OVERVIEW
In high school, Kelce was a three sport star, but his best sport was always football. He was a three-year letter winner at quarterback, and earned All-Lake Erie League honors after totaling 2,539 yards of total offense and 31 total touchdowns as a senior. Kelce’s uncle Don Blalock played football at Purdue and grandfather Don Blalock played football at Ohio. Travis is the younger brother of former Cincinnati Bearcats and current Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
In his first year on campus, Travis redshirted. In his redshirt freshman year, Kelce participated in 11 games as the tight end. He caught one pass for three yards. Kelce also played some quarterback, strictly in a Wildcat role. He logged eight carries for 47 yards and two touchdowns. Kelce did not play in 2010, as he was suspended for a violation of team rules. Upon his return in 2011, Kelce caught 13 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. In his senior season, Kelce put himself on the NFL prospect map, as he caught 45 passes for 722 yards and eight touchdowns. He was selected to the All-Big East first team for his play.
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS Kelce has an ideal tight end frame. Athletic for his size, with great strength, and the ability to stretch the field vertically. Very physical run blocker, generates power from the lower half, and will move defenders off the ball. Plays with leverage. Wide catching radius, can adjust and make the difficult catch. Tough to bring down after the catch. Light feet, and has lined up in numerous different positions.
WEAKNESSES Suspended for an entire season for violating team rules. Only one season of production. Doesn't have blazing speed. Not a tremendously explosive athlete. Doesn't come out of his breaks all that well.
NFL COMPARISON Rob Gronkowski
BOTTOM LINE Kelce has been a tremendous run blocker throughout his career for the Bearcats, but really elevated his game as a receiver in his senior season. He isn't a tremendous athlete, but he does a lot of things very well. It's a deep tight end class, but Kelce's play suggests that he should be highly sought after. [Reply]
This is a great GREAT pick for the Chiefs. Great Job. I wanted the Browns to get Kelce, but this is great for you guys, and great for alex smith. Well done guys. Great draft. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DaFace:
It's old. It's tired. It's not insightful. And no, it's certainly not a given by anyone outside this place that it's valid.
Well, that is how this place rolls. Been that way since I have been here. The fact that they continue to pass on QBs, potential franchise QBs, for bit players it what is old and tired. [Reply]
Originally Posted by HemiEd:
Well, that is how this place rolls. Been that way since I have been here. The fact that they continue to pass on QBs, potential franchise QBs, for bit players it what is old and tired.
Our GM/coaches worked out these QBs. They have no problem passing on them for other players right now. Perhaps they are wrong. But I'm guessing they have significantly more data than you on which to base that decision. [Reply]
The Chiefs’ effort to send discontented left tackle Branden Albert to the Miami Dolphins in return for a second-round draft pick failed and the day ended with Albert still on the roster. Unless the Chiefs lower their asking price for Albert or accept a future draft pick, Albert is destined to remain in Kansas City.
The Chiefs were missing their own second-round choice, sent in March to San Francisco as part of a trade for quarterback Alex Smith. The Chiefs used the first pick in the third round, 63rd overall, on Cincinnati tight end Travis Kelce.
With their other third-round pick, No. 96 overall, the Chiefs selected Arkansas running back Knile Davis. The 5-foot-11, 227-pound Davis gives the Chiefs a power back to serve as a complement to Jamaal Charles.
The 6-5, 255-pound Kelce joins Tony Moeaki and free-agent addition Anthony Fasano at tight end. Moeaki didn’t practice in last week’s minicamp after having arthroscopic knee surgery at the end of last season. Coach Andy Reid has said Moeaki will be ready for the start of training camp in July.
Kelce played three seasons at Cincinnati, missing all of 2010 because of a failed drug test. He was used mostly as a blocker until his senior season, when he caught 45 passes for 722 yards and eight touchdowns last year.
Kelce said he tested positive for marijuana at Cincinnati, leading to his suspension.
“It happened in the past,” he said. “It’s in the past. I’m very remorseful and I’m very prideful of who I am now and that the Chiefs organization is going to get who I am today. I’m not going back down the road I went down.
“It was a one-time thing. I haven’t touched it since. I’m a guy that’s a clean-cut guy. I’m going to give the organization everything I can.”
Kelce’s brother Jason is a center for the Philadelphia Eagles, who until this season were coached by Reid.
Asked what his brother told him about playing for Reid, Kelce said, “That he’s a great guy, a great coach and he’s going to hold you accountable. I love that about coaches, and I’m more than happy and (very) fortunate to get a guy like coach Reid. He can kind of coach me up and get me going in the right direction.”
Davis ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine but has had fumbling and injury issues. He ran for just 377 yards and two touchdowns last season, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. He missed two games because of a hamstring injury.
The Chiefs are scheduled to make five picks Saturday, the final day of the draft: No. 99 (fourth round), No. 134 (fifth), Nos. 170 and 204 (sixth) and No. 207 (seventh). [Reply]
Originally Posted by BossChief:
I hope this isn't an indicator that Moeakis injury is serious. This is a pivotal year in his career. If he is able to have a healthy year, he basically kicks the injury prone label...if he gets hurt, he will never kick that label.
I think you really gotta give this one up, as that ship has sailed. [Reply]
With a QB like Alex Smith, we should be running 3 TE sets. He can't throw over 15 yards, so send one WR deep as a decoy and flood the middle with 3 TEs and hope the defense is fooled by the pump fake deep. [Reply]
