Underrated Chiefs Signing Already Paying Massive Dividends
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted tight end Noah Gray in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. Although the Chiefs already possessed one of the best tight ends in the league in Travis Kelce, Gray was drafted to be mentored by and potentially take over for Kelce one day.
As a rookie, Gray had seven catches on ten targets for 36 yards and one touchdown. While Gray wasn't a huge part of the Chiefs' offense as a rookie, he took advantage of the opportunities he got and was impressive.
Over the next two seasons, Gray recorded 56 receptions on 75 targets for 604 yards and three touchdowns. Gray's production in 2022 and 2023 earned him a three-year, $19.5 million contract extension on September 5, the day the Chiefs kicked off their season.
Through ten games this year, Gray has 23 receptions on 26 targets for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Both of Gray's touchdowns came in last week's loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Gray is currently on pace to have the best season of his career. That's thanks in large part to his catch rate when targeted being at 88.5%, which is 10th in the NFL. Gray is ahead of all wide receivers in the league.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has watched Gray develop over the past two and a half seasons and has been impressed.
#Chiefs OC Matt Nagy on TE Noah Gray: "He really has come a long way. . . As far as the details, practice habits, in-game adjustments. . . You see what he did last week in Buffalo. He's Mr. Consistent. He's probably one of the more underrated guys outside of this building."
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) November 21, 2024
According to Charles Goldman, Nagy said, "He really has come a long way. . . As far as the details, practice habits, in-game adjustments. . . You see what he did last week in Buffalo. He's Mr. Consistent. He's probably one of the more underrated guys outside of this building."
Nagy's praise of Gray's development is encouraging given the uncertainty around Kelce's future. With Kelce at best having one more season left, Gray's improvement points to him taking over when Kelce hangs it up.
Gray is only 25 years old, which gives him plenty of time to create the type of connection Kelce and Patrick Mahomes have. If they are able to achieve even half of that chemistry, Gray could turn out to be one of the better fifth-round tight ends in NFL history.
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