Kenyon Sadiq: former Pro Bowler tips the 2026 NFL Draft TE1 for success

Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq set the NFL Combine alight in February, showing off his unrivalled athleticism by testing off the charts.

The 2026 NFL Draft community has been tripping over itself about his upside ever since, and now, a former NFL great has joined the chorus.

Delanie Walker knows what it takes to become a successful NFL tight end, having made three Pro Bowls and posted 504 receptions for 5,888 yards and 36 touchdowns during his 14-year career.

Justin Edmonds / Stringer

Having enjoyed such an impressive run, it makes anything he says about tight end prospects worth listening to.

Appearing on Good Morning Football, available to Game Pass subscribers on DAZN, Walker raved about Sadiq's ability to make an early impression at the pro level.

"I think he's the type of guy that's going to come in and get some snaps," Walker said. "He could be a tight end 1, or tight end 2 early in his career."

Sadiq profiles as the only tight end likely to be taken in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

His college production may fall short of last year's first-round tight ends, but Walker believes Sadiq has all the tools to become a difference-maker.

"He's a playmaker, he's physical, he's strong, athletic - as we saw at the Combine," he added.

Walker's not wrong. At 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds, Sadiq ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash in Indianapolis - the fastest recorded by a tight end since 2003.

Not only that, but his vertical leap of 43.5 inches and broad jump of 11 feet 1 inch only added to the eye-watering numbers, ranking him among the most explosive athletes at this year's event regardless of position.

If Walker's praise and the Combine numbers are anything to go by, the youngster won’t be waiting long to hear his name called on 23 April.

Could we see Sadiq taken by the Panthers as our latest mock draft predicts? Only time will tell.

Stream the 2026 NFL Draft live on DAZN

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From just £9.99/€9.99, witness the moment Fernando Mendoza, Jeremiyah Love and Carnell Tate hear their names called and walk onto the draft stage as the next generation of NFL superstars.

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