With each year, the tight end position seems to take on increased significance in football. The modern stars who fill the role are among the most multifaceted players on the field—elite athletes with the speed to blaze down the field in the passing attack, the skill to beat safeties and linebackers for jump balls and the strength to help open holes in the running game and dominate the line of scrimmage.
Football legend Mike Ditka, who died Friday at 86, was the first player to merge these two seemingly disparate skillsets, a blend of abilities that has made superstars of players like Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle and Travis Kelce in recent years.
