2017 NFL Draft KC Chiefs Scouting Report: O.J. Howard

The 2017 NFL Draft has one tight end that outshines the rest. That tight end is O.J. Howard out of Alabama, who the KC Chiefs would love to see on their roster along with Travis Kelce.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a storied history of having tremendous tight ends taking snaps for them. Tony Gonzalez is the greatest tight end of all-time and current Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is working his way up the ranks.

With the rest of the Chiefs tight ends not living up to the hype in 2016, could they decide to add the best one from this year’s draft in the first round? If so, O.J. Howard would be their pick and he’d be a great addition to this offense.

Looking at the rest of the Chiefs tight ends aside from Kelce, there’s not much to be excited about. Demetrius Harris had a few big plays in 2016, but is widely known throughout Chiefs Kingdom for how often he drops passes.

There’s also James O’Shaughnessy, who the team drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and did next to nothing in both seasons.

Oh, and there’s a guy named Ross Travis who’s allowed to wear Gonzalez’s old number for some reason.

None of those guys provide stability at the backup tight end spot. If Kelce were to miss extended time, the Chiefs would be hard pressed to find someone who could fill Kelce’s shoes.

O.J. Howard would be a great option. CBS Sports compares the Alabama tight end to Jimmy Graham of the Seattle Seahawks, which is a huge compliment for anyone.

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"An explosive athlete with breakaway speed, lateral agility and balance, Howard projects well as a “move” tight end and hybrid slot receiver, similar to the way that the New Orleans Saints (and subsequently the Seattle Seahawks) featured former All-Pro Jimmy Graham."

In four seasons with the Crimson Tide, Howard racked up 114 receptions for 1,726 yards and seven touchdowns. His best season came as a senior in 2016 when he caught 45 passes for 595 yards and three touchdowns.

As cool as it’d be to see the Chiefs draft this playmaker in round one, it’s doubtful that it’ll happen. Tight end isn’t as big of a need as pass rusher, run stopper, quarterback, or running back are. It’s only a minor need since they just need to add depth to the position.

Also, Howard will likely be off the board by the time the Chiefs are on the clock. Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com had Howard landing with the Cleveland Browns with the 12th overall pick.

Next: 30 Best Chiefs Free Agent Signings of All-Time

The Jets, Saints, Broncos, and Giants are also teams that could wind up taking O.J. Howard due to their need at the tight end position.

What do you think, Chiefs fans? Would you have any desire to see the Kansas City Chiefs select O.J. Howard in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft?

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