2017 NFL Draft Kansas City Chiefs Scouting Report: Adam Shaheen
By Ben Almquist
While the Kansas City Chiefs have a superstar in Travis Kelce, the rest of the tight end group is far from set. Adam Shaheen of Ashland could find a home there.
The Kansas City Chiefs have largely built their offense around the production of tight end Travis Kelce. However, the rest of the tight end group is nowhere near where it needs to be. The Chiefs need to add some help in that area. One name in the upcoming draft that is generating some serious hype is Adam Shaheen of Ashland.
The Chiefs have some young potential with Ross Travis and James O’Shaughnessy. Demetrius Harris has also developed quite a bit. However, all three of these players have a long way to go before they can be considered reliable. John Dorsey has told fans and media to be patient with Harris. However, that patience can’t be held for all three players.
The Chiefs have shown that they know the tight end group needs some help. John Dorsey recently added former Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar to the roster. However, with Escobar coming on just a one-year deal, it is unlikely the Chiefs view him as any kind of an answer. We have seen the team take a similar route with Rod Streater at wide receiver last year.
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Kansas City likes to get their tight ends involved heavily in the offense. That makes sense with the short passing of the West Coast Offense. However, opponents are keying in on Travis Kelce. The Chiefs need another solid tight end to keep defenses off balance and unable to take away their top weapon.
Big Adam Shaheen's gait is cartoonish but doesn't get in the way of catching the ball...quick lateral movement in pass pro#chipotlemyass
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) March 27, 2017
Adam Shaheen – TE – Ashland
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You’re not supposed to move the way Adam Shaheen does when you’re 6’6 and 278 lbs. However, both on film and in workouts, his natural athleticism immediately jumps out at you. The big tight end was an unfair advantage for Ashland at the Division II level. He was simply too big and fast for the rest of the talent on the field.
As I mentioned, Adam Shaheen is very fast for a man his size. He also possesses excellent strength and stature to make him difficult to tackle, especially for smaller defensive backs. Understands body positioning, and has impressive athleticism to gain leverage before and after the catch. Shows impressive footwork to actually put on moves while running.
As for the negatives, they almost all stem from being a Division II player. It’s hard to gauge how he would have performed at a higher level. There are also some issues with his blocking, especially in the run game, that a tight end of his size shouldn’t have. Relies too much on natural talent rather than sound technique to create separation in his routes.
Adam Shaheen is one of the hot names for the draftnik crowd this year. However, don’t be fooled into thinking he’ll just walk out there and dominate. There are still plenty of areas for Shaheen to develop in before he’s ready to play. A lot of his highlight reel shows the lower level of talent he was facing. That said, this kind of natural talent and ability is definitely a rare combination to find.
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I don’t believe that the signing of Gavin Escobar puts the Kansas City Chiefs out of the tight end market. If anything, I think the Chiefs would love to send Escobar packing because a younger/cheaper option is ready to fill the role. That means KC should definitely still be in the market for a tight end in the middle rounds of the draft.