The Kansas City Chiefs were expected by many to add a top prospect to their wide receiver room over the weekend, but as picks 6, 29, and 40 went by without a pass catcher’s name written on a card, many were puzzled at the process. It wasn’t until the middle of the day on Saturday that Kansas City finally pulled the trigger on a receiver, selecting Cincinnati’s Cyrus Allen in the fifth round.
But it’s another player who went undrafted who drew rave reviews from former Carolina Panthers wideout Steve Smith. “He teases you with the speed,” Smith said to NFL Network’s James Palmer about Allen’s teammate at Cincinnati, Jeff Caldwell, back in April.
The 6-5, 216-pound Caldwell wowed scouts at the NFL Combine with his 4.31-second 40-yard dash and 42-inch vertical jump, but still went undrafted, presumably because of his high drop rate.
“I think he’s gonna be a late-round guy,” Smith went on. “Day three, he reminds me of a late-round guy that you can develop that no one sees coming, but if you can get him in the building, he reminds me of [former Saints receiver] Marques Colston.”
Colston, of course, enjoyed a remarkable 10-year career in which he racked up almost 10,000 receiving yards and 72 touchdowns. As it turned out, Caldwell didn’t get drafted, but he chose a team in Kansas City where he will have a shot to make the roster. He doesn’t necessarily have to set the bar to Marques Colston-level heights, but if he plays to his ability, Smith thinks Caldwell can certainly make a name for himself.
Smith told Palmer that with lowered expectations, Caldwell could thrive. “No one’s really counting on this kid, no one’s really looking at him to be a franchise leader, no one’s looking at him to be a 1,000-yard receiver, but lo and behold, Marques Colston goes out there and year after year makes defensive coordinators pull their hair out just because of how consistent he was and how much he worked on his game.”
Caldwell caught 32 passes for 478 yards and 6 touchdowns for the Bearcats in 2025.
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