Player
Harold Fannin Jr.
TE · Browns
Fannin's 731 yards ranks 5th among all rookie TE seasons since 2020 — behind only Bowers, Pitts, LaPorta, and Warren — making him one of the most productive rookie TEs in recent memory from an inferior offense. It establishes him as the clear long-term answer at TE for Cleveland.
72 catches for 731 yards and 6 TDs — 5th-most yards by a rookie TE since 2020.
TrendRookie TE seasons 2020–2025 by receiving yards
| Player | Season | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Bowers | 2024 | 153 | 112 | 1194 | 5 |
| Kyle Pitts | 2021 | 110 | 68 | 1026 | 1 |
| Sam LaPorta | 2023 | 120 | 86 | 889 | 10 |
| Tyler Warren | 2025 | 112 | 76 | 817 | 4 |
| Harold Fannin Jr. | 2025 | 107 | 72 | 731 | 6 |
| Colston Loveland | 2025 | 82 | 58 | 713 | 6 |
| Dalton Kincaid | 2023 | 91 | 73 | 673 | 2 |
| Oronde Gadsden II | 2025 | 69 | 49 | 664 | 3 |
Fannin's regular-season line: 107 targets, 72 catches, 731 yards, 6 TDs in 16 games — averaging 6.7 targets, 45.7 yards, and 12.0 PPR points per game.
The targets came consistently from Week 1 (9 targets on opening night). The TDs clustered in the back half: 5 of his 6 TDs came in Weeks 8-17, including one in each of his final five active games.
Receiving yards by week
| Week | Rec yds |
|---|---|
| W1 | 63 |
| W2 | 48 |
| W3 | 25 |
| W4 | 24 |
| W5 | 13 |
| W6 | 81 |
| W7 | 36 |
| W8 | 62 |
| W10 | 44 |
| W11 | 26 |
| W12 | 40 |
| W13 | 43 |
| W14 | 114 |
| W15 | 48 |
| W16 | 34 |
| W17 | 30 |
Why it matters. Fannin's 731 yards ranks 5th among all rookie TE seasons since 2020 — behind only Bowers, Pitts, LaPorta, and Warren — making him one of the most productive rookie TEs in recent memory from an inferior offense. It establishes him as the clear long-term answer at TE for Cleveland.
2nd among 2025 rookie TEs in yards — within 86 of Tyler Warren.
Comparison2025 rookie TE leaders (regular season)
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Warren | 112 | 76 | 817 | 4 | 17 |
| Harold Fannin Jr. | 107 | 72 | 731 | 6 | 16 |
| Colston Loveland | 82 | 58 | 713 | 6 | 16 |
| Oronde Gadsden II | 69 | 49 | 664 | 3 | 15 |
| Mason Taylor | 65 | 44 | 369 | 1 | 13 |
| Gunnar Helm | 55 | 44 | 357 | 2 | 16 |
Fannin's 72-731-6 sits second only to Indy's Tyler Warren in the loaded 2025 rookie TE class. He beat Warren on TDs (6 to 4) and out-targeted Loveland by 25 despite operating in a worse offense.
The close gap to Warren (86 yards in 16 vs 17 games) is even tighter on a per-game basis: Fannin 45.7 YPG vs Warren 48.1 YPG.
Why it matters. Fannin trailed Warren by only 86 yards despite playing one fewer game (45.7 YPG vs Warren's 48.1), and led the entire 2025 rookie TE class in touchdowns — a class widely regarded as the deepest at the position in a decade. He beat Warren on TDs (6–4) and out-targeted Loveland by 25.
114 yards on 8 catches vs Tennessee (Week 14) — one of only 3 rookie TE 100-yard games in 2025.
Milestone2025 rookie TE 100-yard games
| Player | Wk | Opp | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oronde Gadsden II | 7 | IND | 9 | 7 | 164 | 1 |
| Colston Loveland | 9 | CIN | 7 | 6 | 118 | 2 |
| Harold Fannin Jr. | 14 | TEN | 11 | 8 | 114 | 1 |
Week 14 vs Tennessee: Fannin posted 11 targets, 8 catches, 114 yards, 1 TD — his first NFL 100-yard game and the third (and final) 100-yard performance by any rookie TE all season.
It was the second of three straight weeks with double-digit targets (W14: 11, W15: 14), confirming the Browns were funneling volume his way down the stretch.
Why it matters. Reaching 100 receiving yards is uncommon even for veteran TEs; in all of 2025 only 3 rookie TEs managed it. Fannin's Week 14 effort was the last of those three, arriving in just his 13th career game and confirming he could produce a big-yardage ceiling when volume spiked to 11 targets.
6 rookie TD catches — tied for 7th-most in a rookie TE season in NFL history.
SplitTop rookie TE TD seasons all time (5+ TDs)
| Player | Season | TD | Rec | Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam LaPorta | 2023 | 10 | 86 | 889 |
| Rob Gronkowski | 2010 | 10 | 42 | 546 |
| Jordan Matthews | 2014 | 8 | 67 | 872 |
| Hunter Henry | 2016 | 8 | 36 | 478 |
| Pat Freiermuth | 2021 | 7 | 60 | 497 |
| Joseph Fauria | 2013 | 7 | 18 | 207 |
| Harold Fannin Jr. | 2025 | 6 | 72 | 731 |
| Evan Engram | 2017 | 6 | 64 | 722 |
| Colston Loveland | 2025 | 6 | 58 | 713 |
| Aaron Hernandez | 2010 | 6 | 45 | 563 |
Fannin's 6 TDs tie him for 7th in the all-time rookie TE leaderboard — the same total as Evan Engram, Aaron Hernandez, O.J. Howard, and Heath Miller. He is tied with Loveland for the 2025 rookie class lead.
The Browns used him on 6 different touchdown drives across 6 different opponents, underscoring a red-zone role that spans the whole season rather than one hot stretch.
Why it matters. Six receiving TDs as a rookie TE is historically elite: only six prior rookie TE seasons ever produced more, and three of those names are Gronkowski, LaPorta, and Hunter Henry. Fanning matching that tier from a weak Cleveland offense amplifies the achievement.
107 targets — 5th among all TEs in 2025, ahead of Travis Kelce.
Anomaly2025 TE target leaders (regular season)
| Player | Rookie | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey McBride | 169 | 126 | 1239 | 11 | |
| Kyle Pitts | 118 | 88 | 928 | 5 | |
| Tyler Warren | R | 112 | 76 | 817 | 4 |
| Travis Kelce | 108 | 76 | 851 | 5 | |
| Harold Fannin Jr. | R | 107 | 72 | 731 | 6 |
| Dalton Schultz | 106 | 82 | 777 | 3 | |
| Jake Ferguson | 102 | 82 | 600 | 8 | |
| Juwan Johnson | 102 | 77 | 889 | 3 |
Fannin's 107 targets ranked 5th among all NFL tight ends in 2025 — ahead of Travis Kelce (108 targets for Kansas City). Two of the top five TEs by targets were 2025 rookies: Warren (#3) and Fannin (#5).
For context, most established veteran TE2s fall in the 40–70 target range. 6.7 targets/game is a TE1 workload, and Fannin commanded it from Week 1 as a first-year player.
Why it matters. Rookies almost never reach top-5 target volume at tight end; the position typically demands a season or two before an offense centers its route tree on a new TE. Fannin did it in Year 1 from the jump — out-targeted Kelce, Bowers, Loveland, and every other TE in the league except McBride, Pitts, Warren, and Kelce, all of whom are veterans.
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