Noah Gray credits Chiefs tight ends for help, says he’s ready for camp

Since 2014 — when Travis Kelce turned the unquestioned starter at tight finish for the Kansas City Chiefs — the group’s second tight finish has been like a revolving door of middling expertise. As Kelce has gone on to grow to be the league’s greatest at his place, the standard of the expertise behind him has appeared to decrease on an nearly annual foundation.

So when the Chiefs traded up within the fifth spherical to pick Duke tight finish Noah Grey within the 2021 NFL Draft, Chiefs followers — and a few members of the media — rejoiced that the group was lastly investing in what has lengthy been perceived as one of many group’s weak factors.

When talking to reporters on Saturday, Grey stated that this 12 months’s rookies are fortunate to have a full in-person offseason program — slightly than the 2020’s digital program. He referred to as the group’s organized group actions a “blessing” — and even questioned how final 12 months’s rookies have been capable of do with out them.

“OTAs actually helped simply from a data standpoint, simply understating the fundamental ideas that this offense asks you to know,” stated the rookie tight finish. “So it was undoubtedly an enormous assist from that perspective.”

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Though he didn’t attend Kelce’s much-publicized “Tight Finish College,” Grey twice identified how a lot Chiefs tight ends have helped him put together for the season.

“To have the ability to be taught underneath Travis Kelce — among the finest tight ends within the league proper now — it’s a blessing,” he declared. “To come back out right here and be capable to achieve that data from him — and to be taught from him daily and to have the ability to visualize and watch him on the sphere — that’s one thing that’s been extraordinarily key to me popping out and having the ability to execute my task.”

Grey additionally credited tight ends Evan Baylis, Blake Bell, Jody Fortson and Nick Keizer with serving to him put together for his first NFL season.

When draft analysts evaluated the Chiefs choice of Grey, a standard concern was his capacity as a blocker. Grey acknowledged that he has but to follow in pads — and that his blocking would want to progress in coaching camp. However he additionally stated that he was ready for the accompanying uptick in depth — and phone.

“I’m simply going to proceed to maintain taking part in ball and doing what they ask me,” he stated confidently. “Pads or no pads.”

Route operating, nevertheless, is extensively perceived to be one among Grey’s strengths. He praised Duke soccer coach David Cutcliffe for utilizing him in quite a lot of roles — giving him stable preparation to work with one of many league’s most artistic offensive minds.

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“There are plenty of issues that Duke taught me which are similar to Coach Reid’s offense and his philosophy,” he famous. “And I’m very grateful for that.”

Grey enters camp with robust hype created in the course of the offseason program, along with his performances lauded by each Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who described Grey as having a “veteran-like skillset” — and as somebody who “is aware of tips on how to get himself open.” ESPN’s Louis Riddick — one of many nationwide analysts who’s regarded as most linked with Reid and Chiefs basic supervisor Brett Veach — reported in June that the Chiefs have been very excessive on Grey. “They like him. A lot,” he tweeted.

With years of disappointment concerning the depth behind Kelce — and all of this hype — Grey can have one of the vital anticipated debuts in the course of the group’s first preseason recreation towards the San Francisco 49ers. As the total squad experiences to camp within the coming days, anticipate Grey to proceed asking questions and studying from his new teammates — whereas doing all the things he can to fulfill the usual his new group has set.