Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq will leave the program early to declare for the NFL draft, sources told ESPN on Tuesday night.

Mel Kiper’s No. 1-ranked tight end in the 2026 draft, and the No. 10 overall player, Sadiq was a key figure in the Ducks’ offense this year. Sadiq led all tight ends in college football in touchdown catches this year with eight. He was the Ducks’ second-leading pass-catcher with 560 yards, as he caught 51 passes for an Oregon team that finished the season 13-2 and returned to the College Football Playoff.

Sadiq, 20, finished his career with five catches and 29 yards in the 56-22 loss to the Hoosiers last week in the College Football Playoff Semifinal.

“Kenyon’s a special player, man. I think we’re lucky to have the best tight end in the nation,” coach Dan Lanning said this season. “His play has shown that. We’re better when he’s out there with us. And certainly, he’s a tough guy to defend, right?”

For his career, Sadiq finishes with 80 catches for 892 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, all with the Ducks.

Oregon remains well-situation at the tight end position, even after the expected departure of Sadiq. The Ducks recently secured the return of Jamari Johnson, who will be one of the top tight ends projected for the 2027 NFL Draft.

They also have two key newcomers, Penn State transfer Andrew Olesh and incoming freshman Kendre’ Harrison, who is ESPN’s top rated tight end recruit for 2026 and ESPN’s No. 14 overall player in the upcoming class.

Sadiq is expected to test well at the NFL Combine, as he’s 6-foot-3, 245 pounds and athletic enough that Oregon had designed run plays for him. He ran the ball nine times for the Ducks in his career.

Included in his top performances this year were two touchdown catches against USC and eight catches for 96 yards against Rutgers. In 2024, he caught two touchdowns against Penn State in the Big Ten title game and finished the year with 24 catches for 308 yards.

Sadiq projects atop a strong group of tight ends in this class, which includes Ohio State’s Max Klare, Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, Texas’ Jack Endries and Cincinnati’s Joe Royer.