Bearcats' Travis Kelce hopes to join his brother in NFL
Apr. 23, 2013
Experts expect Travis Kelce to go in the third or fourth round of the NFL draft. / The Enquirer/Joseph Fuqua II
Written by
Tom Groeschen
Travis Kelce would love to join his brother on the Philadelphia Eagles, but any of the 32 National Football League teams would suit Kelce just fine.
Tight end Kelce is the University of Cincinnati’s top-rated prospect for the NFL draft beginning Thursday, and generally is projected to be chosen in the third or fourth round. Kelce’s brother, Jason, is an Eagles center who was a sixth-round pick from UC in 2011.
“It would be nice to team up with my brother,” Travis Kelce said. “Two Kelce boys on the same team, you’d get all that attitude and hard work together. At the same time, it doesn’t matter what team. I just want the opportunity.”
Travis Kelce in 2012 led the Bearcats in receptions (45), receiving yardage (722) and TD catches (8). The receptions and yardage were UC season records for a tight end, and the TDs tied the Bearcats season record for the position.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Kelce has impressed NFL scouts with his blocking, soft hands, toughness and speed. Kelce earlier this month clocked a 40 dash time of 4.64 seconds at his Pro Day workout. The time placed Kelce third among tight ends in his class.
Kelce is projected as a third-round draftee by both NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock and CBS Sports/NFLdraftscout.com analyst Rob Rang. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper sees Kelce in the fourth round mix.
“What I like about him, he’s got pretty good run after the catch ability,” Kiper said in a teleconference. “This is a kid that when he snags that ball and gets in the open field, with his size and his athleticism he can do some damage.”
One knock on Kelce is the year-long suspension he served at UC in 2010, for an undisclosed violation of team rules. His 2012 production and work ethic are positives, but for some the stigma remains.
“Kelce is really a better player than people thought,” Mayock said in a teleconference. “He had the off-the-field issues, but he’s got explosion and he might be the best blocker (among the top tight ends).”
Rang said Kelce rates as the No.5 overall tight end. Kelce had only 14 career catches before last year, but he was a dynamic force as a senior.
“He’s arguably the best all-around tight end in the draft but the fact that he started one season at the position, is coming off of injury and has some off-field baggage are concerns,” Rang said via email. “There is no denying his unique combination of size, athleticism and physicality, not only after the catch but as a blocker.”
Kelce said he took pre-draft visits to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Miami, Jacksonville, Detroit, the New York Jets, Cleveland, San Francisco, Washington, Indianapolis and the Bengals.
Kelce, from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, has heard the speculation about when he might be drafted.
“You’re always interested in that stuff, to see where you’re projected,” Kelce said. “I don’t let any of it get to my head. I know what teams are telling me, and they’re telling me I’m going to go sooner rather than later.”
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...her-in-NFL