New England Patriots’ Hunter Henry Keeps Getting Disrespected by NFL Rankings

The numbers placed Hunter Henry among the NFL’s most productive tight ends in 2025.

But the latest ranking still left the New England Patriots veteran outside the room.

Sports Illustrated released its list of the league’s 10 best tight ends entering the 2026 season on July 16.

The ranking, determined through a vote by three of the outlet’s NFL writers, included a blend of established stars and younger players expected to take another step.

Henry was nowhere on the list, even after producing numbers that compare favorably with several players who made it.

ESPN’s tight end rankings also snubbed The Arkansas product, leaving off the list entirely.

Henry’s 2025 Production Supports Top-10 Case

Henry caught 60 passes for a career-high 768 yards and seven touchdowns across 17 starts last season. SumerSports ranked him seventh among tight ends in receiving yards, fifth in touchdown catches, 10th in receptions and 10th in yards per reception.

The advanced numbers made the omission even more surprising.

Henry generated 72.37 total receiving EPA, a higher mark than nine of the 10 tight ends selected by Sports Illustrated.

The comparison becomes more difficult to neglect when looking near the back of the ranking.

Sports Illustrated placed Harold Fannin Jr. of the Cleveland Browns at No. 10 after the rookie recorded 72 receptions for 731 yards and six receiving touchdowns. Henry finished with 37 more yards and one additional touchdown on 12 fewer catches.

Colston Loveland of the Chicago Bears landed at No. 6 with 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns. Dalton Kincaid of the Buffalo Bills took the No. 7 spot despite finishing with 39 catches for 571 yards and five scores.

Each selection has some reasoning behind it.

Fannin and Loveland are ascending young players, while Kincaid averaged 2.77 yards per route run in limited opportunities. A ranking looking ahead to 2026 can place weight on the athletic ability and projected growth.

Henry’s 53.4 run-blocking grade also landed in the bottom half of the league.

Still, Sports Illustrated acknowledged that Kincaid’s blocking limitations cost him snaps, showing that receiving value carried considerable weight in the vote.

Henry’s exclusion, therefore, is all the more puzzling.

Henry Is Central to Drake Maye, Patriots

Henry’s value also goes past his place on a league-wide statistical table.

He was vital to the Patriots’ success in the passing game last season.

The veteran finished second on New England in receptions and receiving yards while leading the team with seven touchdown catches. He added nine receptions for 112 yards and one score during the Patriots’ four-game postseason run.

Henry’s consistency provided Drake Maye with a trustworthy target through the middle of the field. Henry started every regular-season game, averaging 12.8 yards per catch and setting a career high in receiving yards.

New England has changed its group of pass catchers around Maye, but Henry is still the team’s top tight end entering training camp, especially after Austin Hooper left for the Atlanta Falcons in March.

Henry doesn’t need to be placed alongside the position’s top two or three players in Sports Illustrated and ESPN’s rankings.

The stronger question is whether he belongs somewhere in the second half of a top-10 list for SI, or at least in the honorable mention via ESPN’s list.

Henry outproduced multiple players ranked ahead of him, stayed available for all 17 games and delivered during New England’s postseason run.

His route running, size and experience reflect in the statistics, but his security-blanket status for a young quarterback cannot be downplayed.

So while his 2025 production provides a convincing answer, the critics see greater upside elsewhere.

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