Rookie tight ends are easily the toughest position to evaluate for fantasy football. In this edition of the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, we compare the second-tier tight ends in the class, Ja’Tavion Sanders vs. Ben Sinnott. To see where they both fall in our rankings, check out our Rookie Rankings Page. Also, check out the 2024 NFL Draft coverage to stay up-to-date. For the sake of this faceoff, we will be comparing the prospects in seven categories. Size, speed, route running, hands, college production, and college dominator rating as well as draft capital and landing spot.
This faceoff features two tight-end prospects battling out of the second tier of tight ends. The winner will likely be TE2 in the 2024 rookie draft class behind presumed front-runner Brock Bowers. Sanders and Sinnott possess similar profiles and are viewed in the same range. Neither figures to gain enough momentum to make a run at the TE1 spot. However, which one will stake their claim to the TE2 spot?
Meet Ja’Tavion Sanders
Embed from Getty ImagesIf you were to take a shot on a Day 2 tight end, Sanders is a good option. Sanders may not have the upside of Bowers, but comes at a steep discount. The potential he possesses makes him a great bargain in the mid-to-late second round of rookie drafts. He checked in at 6-4 (67th percentile) and 254 pounds (81st percentile). Factor in a 40.50″ vertical jump (95th percentile) and a 134″ broad jump (99th percentile), and it’s easy to see he has all the tools to be a dominant force for years to come. At the 2024 NFL Combine, he ran a 4.56 40-yard dash. This was far faster than many experts projected him to run. As I stated previously, this is the single biggest win of the off-season for his claim on the TE2 spot.
Meet Ben Sinnott
Embed from Getty ImagesSinnott is far closer to the Prototypical Alpha TE size than Bowers. What he has in size, he lacks in speed. Rather, he is the new-era hybrid receiver that has become all the rage in the NFL and fantasy leagues over the past few seasons. He checked in at 6-3 (67th percentile) and 252 pounds (81st percentile). Factor in a 40.50″ vertical jump (95th percentile) and a 134″ broad jump (99th percentile), and it’s easy to see he has all the tools to be a dominant force for years to come. At the 2024 NFL Combine, he ran a 4.56 40-yard dash. This was far faster than many experts projected him to run. As I stated previously, this is the single biggest win of the off-season for his claim on the TE3 spot.
Player Comparables
The two most relevant player comparisons are easy for Sanders and Sinnott as they are both from the 2023 NFL rookie class. Sander’s profile has him closest to Buffalo Bills rookie Dalton Kincaid in overall size and skillset, while Sinnott is closest to Las Vegas Raiders rookie Michael Mayer. Neither rookie had a massive breakout in their rookie season, so it remains to be seen which one will be better in the long term. For now, let’s take a look at the 2024 versions of them to see if one stands out more than the other.
Size Comparison
This one is almost too close to call. Sanders checks in at 6’3″ and 252 lbs, while Sinnott checks in at 6’4″ and 254 lbs. Almost identical heights and weights for these two, with the slight edge going to Kansas State’s Ben Sinnott. Despite Sinnott being determined the winner, both players are more than adequate size to be effective tight ends.
Winner: Ben Sinnott (1-0)
Speed Comparison
As far as speed goes, Sanders is considerably faster than Sinnott. Sander’s 40-yard Dash time at the 2024 NFL Combine was 4.56 seconds, while Ben Sinnott ran a 4.63. Neither prospect ran a blistering 40-yard Dash time and this is a major reason why they are both so far behind Brock Bowers, but as far as tight ends go, these times are sufficient.
Winner: Ja’Tavion Sanders (1-1)
Route Running
Route running is a tight battle. Sinnott gets a considerable win on deep routes as he has better cuts and precision to allow him to excel downfield. Sanders gets close wins on both short and intermediate routes as he is slightly more physical and aggressive as a short-area target.
Overall this category goes to Sinnott as he is so much better on deep routes than Sinnott that it cancels out the negligible difference on their short and intermediate routes.
Winner: Ben Sinnott (2-1)
Hands
The edge on route running may have gone to Sinnott, but the better hands easily belong to Sanders. That’s not to say that Sinnott has bad hands, it’s a case of good hands against excellent hands. sanders catches everything thrown even remotely close to him and is as sure-handed as you will find at the tight end position.
As I said above, both tight ends should be considered among the best tight ends in this class, but Sanders gets the win as he may have the best hands outside of Bowers.
Winner: Ja’Tavion Sanders (2-2)
College Production
Another tight category, as their college production numbers were extremely close. Sanders produced identical stat lines in each of his two seasons. He recorded 45 receptions, 682 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. Solid, yet not earth-shattering tight-end numbers.
Sinnott played three seasons but failed to produce anything of note in his first year. In his second season, he totaled 31 receptions, 447 receiving yards, and four touchdowns and followed that up with 49 receptions, 676 receiving yards, and six touchdowns in his final season. In their best season, both put up nearly identical catches and yards, but Sinnott gets the win in this category as he showed the higher ceiling for touchdown production.
Winner: Ben Sinnott (3-2)
College Dominator
A category that has nothing to debate and simply comes down to a specific number, we see Sinnott with a college dominator rating of 22.5, while Sanders put up a 15.6.
These ratings are both above average for a college tight-end, given how many teams ignore the position but Sinnott has a definite edge as his 22.5 rating puts him into the elite tier of college tight-ends.
Winner: Ben Sinnott (4-2)
Landing Spot & Draft Capital
Sinnott gets a considerable nod as far as draft capital goes, he was selected 54th overall in the second round while Sanders fell to the fourth round at 101st overall. Day 2 draft capital may not be to the elite level we have seen with Brock Bowers and Kyle Pitts but it certainly puts him in the high upside category, while a Day 3 selection falls closer to dart throw potential.
The landing spots were too close to call. Both Sanders and Sinnott landed with teams in the bottom portion of the league but both made huge selections in the draft and could be significantly better in 2024. Sinnott will find himself working with a rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels, while Sanders will hope that sophomore quarterback Bryce Young can turn it around and return on his number-one pick investment.
Winner: Ben Sinnott (5-2)
And the Winner is…
To no one’s surprise, the winner of this fight for TE2 supremacy went to Ben Sinnott. Sinnott pulls out a convincing 5-2 victory over Sanders. I lean towards a more prototypical and old-school approach to drafting, and I go with the touchdown upside for Sinnott. Despite Sanders having a slight edge as far as speed goes, the overall win goes to Sinnott who is slightly better across the board. That’s not to say that Sanders isn’t good in his own right, but for now, we have him ranked as TE3.
If you would like to learn more about Sanders and Sinnott, check out our 2024 Rookie Sneak Peek videos of both players on The Fantasy Football Universe Podcast.
