Chiefs 2021 NFL Draft prospects: Adding play-making tight end on offense
Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami
Miami tight end Brevin Jordan could be an option for Kansas City on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft. His skill set at the tight end position is different from Pat Freiermuth’s as he wins with excellent explosiveness and is a major threat in the open field. His rare combination of speed, lateral agility, size, and physicality makes Jordan too athletic for most linebackers to cover yet too physically dominant for most safeties.
Jordan is another tight end who has experience playing in-line and splitting out wide in spread concepts. While not as deceptive with his route-running and relying more on his athletic ability in his stem, he does have a good feel for where to work in zone coverages. Jordan’s best production comes up the seam and on quick crossers over the middle, using that speed and agility to create separation.
Miami utilized Jordan’s athleticism by getting him the ball in the screen game as well. Once the ball is in his hands, he displayed the ability to win with both physicality and elusiveness to make defenders miss and pick up additional yardage. Not only does his competitive drive show up when working for additional yards after the catch, but he is always working hard when blocking for ball carriers. Anytime he is blocking for a run play, he consistently looks to finish his opponent and block downfield.
Jordan’s true abilities when it comes to route running are unknown due to how Miami deployed him. He was not asked to run an extensive route tree in college, but has the physical and athletic traits to be productive in this area. Tapping into those traits and his natural feel for the position will be something that will be needed at the next level. While his athleticism is a mismatch alone for the tight end position, he will need to learn to be more deceptive in his route running to take advantage of his potential against NFL defenses fully. There isn’t much tape of him making catches in contested situations making that another question mark for his NFL career.
Not for lack of effort, the Miami product will need to improve his run blocking. His hand placement is consistently wide, and he struggles to remain square with his opponent, allowing for defenders to shed and breakthrough to the backfield
After the catch production, the Chiefs love speed and athleticism, and Jordan fits that while bringing a size mismatch. Adding a guy like Jordan could also give Reid another option in the screen game, which despite the lack of screens called in 2020, it will always be a factor in an Andy Reid offense. This selection adds not only to the speed and agility that the Kansas City offense is known for but the physicality that could leave this offseason if Watkins doesn’t return.