The Kansas City Chiefs did not address the tight end position during the 2025 NFL Draft but it is looking more and more likely they hit an absolute home run with the undrafted free agent that Andy Reid and company targeted, and ultimately landed, following the draft.
Former Clemson Tigers standout tight end Jake Briningstool signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent after Reid personally reached out to him in order to seal the deal. So far, the early returns show that the phone call was worth it as Briningstool put on a show during the second day of Chiefs minicamp.
Travis Kelce is still the man at the tight end position for Kansas City when Patrick Mahomes is under center. That isn't going to change this season, at the very least. What Briningstool could potentially provide is added depth behind the veteran and, potentially, help be part of the bridge for whatever direction the Chiefs decide to go once live after Kelce is upon them.
Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 241 pounds, Briningstool was an All-ACC selection his junior and senior years at Clemson and owns the school's all-time receptions record for a tight end with 127 over the course of his career. In total, Briningstool finished his career at Clemson with 1,380 yards receiving and 17 touchdowns as a result of the school record 127 receptions.
Briningstool was expected by most pundits to hear his name called somewhere in the mid to later rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft but that never came to fruition. While that is a moment he will never be able to recreate, landing in the right situation is far more important to Briningstool's professional career moving forward. Judging from the early returns in Kansas City, that home in the NFL might just end up being with the Chiefs.