The Kansas City Chiefs addressed a growing need at the tight end position behind All-Pro Travis Kelce in the 2021 NFL draft. Kansas City traded up to the 162nd pick to select Duke University standout Noah Gray, hoping that he would be effective relief to Kelce.
Gray played multiple roles while with the Blue Devils, showcasing his versatility as either a tight end, receiver, or fullback. He relished that role considerably, as he discussed Saturday with reporters after the draft.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve played a multitude of positions when I was at Duke,” said Gray. “I’ve played tight end, I’ve played fullback, I also played a lot of special teams, which is something that I know I’m going to have to excel at and be really good at moving forward, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs. I had a lot of experience with that and I’m just thankful for my coaches at Duke, who kind of gave me that experience. My tight end coach my freshman year ended up being my special teams’ coordinator, and he continued to have me on special teams, so I’m just grateful for that. Duke used me in a lot of ways, and I’m grateful for Coach Cut (David Cutcliffe) and all the other coaches who kind of got me to this point and helped me along the way.”
Gray could see himself at fullback during some games, especially after the retirement of the always reliable Anthony Sherman. He also shared his thoughts on his new teammate Kelce ahead of meeting him.
“I’m extremely excited,” Gray said. “It’s not every day that you get to learn from one of the best tight ends in the league. It’s truly an honor. I’m excited to get there and kind of just be a sponge and just try to gather as much information watch him as much as possible, see everything that he does on the field, but even off the field. How he conducts his business as a professional, that’s something that’s extremely important, so I’m just very grateful to kind of be in that position.”
Gray will be an immediate piece on special teams, but his versatility could see him play a number of roles in vital situations. He won’t be viewed as a Travis Kelce replica, but he can certainly learn some tricks of the trade and provide the intangibles to carve out his own unique role in the offense.
“Being in one of the best organizations in the NFL and being able to learn from some truly incredible people, that’s not something you get to see every day, and I’m fortunate enough to be able to do that,” said Gray. “So, I’m excited to get going; I’m excited to learn from all the coaches there and Travis and try to get the most that I can out of that.”
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