Of the 11 tight ends nominated who didn’t make my club, four – John Mackey, Dave Casper, Charlie Sanders and Shannon Sharpe — are Hall of Fame inductees. Mackey, along with another member of the Hall, Mike Ditka, are credited by many as having defined the position as we knew it until a decade or so ago, when most teams adapted to having two tight ends on the field — one who was a stronger in-line blocker and the other a pass-catching specialist.
But the three I chose for my team were all pretty easy choices.
My third tight end is Kellen Winslow, who played his entire career in the single tight end era but was the first of the great receiving tight ends, capable of taking over a game with his receiving skills and demanding double coverage.