How a Tight End Can Make the Chiefs Offense Great

Without stating the obvious here, large and athletically gifted athletes usually win in sports. Further, big, good tight ends can take a National Football League franchise to the top. Make that, “great” tight ends. No, I can’t cite any Lombardi Trophies that were secured by a tight end winning the MVP of the Super Bowl. What seems clear is the trend of teams bolstering their passing attacks… without abandoning their running games. Included in that trend is the use of increasingly larger pass catchers down the field.

The defensive backs are not the only ones growing by leaps and bounds, so are the receivers, including the TEs.

What I’m suggesting is that the Kansas City Chiefs and their head coach Andy Reid have a chance this offseason to get out in front of this wave… as if he hasn’t already tried.

The problem for the Chiefs is that JARD (John-Andy-Reid-Dorsey) have been doing so on a shoestring. El cheapo. Le cut-rate. With bargain-basement materials. That’s been JARD’s style when it comes to TEs. Aside from Travis Kelce, the Chiefs haven’t invested in a rounds-one-through-four pick for a tight end. In fact, JARD has only picked two tight ends in the past four years even though the three-tight-end-set is in their plans. Those are also the only two TEs the organization has selected since 2010 when they took Tony Moeaki in round three and yet their offense is designed to implement two and three tight ends at a time.

Last offseason QB Alex Smith shared the following,

“It’s been nice to get those three tight ends on the field and do stuff with them, especially in the passing game,… I think they’ll be a weapon for us.”

The primary reason for keeping three tight ends on the field may not simply be to provide passing attack targets and mismatches but expanding the offense’s ability to run the ball.

When you think back two years ago, following the 2014 NFL season, Jamaal Charles had a down year but still gained 1,024 yards with a 5.0 yards-per-carry average. Was the offensive line better then? No way! Remember Mike McGlynn and Donald Stephenson and Ryan Harris? The Chiefs had a special player in JC who made everyone around him look better than they really were. A lot better because those linemen were abysmal.

I’m not only making a case for the Chiefs to draft a great tight end (maybe two) but they also need to find a special running back who can be a game-changer and someone who makes the offensive line look good… because this line is actually not that bad, especially when compared to 2014.

So, who is available among the RBs and TEs when the Chiefs select at 27, 59, 91 and 104 — with their first four picks? In fact, the Chiefs may be able to get a starter out of the fourth round like they did last year with Tyreek Hill. That fourth round pick this year is, #132.  However, there are probably 10 tight ends in this draft who would be immediate upgrades over Demetrius Harris, Ross Travis or James O’Shanughnessey. Ten of those tight ends could be available to the Chiefs, everyone on the following except O.J Howard:

[Ranking is provided by DraftTek]

Let’s take a look at each of these tight ends in order.

#11- O.J. Howard– he’s special but he’ll be long gone by #27.

Picking at #27: if by some miracle O.J. Howard is available to the Chiefs, he would transform their offense, starting across from Travis Kelce.

#24- Davids Njoku (pronunciation: n-JOE-koo)- talented, fabulous athlete. The Chiefs may have to reach for him but it would be worth it. Njoku could have much the same impact on their offense as Howard. If the Chiefs took Njoku at #27 fans might be upset… until they see how he helps transform the O. He’s said to be the youngest player in this year’s draft (will turn 21 in July) and is still growing into his body.

Picking at #27: if the Chiefs took Njoku at #27… he may end up having a better season than Howard and his upside is higher than O.J. Howard’s.

#50 Evan Engram– his 4.42 40-yard-dash time was a wow-moment for everyone watching at the combine. He’s only 6-foot-3 but he also skies to catch the ball and can make his own space plus make plays once he has the ball in his hands. He may have a bigger impact than Njoku because he’s a better receiver. Mike Mayock watched all of his game-tape and said he was never a detriment in the blocking scheme for his team and that Engram always made sure to do his job as a blocker. I’m a big Engram fan and would love to see him in red and gold.

Picking at #27: if the Chiefs took Engram at #27 it would be a misuse of the pick because they could probably trade back and still select him. Of course, Dorsey’s been known to do such things.

#66- Bucky Hodges–  you just can’t believe it when you see so many tight ends with the first-round ability to catch the ball. Lance Zierlein says of Hodges,

“Outstanding combination of size and athleticism for the position. Runs fast and plays fast. Long target with extended catch radius. Can get up and over the top of most defenders at the high point. Willing to work over the middle and has the frame for it.”

Hodges has only played the position for three years and while they say he has much to learn, he looks light-years ahead of Demetrius Harris.

Picking at #59: if the Chiefs took Bucky Hodges at #59 he could be another Travis Kelce some day. That may sound like hype, but Kelce is my “comparable” for Bucky boy. His 4.57 40-time and 39-inch vertical jump, doesn’t hurt at all.

#69 Adam Shaheen– Lance Zierlein says of this small college prospect:

“Shaheen caught … 70 passes (for 803 yards and 10 TDs), a Division II record for tight ends [2014]. The two-time AFCA All-American and first-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pick had another great year in 2016, setting a school record with 16 touchdowns among his 57 receptions for 867 yards… Shaheen has starting potential with an ability to impact a passing game early in his career.”

Shaheen also played basketball so he has the footwork to play the TE position. The knock on him is that he played lesser competition.

Picking at #91: if the Chiefs took Adam Shaheen… it would be a mistake. He’s the one player who I would compare to a TE already on the Chiefs roster and that’s James O’Shanughnessy. Which means: he would not be an upgrade. He does have some upside but he’s not what you call a quick-twitch athlete. While he can at times be an excellent blocker — blocking LBs and D-back well downfield — he doesn’t have the ability to create for himself and has only shown he can beat small college defensive backs when catching the ball. I’m not recommending him and I’m not sure how DraftTek has him ranked this high.

#91 Gerald Everett– the first of many plays I watched of Gerald Everett’s game tape were of him blocking and pass protection… and doing both quite it well. In fact, I’d call him a fighter when it comes to protection. When he’s catching the ball, he can be magic and he has excellent hands. Dane Brugler has called Everett, “arguably the Sun Belt’s best offensive player.” Brugler goes on to say that, “Everett is a tight end prospect who isn’t far behind that top tier….” That’s where I would rank him as well but remember, I think everyone (except Adam Shaheen) is an upgrade over all the tight ends the Chiefs have on their roster. Everett is not an elite athlete but is above the NFL average. He frequently displays his ability go up and fight for the ball and although he does have some drops, he’s not at the Demetrius Harris rate. He only stands 6-foot-3 and has a slender body type so he will need to put on some weight and learn how to block better at the big league level.

Picking at #91: if the Chiefs took Gerald Everett with the 91st pick in the draft they’d be getting someone who will need a little time to adjust to the pro game but has a higher ceiling than any of their other tight ends.

These five tight ends mentioned above would give the Chiefs the opportunity to create those mismatches Andy Reid dreams of at night and daydreams about as he’s sipping his cappuccino on the One Arrowhead veranda.

Here are the 40-yard-dash times of those tight ends compared to Travis Kelce’s.

Travis Kelce- 4.61

David Njoku- 4.64

Evan Engram- 4.42

Bucky Hodges- 4.57

Adam Shaheen- 4.79

Gerald Everett- 4.59

It’s funny, during the combine, after Gerald Everett ran his first 40-yard-dash, Rich Eisen said, “If he (Everett) had run that time last year he’d be the star of the show.” That shows you just how good this year’s class of tight ends are… at least from a speed standpoint. I’ve also written about Jake Butt and Jordan Leggett previously and believe both of them will have good NFL careers so drafting them would be an immediate plus for the Chiefs offense too.

Some will argue that the Chiefs have too many weaknesses to be going for broke at tight end and running back. While that “could” be true I would say that the Chiefs don’t have any huge weaknesses. John Dorsey has done an excellent job of backfilling the roster with excellent talent. “What about the loss of Dontari Poe?” For now — without addressing that issue in free agency or the draft — Jaye Howard and Rakeem Nunez-Roches will be rotating in at that position and that’s not a bad scenario. In fact, I think the defense might be better vs. the run using those two. Here’s what Bucky Brooks has to say about the Chiefs current weaknesses:

Now, if the Kansas City Chiefs can nail down a “blue chip” tight end and find a “proper” replacement for the legendary Jamaal Charles — easier said than done — their offense will finally take that quantum leap needed to bring a Lamar Hunt prize back into the trophy cases at Arrowhead: it’s rightful home and resting place.

So, let me add to what was stated earlier… for the Chiefs… big, good tight ends can take a National Football League franchise to the top. If you’re looking for the missing link who will get the Chiefs to the top, look no more. I wouldn’t have written this piece last year. There are so many excellent tight ends on the board and making a run for one of the best could solve a problem the Chiefs have had ever since Andy Reid came to town: the lack of a quality #2 TE.

What do you think? Can you get on board with the idea of going all out to bring in another Travis Kelce?