Kansas City Chiefs: Blake Mack under the radar name to watch
The Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of training camp right now and one player that grabbed my attention at training camp on Thursday was tight end Blake Mack.
Casual Kansas City Chiefs fans probably won’t know who Blake Mack is, but he’s officially on my under the radar list heading into the preseason. For those who don’t know Mack’s name, he’s a tight end out of Arkansas State who the Chiefs signed as an undrafted free agent to compete for a roster spot.
Mack had a decent four-year career at Arkansas State, totaling 1,505 yards and 11 touchdowns during his collegiate days. His best season came as a senior where he hauled in 48 receptions for 618 yards and seven touchdowns. He had 652 yards and three touchdowns in 2016.
Mack first caught my attention when he grabbed a nice pass from Patrick Mahomes in the end zone. My mom asked who number 88 was and me being the smart aleck that I am said, “It’s not Tony Gonzalez“, but I had to admit it was a nifty little catch.
Blake Mack just hauled in a tremendous pass from Mahomes in a drill with two defenders all over him. Bullet pass through a needle and soft hands from Mack.
— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) August 2, 2018
Now look… I know what training camp is. Just because Blake Mack had one great grab doesn’t guarantee him a spot on the 53-man roster, but it has to help his cause, right?
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The good news for him is that the Chiefs don’t have a legitimate backup tight end (please do not say Demetrius Harris is a legitimate backup tight end), so if he can continue to show off like he did in training camp, he has a good shot at making the team. I don’t understand the love affair the Chiefs have for Harris, but that college basketball player turned NFL player experiment needs to end.
Travis Kelce is really the only shoe-in to make the roster out of the current tight ends on the roster, but the other spots (likely two others, aside from Kelce) are up for grabs. Some of the more well-known names are Harris (only because he’s been in Kansas City for half a decade), Jace Amaro, and Tim Wright.
Amaro and Wright either disappointed from the get-go or flamed out with their former teams, but could be serviceable backups. We know what they are though and that’s not someone that’s going to be a game changer.
Why not take a chance on Blake Mack? We’ll definitely need to see more from him as the summer activities roll along, but if he can continue to have chemistry with Mahomes, then a good case will be made for Mack to be with the team when the regular season commences in September.