When the Kansas City Chiefs spent a third-round pick on Travis Kelce in the 2013 NFL Draft, no one probably saw the pick panning out as perfectly as it has. Kelce went from a guy who had character concerns coming out of college to now being a future Hall of Fame tight end.
Brett Veach was asked by Peter Schrager about the Chiefs drafting Kelce and spoke about the tight end's full circle journey in Kansas City.
"Travis Kelce was a character concern... The love and dedication to the game and, you know, what he's going to be doing off the field, the culture and, you know, the support you have in the building does make a difference... If you put guys, you know, that are young and maybe have made some dumb decisions, if you put them, you know, in an adult environment with a good culture, I mean, you can get the best out of them," Veach said. "Now it's gone full circle with Travis where he's teaching us more than we ever taught him, if that makes sense. So here you have a guy that starts out as a character concern. You bring him into the organization and he has his Hall of Fame career, first ballot Hall of Fame career. And he's now teaching us on how to handle adversity and how to be uplifting. And I think that's like the coolest thing."
Brett Veach says Travis Kelce went from concern to cornerstone
For those who might have forgotten, the big issue surrounding Kelce's draft stock when he was entering the draft in 2013 was a failed drug test during his sophomore season. Throw in some injury concerns and there's a reason Kelce fell to the third round and was there for the Chiefs to take on Day 2.
Clearly, it was the perfect fit for Kelce and Chiefs fans have watched him grow up during his time in Kansas City. He was once a fiery player who mouthed off and talked smack and now he's the positive locker room presence for the younger players. It's been a cool thing to see play out.
We all know that when Kelce does call it a career, whether it's after the 2026 season or 2027 or whenever that time comes, that he'll be a Hall of Fame tight end. Who would have thought that would be the case after his chaotic college years?