3. Antonio Gates

Raanan's 2011 Power Rankings: Tight Ends

Would be No. 1 if not for that plantar fasciitis. Still, 10 games of Antonio Gates is better than 16 games of just about anybody else. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

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NFL's Top 32 Tig... By Jordan Raanan, Xfinity Sports.com

This one is a little harder than most. Evaluating tight ends is not an easy task.

The position is so much more than catching balls and racking up receiving yards. The tight end must also block. And block well. It is half receiver, half offensive lineman.

That's why when ranking all the starting tight ends, both aspects of the position — receiving and blocking — were taken into consideration equally. It's also why the player who earned my No. 1 ranking might not be who you'd expect.

Jordan Raanan has covered the NFL since 2005. Follow him on Twitter at @JordanRaanan or email him at jraanan@hotmail.com.(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

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32. Scott Chandl... He has one reception for eight yards since entering the NFL in 2007. Need I say more? (AP Photo)

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31. Travis Becku... Third-round pick by the Giants in '09, Beckum's been pretty much a non-factor his first two years in the league. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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30. Kellen Davis Good thing Chicago offensive coordinator Mike Martz doesn't like to use his tight end much anyway. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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29. Leonard Pope... The loss of Tony Moeaki is huge. He was penciled into the No. 12 spot before a season-ending knee injury. Pope or whoever else K.C. throws in there is a huge downgrade in the passing grade. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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28. Billy Bajema Good blocker, not much of a receiver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

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27. Daniel Fells... Was a serviceable player in St. Louis... likely the same this season in Denver. (AP Photo/Chris Schneider)

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26. Ed Dickson Dickson flashed his ability to get downfield in his rookie season. he could be much higher on this list next year with Todd Heap gone thanks to his pass-catching skills. His blocking on the other hand could keep him near the bottom. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

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25. Kevin Boss The Raiders took a definite downgrade in all phases when they ended up with Boss instead of Miller. Boss is average across the board. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

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24. Jeremy Shock... Not the same player he was with the Giants. Clearly on the downside of his career. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

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23. Benjamin Wat... Had a career year in Cleveland last season. Still, Watson is an average receiver and a below-average blocker. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

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22. Jermaine Gre... A paltry 9.1 yards per catch his rookie year makes you wonder if he will ever fully regain the explosiveness he had at Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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21. Jared Cook Has all the physical talent in the world. Now he just has to find a way to use it effectively in games.

(AP Photo/David Richard)

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20. Dustin Kelle... Keller's career path is headed in the opposite direction as Cooley's. The Jets' tight end seems to have developed something with Mark Sanchez. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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19. Chris Cooley Knee troubles cast a cloud over the Redskins' tight end this season. So does his blocking. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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18. Anthony Fasa... His blocking has been a valuable asset to the Dolphins running game for years. He's also a serviceable receiver. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

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17. Visanthe Shi... Don't think his production dip in 2010 was age-induced. Shiancoe still has a few more productive seasons remaining. (AP Photo/Andy Blenkush)

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16. Heath Miller... A solid, consistent contributor in every phase of the game. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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15. Brent Celek Following a breakout 2009 season, he was among the league leaders in drops last year. Celek has never been much of a blocker, however. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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14. Owen Daniels... The hype always seems to outweigh the production. Still, Daniels is a solid player. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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13. Jimmy Graham... Former basketball player will be one of the better receiving tight ends. Unfortunately, there is more to the game than just catching the ball. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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12. Todd Heap Even into his 30s, Heap gets He's a monster upgrade for the Cardinals. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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11. Brandon Pett... Sharp improvement in his sophomore season. Year No. 3 should only get better, especially if Pettigrew has a quarterback. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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10. Kellen Winsl... There is nothing wrong with 70 catches, 800 yards and 5 TDs. In fact, it makes Winslow a pretty useful player. He's also a better blocker than he gets credit for. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)

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9. Rob Gronkowsk... His per-play production was off the charts last season when he reached double digits in touchdowns in his rookie year. The future is bright in New England with him and Aaron Hernandez. Gronkowski, however, is easily the better blocker. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, Elise Amendola)

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8. Tony Gonzalez... Even at 35, Gonzo has something left in those legs. As for his hands, they will never let him down. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

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7. Zach Miller One of the most consistent players at the position. Miller does everything pretty well, and his talents will be noticed now that he's out of Oakland. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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6. Marcedes Lewi... Lewis has become a very good pass catcher and blocker for the Jags. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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5. Vernon Davis No tight end gets down the field quite like Davis. He's a rare talent. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

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4. Dallas Clark Clark missed most of last season because of injury. But it was only a wrist injury. Much easier to return to your old form with a wrist injury than a knee injury. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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3. Antonio Gates... Would be No. 1 if not for that plantar fasciitis. Still, 10 games of Antonio Gates is better than 16 games of just about anybody else. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

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2. Jermichael Fi... His talent and ability to catch everything in his direction has me mesmerized, making me forget he has yet to have that breakout season. This is it though. Finley will be the best receiving TE in 2011. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

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1. Jason Witten He's good for 90 catches, 1,000 yards receiving and is the best blocker of the top tight ends. He allowed just two QB pressures in 91 snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. That's getting it done. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp)

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The Exemplary X Click here to see Lee Russakoff's top 10 teams in his preseason power rankings.