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Between Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Eifert, Who Is The Better Tight End?

By Joshua Vowles

Nov 22, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) catches a pass for a 47 yard touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the first quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph (82) catches a pass for a 47 yard touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the first quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Who is a better tight end, Kyle Rudolph or Tyler Eifert?

Two years ago, Kyle Rudolph proclaimed himself to be the best tight end in the NFL. Stats be damned, as Kyle Rudolph believes that being the best tight end goes far beyond the normal stat line of tight ends with receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

Rudolph is a firm believer that being the best tight end means a player should be the best overall tight end. That all includes pass blocking and run blocking. Rudolph thinks that in today’s world of fantasy sports and highlight films, people have forgotten what a great tight end really is.

Rudolph must REALLY believe all that because in a recent interview he stated again that he was indeed the best tight end in the NFL.

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Okay, so let’s humor Kyle Rudolph for a moment and think about this for a minute. The problem is two fold:

  1. His belief in what a tight end should be is nice and all, but the position has evolved more than any other position in football over the past 20 years. It’s an entirely different dynamic that basically is a flex wide receiver with size.
  2. Tyler Eifert.

Kyle Rudolph probably isn’t the best tight end in the NFL, and he may not even be the best tight end from Notre Dame in the NFL right now. Tyler Eifert would make a much stronger case- especially after last season.

Unfortunately for Rudolph, this is a stat world and stats tend not to lie. Eifert, statistically, has had a better career than Rudloph both at Notre Dame and thus far in the NFL:

Rudolph ND Stats
Eifert ND Stats
Rudolph NFL Stats
Eifert NFL Stats

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I leave it to you to decide for yourself. If you were drafting a football team, who would you take? Would you take a tight end that is more of a throwback (or at least just being used as one), or do you draft the evolved specie of tight end? Kyle Rudolph or Tyler Eifert… who do you got?

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