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Six tight end prospects from the 2020 NFL Draft for Kansas City Chiefs

By Jordan Mannix

SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 23: Cole Kmet #84 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs after catching a pass against Marcus Valdez #97 of the Boston College Eagles in the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on November 23, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Boston College 40-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - NOVEMBER 23: Cole Kmet #84 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs after catching a pass against Marcus Valdez #97 of the Boston College Eagles in the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on November 23, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Boston College 40-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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NFL Draft, Kansas City Chiefs
(NFL Draft) PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 23: Evan Weaver #89 of the California Golden Bears dives to tackled Colby Parkinson #84 of the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Colby Parkinson, Stanford

Colby Parkinson is the last on this list, and may be the last of this group drafted. At this point, he’s not considered a top-10 tight end prospect and is expected to go on day 3 of this year’s NFL Draft. The Chiefs have two day 3 picks, as of now, and it honestly makes the most sense that if they were going to spend a draft pick on a tight end they’d do so in the fourth or fifth round.

Parkinson’s numbers weren’t gaudy while at Stanford, but he was absolutely a productive player. For his career he caught 87 passes for 1,141 yards and 12 touchdowns. Likely his most impressive season was his sophomore campaign, in which he caught 29 passes for 486 yards and seven touchdowns. Most impressively, his average yards per catch was a whopping 16.7 yards.

Physical attributes, especially those from a player likely available in the later rounds, are what make Parkinson most appealing. At 6’7″ and 252 pounds, he has excellent size for the position. He’s not extremely fast, running a 4.77 second 40-yard dash, but he is very quick running a 7.16 second three cone drill. With his size and quickness it’s presumable he could generate consistent separation in the NFL after a year or two of development.

Like most of the players on this list, he’s not known for great blocking technique. That is a negative as the backup tight end in Reid’s system. That said, his size and athleticism are enough upside to pick him up if he’s available in the fifth round and the team has filled other roster needs.

Conclusion:

Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL. It’s likely he has a few more elite years left in the tank. There’s no reason for the Chiefs to panic after the loss of Blake Bell and pull the trigger on a tight end on the first two days of the NFL Draft. That said, they should have several options in the draft’s mid-to-late rounds. This would be a cheap solution to Bell’s departure with much higher upside than any on the roster or those in free agency.

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