With eye-popping stats, Travis Kelce is TE extraordinaire.
Travis Kelce currently leads the NFL with 1,250 receiving yards, and he’s fifth in the league with 90 total receptions. But wait! Sixty-seven of those receptions (nearly 75%) went for first downs. That’s also a league-high figure.
Translation? This guy is RELIABLE! And there’s no doubt that Kelce will reach double-digit touchdowns this season because he has nine TDs currently.
At 6’5 and weighing 260 lbs, the 31-year-old has been an elite threat ever since his second year in the league. Witness the fact that Kelce has earned five Pro Bowls during an eight-year career. Drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Kelce has eclipsed 1,000 yards in five of his eight seasons.
Kelce has reliable hands, height, and the strength/agility to catch 50/50 balls.
And this next factor might be the thing that separates Kelce from peers. Despite lining up at TE, Kelce’s speed causes mismatches. In effect, Kelce is a wideout in a TE’s body.
As seen in the route chart, HC Andy Reid uses Kelce creatively by running variations of shallows, slants, outs, wheels, flats, and even a form of verticals. And Kelce doesn’t have to do it all by himself. Speedster Tyreek Hill sits atop the receiving TD leader board (tied with Davante Adams with 14 touchdowns). With Hill often taking two defenders out of the defense, Kelce can find more gaps and create better mismatches.
Yes, having Superbowl MVP Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback helps any receiver. By the same token, Kelce is one reason why Mahomes excels.
Projected to finish the season with 1,539 yards, Kelce is on course to break the single-season receiving yards record for tight ends. The current record-holder, George Kittle of the 49ers, had 1,377 yards in 2018. And there’s more! Mahomes and Kelce can team up to achieve something that has never been done in the NFL. Kelce has a good opportunity to become the first TE to ever lead the league in receiving yards.
Hail, Mighty Kelce!
