The 4A Club Midseason Player Rankings: Tight Ends

Every four weeks I like to take a look at the landscape of Class 4A football and come up with my own player rankings based on statistics. How I come up with my ratings is a system based on pro-football-reference.com’s "Approximate Value" system of ratings they use for overall performance during a season. For this article, I’m taking a look at my top 10 Class 4A Tight Ends. &nbsp; *Stats are up to Week 4* &nbsp; #1. [player_tooltip player_id="23809" first="Max" last="Llewellyn"], Urbandale, SR - 14.072 6’5, 235 lbs Receiving: 11 rec, 260 yards, 2 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 295 YPG Committed: Iowa (4/22/20) Analysis: While he’s going to Iowa City likely for his defensive efforts, [player_tooltip player_id="23809" first="Max" last="Llewellyn"] has been making some noise on the offensive side as well. Once he gets his hands on the ball, watch out because he is an old school bruiser of a TE who isn’t afraid to lay out some defenders at his feet. &nbsp; #2. [player_tooltip player_id="23822" first="Carson" last="Williams"], Marshalltown, SR - 11.062 6’5, 225 lbs Receiving: 17 rec, 178 yards, 0 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 171.25 YPG Committed: Buffalo (6/10/20) Analysis: Williams has a little of everything you want out of a tight end. I’d consider him more of a vertical receiving threat, but he’s also pretty solid in run blocking situations too. He’s got the size, but also some speed for some short passes and screen as well. &nbsp; #3. Kellen Hornbuckle, Pleasant Valley, SR - 8.463 6’4, 230 lbs Receiving: 8 rec, 151 yards, 1 TD Team Rushing YPG: 293.5 Highest Offers: D-2 (Augustana (SD), Southwest Minnesota State, Upper Iowa) Analysis: A key blocker in PV’s triple-option offense, Hornbuckle can be seen tossing pancakes all over the field during their games. He’s also pretty decent as a receiver too. Since this is a run-first team, defenses sometimes don’t expect passes over the middle too often. &nbsp; #4. [player_tooltip player_id="23850" first="Andrew" last="Lentsch"], Dowling, SR - 8.028 6’5, 235 lbs Receiving: 9 rec, 127 yards, 0 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 110.75 YPG Highest Offers: FCS (Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Southeast Missouri State) Analysis: Although he missed weeks 2 and 3, Lentsch is off to a strong start nonetheless. He’s put up some solid stats between those two games, and at this rate, he should end up with some pretty good numbers by season’s end. &nbsp; #5. [player_tooltip player_id="23908" first="Eddie" last="Saidat"] Jr., Waukee, SR - 6.479 <strong>(Incomplete stats)</strong> 6’2, 230 lbs Receiving: 11 rec, 163 yards, 1 TD Team Rushing YPG: 182.667 YPG Highest Offers: D-2 (Bemidji State, Minnesota State, Minnesota-Duluth, Upper Iowa) Analysis: [player_tooltip player_id="23908" first="Eddie" last="Saidat"] is a guy who should be recognized as a pretty good all-around tight end. Big, quick, and powerful, he’s made some spectacular catch and runs already by midseason, and should make some more highlights as the season rolls on. &nbsp; #6. [player_tooltip player_id="23927" first="Trae" last="Swartz"], Ottumwa, SR - 4.776 6’4, 225 lbs Receiving: 9 rec, 119 yards, 1 TD Team Rushing YPG: 140.667 YPG Highest Offers: D-2 (Minnesota State, Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri State, Upper Iowa, Wayne State (NE)) &nbsp; #7. [player_tooltip player_id="23946" first="Eli" last="Raridon"], Valley, JR - 4.061 6’6, 220 lbs Receiving: 8 rec, 68 yards, 0 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 60.667 Highest Offers: Power-5 (Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Michigan State, Purdue) &nbsp; #8. [player_tooltip player_id="23918" first="Caleb" last="Daniels"], Southeast Polk, SR - 3.766 6’4, 237 lbs Receiving: 7 rec, 83 yards, 2 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 262.75 Committed: Minnesota State (9/22/20) &nbsp; #9. Gannon Williams, Marshalltown, SR - 3.294 6’4, 205 lbs Receiving: 6 rec, 63 yards, 1 TD Team Rushing YPG: 171.25 Highest Offers: N/A &nbsp; #10. Jalyn Thompson, Dowling, SO - 2.830 6’5, 215 lbs Receiving: 4 rec, 33 yards, 0 TDs Team Rushing YPG: 110.75 YPG Highest Offers: N/A &nbsp;