isn’t going anywhere without offensive coordinator Todd Monken or former TE2 Isaiah Likely than by drafting a supreme talent like Sadiq?” Schrager wrote. “One of the stars of the combine, Sadiq ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, the fastest time for a tight end since at least 2003. He also caught 51 passes last season, the most ever by an Oregon tight end. Mark Andrews is back in Baltimore, but he’s now in his 30s, and this offense likes having multiple impact players at the position.”
Kenyon Sadiq Cemented 1st Round Status at Combine
Sadiq turned in a start-to-finish performance at the NFL scouting combine that shot him up draft boards.
“Blowing people away in interviews, like walking into interviews and explaining what everybody else’s position is,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo said in a conversation with Philadelphia sports talk legend Anthony Gargano on Friday. ” … One guy said it was the best interview he’d ever done.”
Sadiq, 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, ran an incredible 4.39-second 40-yard dash — the fastest time for a tight end since 2006. He also registered a 43.5-inch vertical leap and a broad jump of 11 feet, 1 inch.
“Kenyon Sadiq was blazing,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on X.
Arye Pulli
Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq really just ran a 4.40u 40-yard dash. Are you kidding me??
Named Big Ten Tight End of the Year in 2025
Sadiq was an All-Big Ten selection in 2025 and named the Big Ten Tight End of the Year with 51 receptions for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns before he left school with 1 year of eligibility remaining to declare himself eligible for the draft.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Sadiq to Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride in his pre-draft evaluation. McBride, a 2-time Pro Bowler, earned NFL All-Pro honors for the 1st time in 2025 after he set the NFL single-season record for receptions by a tight end with 126 catches to go with 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns.
McBride, a 2nd round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, signed a 4-year, $76 million contract extension before the 2025 season.
“A versatile tight end with a shredded physique and alluring potential as a volume target, Sadiq’s route tree will be full of branches,” Zierlein wrote. “His athleticism and break quickness should allow him to uncover against man coverage on all three levels. He’s talented after the catch, with the ability to make things easier for play-callers and quarterbacks looking to move the sticks. He has the body control and hand strength to win contested catches … He’s adequate as a blocker, giving good effort in-line and locating and landing on linebackers as a move blocker. Teams looking to diversify their passing game options with a talented pass-catching tight end could make Sadiq a priority.”