The Kansas City Chiefs drafted TE Noah Gray in the fifth round back in April, bolstering their depth at the position behind Travis Kelce.
With a little more than half a season under his belt heading into Week 10, Gray told reporters at the team’s Friday press conference that his development is going well, and that his focus on learning from the veterans on the roster has paid dividends.
“I don’t think I can point to any single aspect that have kind of progressed as the time has gone on just because naturally,” Gray said, “I’ve been around these guys longer and have been able to pick their brains longer and been able to figure out what to work on. In the run game, in the pass game, there’s been a lot of stuff that I felt like I’ve definitely progressed and been able to learn from. Just a huge thanks to the other tight ends in the room because without them I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”
Asked specifically about the benefit of learning from a talent like Kelce on a daily basis, Gray was supremely gracious in his comments. He explained that every facet of the veteran’s skillset shows him new ways to play the position effectively.
“Having Travis Kelce in the room is huge. I’ve always said that I’ve been grateful for that and there’s a lot,” He explained. “You watch a lot of his film, he’s been here for nine-ten seasons so there’s a lot that you can learn from him whether its route running, even in the run blocking game or pass blocking game. There’s a lot that he’s been able to teach me, he does a great job of watching everyone’s reps when we’re on scout team so that’s been really helpful to have an older guy like that be really tuned in to stuff like that.”
An injury to Jody Fortson in Week 6 against Washington set Kansas City up for a potential change of the guard behind Kelce in two and three tight end sets, especially near the goal line. Gray hasn’t quite broken into a role in the offense yet, but if he can continue emulating his world-beating mentor, the opportunity he needs might be closer than some think.
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