3 SEC tight ends who could lead their team in receiving yards

Last year was an especially good one for SEC tight ends. Ole Miss’ Evan Engram finished fifth in the conference with 926 receiving yards and six tight ends finished among the top 40 receivers in the conference.

Then, in April, Engram and Alabama’s O.J. Howard were selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and were joined by Arkansas’s Jeremy Sprinkle in the fifth round.

Now, though, new stars need to step up at the position, as those three will be playing on Sundays this fall.

In 2017, fans can expect a changing of the guard when it comes to tight ends, as the SEC East is primed to have the top talent at the position. After last year’s crop of drafted tight ends all wore SEC West jerseys, the 2018 NFL Draft class could be made up entirely of players from the East.

Much like Engram did last year for the Rebels, there are three SEC East tight ends who could finish the 2017 season as their team’s leading receiver:

Isaac Nauta, Georgia

Nauta was impressive as a true freshman in 2016, recording 29 catches for 361 yards and three scores.

He became one of freshman QB Jacob Eason’s favorite targets by the end of the year, but both players have a lot of room to grow before the 2017 season kicks off.

Without WR Isaiah McKenzie this year, the Georgia receiving corps will feature several new faces, so having Nauta back will help Eason feel comfortable. They have chemistry, and hitting Nauta on intermediate seam routes is a safer bet than the go routes Eason tended to miss on last season.

Look for the 6-4, 250-pound tight end to do some damage early in the season as the rest of the receivers try to get comfortable in the offense.

Hayden Hurst, South Carolina

Hurst had the most receiving yards of any returning SEC tight end, catching 48 passes for 616 yards during his breakout 2016 season. Both numbers set program records for a tight end.

However, while working with a rotating cast of quarterbacks until freshman Jake Bentley took over, Hurst only managed to score one touchdown last year.

With Bentley at the helm for a full season (and with an entire offseason’s worth of improvement), the Gamecocks’ offense will try to take a step forward this fall.

Deebo Samuel, who finished with 783 yards last season, will provide the speed and the deep threat for the South Carolina offense. Hurst will be the perfect complement, filling the spaces cleared by Samuel’s speed and making catches that move the chains for Bentley and the Gamecocks.

With his 6-5, 250-pound frame, look for him to greatly improve his touchdown total in 2017, too.

DeAndre Goolsby, Florida

The Gators have a more talented receiver on their roster in Antonio Callaway, but his status is unknown after another off-field situation.

Even when he’s eligible to play, Callaway comes up short in the consistency department. He has flashes of brilliance, but has a history of nagging injuries.

Meanwhile, if the Gators can get better play from their quarterback — Luke Del Rio, redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks or grad transfer Malik Zaire — Goolsby could stand to be a major beneficiary.

The Gators said all spring that they plan to air it out more in 2017.

After putting up 38 catches for 342 yards and three touchdowns in 2016, not improving on those numbers this fall would be seen as a failure for the talented senior.

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.