We are just days away from the the NFL Draft, set to take place in Pittsburgh. Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid have both held a press conference with reporters, allowing fans even more speculation to dwell on before Thursday’s first round festivities commence.
With this being the fifth edition of my round-by-round draft targets series, today, we’ll look into tight ends, which is a bigger need than some may expect. Travis Kelce enters his 13th season in the league, and most likely his last after signing a one-year extension with the team earlier this offseason. He projects to once again lead the position in snaps and usage, something even at his age, he does arguably better than anyone else.
Sixth-year man Noah Gray is in the second year of a three-year, $18 million extension. After a massive down year in 2025 with just 21 catches in 16 games and being an undersized and frankly poor blocker, Gray needs to take another step forward or risk being released next year, which would save the Chiefs a valuable $6 million in cap space. After the two vets, there is not much more than projection, as day-three draft pick in 2024, Jared Wiley, and undrafted second-year Jake Briningstool will be fighting for roster spots as special teams contributors.
With all of this in mind, the Chiefs must find value to supplement their depth at tight end this season. And this year's class could give them the chance to do it as there are plenty of candidates who could be donning Chiefs red by the end of the draft.
Round 1: Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon)
One of the more impressive tight ends in recent years, Kenyon Sadiq offers a blend of speed, explosiveness, and route running that is comparable to some bigger-bodied wide receivers. Sadiq broke out this past year, catching 51 balls for 560 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s a smaller tight end at 6-foot-3 and 240 lbs, but absolutely shredded, scoring a 9.43 out of 10 RAS (Relative Athletic Score). He can run a full route tree on all three levels of the field, and his 4.39-second 40-yard dash time allows Sadiq to outrun, not only linebackers, but speedy defensive backs with ease.
From a blocking standpoint, Sadiq gives full effort and is adequate in most aspects. He clearly has the athleticism as a move blocker and getting to the second level of the defense. But his lack of overall size proves a weakness as an in-line and point of attack blocker. Sadiq may not be the top-10 talent of Kyle Pitts back in 2020, but he is absolutely worthy of a first-round selection. He may intrigue the Chiefs enough to use pick 29 to trade up and nab a versatile, high-volume pass-catcher if they can’t grab a receiver with the ninth overall pick.
Round 2: Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt)
Stowers, in my mind, is basically the discount version of Sadiq in this draft. He has a similar physical makeup at 6-foot-3 and 240 lbs, but is a tad worse of an athlete, despite the slightly higher 9.46 RAS, and broke out much later in college than Sadiq. Stowers is a late quarterback convert with just three years of real experience at tight end. In his final two college seasons at Vanderbilt, Stowers shined, accounting for a combined 111 catches for 1,407 yards and nine TDs in 25 games.
He’s an explosive athlete with long arms and incredible after-the-catch ability. Stowers is more of a third-down, chain-mover than he is a pristine route runner. The necessary aggression and effort in run and pass blocking are all there. But technique, along with a smaller frame, does him more harm than good. Projected as the only second-round tight end prospect in the draft, I think Stowers draft range is 10-15 picks after the Chiefs' second-round selection at No. 40, making him not only a scheme fit issue, but a draft compensation overpay.
Round 3: Oscar Delp (Georgia)
The third round is about the range when I expect the Chiefs to start sniffing around at tight end. And Oscar Delp would be about as safe a pick as there is. With three years of consistent production at Georgia, Delp’s game at its core will no doubt translate really well to the NFL. For starters, he’s an unbelievable blocker in multiple run game schemes at nearly 6-foot-5 and 245 lbs. I would expect him to put on roughly five more pounds, as his frame and wingspan would really benefit from it when dealing with bigger edge-rushers.
Delp is also a very good athlete, scoring a 9.82 RAS, and it shows up in the receiving game. Despite never hitting over 300 yards in any of his years at Georgia, Delp wasn’t exactly the focal point of a well-rounded offense. He’s a fluid mover with short-area quickness and good acceleration to get up and go on seam routes down the field. His shorter arms sometimes prevent him from being able to make first contact when blocking or stretching out for a catch, but Delp’s game is so sound. At pick No. 74, he’d be a really nice grab by Veach, who actually bought Delp in for a top-30 visit during the pre-draft process.
Round 4: Sam Roush (Stanford)
At 6-foot-6 and 265 lbs, Sam Roush is the much-needed in-line centric blocking tight end the Chiefs should be looking for in the draft. He can work in zone and gap schemes, can combo block, and play with extreme toughness. He played all four years of college at Stanford, taking jumps each year to this past year, where he accounted for 49 catches and 545 yards, earning Roush second team All-ACC.
At his size, Roush is hard to bring down in the open field and typically lands the first blow to defenders when trying to tackle him. He does have a tendency to hold onto blocks a little too long sometimes, an issue that got him in trouble in 2024 with penalties, but something he sured up last season. Roush is a true football guy through and through, coming from a family of football players, and is really smart and calculated with everything he does. While his receiving production is good, teams will draft Roush for his prominent blocking talent.
Round 5: Joe Royer (Cincinnati)
The Chiefs already have one Cincinnati tight end in Kelce, so why not add another in Joe Royer? After three muted years at Ohio State, Royer transferred to the Bearcats, where, in two years, he had nearly 1,000 yards and seven TDs. At 6-foot-5, 245 lbs, Royer is the perfect size teams are looking for at the position, and a pretty good athlete on the field. He’s not a flashy two-level route runner, but Royer gets the job done, understands where he needs to be, and is a contested catch winner.
Right now, Royer has shown a good base level competency at blocking and should grow into a very adequate blocker at the next level, as soon as he gets some reps under his belt. He benefited from a large number of broken plays in the receiving game that have helped Royer’s stats, but there are more reps than not where he beats his man and fights upfield, through contact for extra yards. A midday three selection would be a nice spot for the Chiefs to add a high-potential tight end like Royer.
Round 6: Dallen Bentley (Utah)
Dallen Bentley, more than any other player on this list, is very much a projection rather than a sure thing. Bentley played his first college season in JUCO before attending Utah for his final three years, in which he saw very limited snaps and caught just three receptions in two seasons. It was 2025 when Bentley skyrocketed his production to 48 catches for 620 yards and six TDs, earning him a spot on the All Big-12 third-team.
Bentley is a big target at 6-foot-4 and 250 lbs with a long wingspan at 33-plus inch arms and a massive catch radius. Much of his production last season came against zone coverages, which is where Chiefs pass-catchers feast in Reid's offense. Bentley is a passable blocker with room to grow in space, but enough strength to make it work. He’s gonna have to be a little quicker in his decision-making and natural instincts at the position, and is definitely a bust candidate with just one year of production. But in the sixth round, it’s all about trying to find a diamond in the rough.
Round 7: John Michael Gyllenborg (Wyoming)
A native of Leawood, KS, John Michael Gyllenborg should have lots of suitors late in the draft, much of that to do with his insane athletic testing at the NFL combine, where he scored a 9.92 RAS. At 6-foot-5 and 240 lbs, Gyllenborg is more of a move tight end, with very explosive traits, but inconsistencies show up on tape regularly. He got better blocking on the move in recent years, but as an in-line blocker, Gyllenborg is not the guy for the job.
He’s a fine route runner and can attack multiple spots on the field with yards after catch ability and tracks the ball well in the seams. The issue, for him again, is inconsistency in his game. Gyllenborg’s game rep by rep lacks a certain level of focus, which allows him to get beaten easily when blocking or become a non-factor in the passing game. He’s also got a small injury history, missing three games each of the past two seasons. Best-case scenario, for the Chiefs, Gyllenborg turns out to be a fine special teamer who you can put out there in three tight end sets and feel good about it.
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