ESPN: NFL players vote Bills’ Dawson Knox a top-10 TE in league
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox had a long-awaited breakout year in 2021.
Knox recorded 49 catches, 587 yards and nine totals touchdowns last season. Those numbers far and away were better than his first two years in the NFL.
That’s all it took for him to convince his peers.
ESPN has used the help of those around the league to name the top-10 players at each position on the field. Surveying more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players, the former world-wide leader used these findings to construct their rankings.
Even the most-optimistic Bills backer would understand if Knox was not named in the top 10. He only has really just burst onto the scene and likely needs to prove he can do it again, right?
Evidently not because ESPN’s finding slotted Knox into the No. 9 overall spot. In landing there, Knox outranks some known names at the tight end position such as Hunter Henry (Patriots), Mike Gesicki (Dolphins), and Zach Ertz (Cardinals).
Here’s ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler’s analysis on Knox’s placement:
Thanks to a strong third NFL season, Knox made a late voting surge to knock more decorated tight ends down the list. He emerged as a potent red zone threat for quarterback Josh Allen in Buffalo last season, with nine of his 49 receptions ending in the end zone, though 14 tight ends had more yardage than his 587.
“Very tough, athletic, good route runner,” one high-ranking AFC exec said. An AFC scout added that Knox’s run blocking and run-after-the-catch ability also stand out.
Knox must carve out real estate in the Bills’ playmaking cul-de-sac, but with Cole Beasley now gone, he can become a safety valve for Allen over the middle.
