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2016 NFL Draft: Should KC Chiefs Draft Tight End

By Leigh Oleszczak

Dec 6, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) catches a pass before the start of the game against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) catches a pass before the start of the game against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s that time of year! The 2016 NFL Draft will be rolling April 28th-30th and the KC Chiefs have several needs to fill. Could tight end be one of them?

This is a weird draft for the Kansas City Chiefs because there’s really not a major need the team needs to fill. The team will likely see a lot of key players departing via free agency and that will likely dictate the direction the Chiefs decide to go in come draft day.

One of the less talked about positions for the Chiefs to fill is at tight end. Fans might feel that due to the Chiefs having Travis Kelce as their number one tight end, that they don’t really need to address the position, but I disagree.

The team selected James O’Shaughnessy in the fifth round of last year’s draft and recently extended Demetrius Harris‘ contract, so one might argue that the team doesn’t need to be looking at tight end in the early rounds.

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    • Just imagine how dangerous this Chiefs offense would be if they had Kelce and a first round caliber tight end lining up on both sides. The best option at tight end in this year’s draft is Hunter Henry out of Arkansas, who would fit in perfectly with this Chiefs offense.

    If the Chiefs decide to address a more vital position in the first round, they could possibly still get Henry in the second round or could go for Austin Hooper out of Stanford.

    Kelce benefited in his first “real” season in the pros (he was on injured reserve his entire rookie season) from having fellow tight end Anthony Fasano on the opposite side. While he had a great year in 2015, it might be nice to add another tight end option on the other side that could take some of the heat off of Kelce.

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    Neither O’Shaughnessy or Harris made much of an impact last year. Harris actually hasn’t made much of an impact at all during his three years in the pros, recording less than 100 yards and only grabbing one touchdown.

    More than likely, the Kansas City Chiefs won’t go down the tight end route in the draft, at least not in the first round, but it’s something that John Dorsey should consider.

    Kelce is one of the best tight ends in the league, and if the Chiefs could get a system similar to how the Patriots were a few years back with Gronkowski and Hernandez, imagine how scary this offense could be.

    Next: Top Five Draft Busts in Chiefs History

    Food for thought.

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