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Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce told ESPN that he may have not ended up dominating at the position he does now.
“Most stuff that tight ends did when I was growing up, I was like, ‘Man, that doesn't sound like the most exciting position,'” Kelce told ESPN.
Kelce played an exciting position in the eyes of many when he was in high school. During the 2007-08 varsity season for Cleveland Heights High School, Kelce had quite the year as a quarterback. He threw for 1,523 yards, 15 touchdowns and also had 1,016 rushing yards and ten touchdowns. After high school, Kelce joined his older brother, Jason, at the University of Cincinnati.
While Kelce was determined to be the signal-caller, Cincinnati football head coach Butch Jones refused. He saw too many characteristics that the Chiefs star had for the tight end position.
“When you look at the position traits that you look for in a tight end – from a toughness standpoint, from an athleticism standpoint and from the ability to create matchups against a defense – it was a no brainer,” Jones said to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
What inspired Chiefs' Travis Kelce to make the switch from QB to TE
Jones's commitment to Kelce playing at the tight end position paid dividends for both him and Cincinnati football. Before starting for Cincinnati football in 2012, Kelce drew inspiration from two players at his position, both of which were pro-bowlers.
“I was watching [Rob Gronkowski] and Jimmy Graham in 2011,” Kelce said of two of the game's premier tight ends at the time. Gronkowski had 1,327 receiving yards in 2011 (sixth in the NFL) while Graham had 1,310 yards (seventh). “That was an exciting year of football.”
Kelce channeled his inner Graham and Gronkowski and became a focal point of the Bearcats offense. He had 45 receptions for 722 yards and eight touchdowns before declaring for the 2013 NFL Draft.
Ever since being drafted by the Chiefs, Kelce has dominated. He had seven-straight seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards. At the head of the offensive snake is quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Texas Tech standout knows how to get Kelce involved on the offensive end. Also, Chiefs head coach and offensive savant Andy Reid uses a variety of ways to get Kelce in space.
Reflecting on the position change, Kelce mentions how doing multiple things on the football field made him embrace it.
“When you're getting fed the ball, you get to score touchdowns, and on top of that, you get to be the guy that springs the running back or be the guy to get somebody else open. You just become a utility piece, and it makes playing the entire game fun. And that's why I really embraced it.”
