Originally Posted by :
The former all-state pick from Massachusetts played quarterback his junior year at Leominster High School. He started once in 12 appearances as a sophomore (20 receptions, 234 yards, 11.7 average, one touchdown) and also contributed in 13 games as a reserve (five receptions, 37 yards, two touchdowns) his first year in Durham. Gray stepped into the NFL draft spotlight as a junior, garnering second-team All-ACC honors by leading the Blue Devils in receptions and finishing among the top FBS tight ends with 51 catches for 392 yards (7.7 per) and three scores. The 2020 team captain played in 10 games with nine starts as a senior (29 receptions, 285 yards, 9.8 average, two touchdowns), becoming the school's all-time leading receiver at tight end. He accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. -- by Chad Reuter
Overview
Gray understands leverage and how to create some tilt in coverage but doesn't have play speed or separation burst to do enough with it. While he's not going to have the size or strength to block defenders when firing off the ball, he has enough athleticism and grit to offer some assistance as a move blocker from the slot or wing position. He has late-round potential and could find a team fit as a TE3/4. Strengths
Team captain.
Helps out in pass protection with decent mirror and technique.
Will stick and sustain as a slot blocker.
Reads the track properly when asked to lead block.
Slick footwork and leverage in his routes.
Ability to run more complex routes underneath.
Spins open suddenly in space against zone.
Sharp angles out of his turns.
Adjustment and focus to bring the throw in.
Weaknesses
Just nine yards per reception during career.
Thin through waist and hips with lean lower body.
Lacks threatening vertical push off the line.
Moves well but doesn't separate much.
Might not have ability to attack the seam.
Lacks agility on the move when working at the second level.
Gets overtaken by force at point of attack as blocker.
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
As I said in the other thread….. the Chiefs want this out there for whatever reason. Do they know something about Kelce? He will start to show his age this year? They want it known that when he retires in 2-3 years, we already have his replacement on the roster?
I’d say you’re over thinking it. I don’t think these are “strategic narratives”.
I think the draft is a crap shoot and they know that. When they finally see these guys enough to identify who they’re excited about, they start to feed info to media they trust.
They must have seen enough to be confident that Gray will be making an impact and become a good #2 by year end.
If anything, it will help extend Kelce’s career a little. Takes some of the focus off of him. It’s very hard to cover two good TE’s while still having run personnel in. [Reply]
Who knows but he looks great on tape. A real talent with jump ability to get the ball. He may be the answer we have needed for a young TE. Just meaning Travis isn't young and we have whiffed on a back up a lot. [Reply]
Originally Posted by staylor26:
It simply means they’re excited about their rookie and new TE2. They did this with guys before. It has nothing to do with Kelce.
Exactly! Prior to Gray the gap between Kelce and TE#2 was probably the largest of any position on the field outside of QB. To have a legit #2 is nice. [Reply]
Originally Posted by tredadda:
Exactly! Prior to Gray the gap between Kelce and TE#2 was probably the largest of any position on the field outside of QB. To have a legit #2 is nice.
And it sounds like they like Gray enough that they might be using him in special red zone/run packages.
I like that Reid is looking at ways to diversify. He is a genius but our offense had gotten a bit stale last year. [Reply]
Two f-ups and a very nice TD grab. Silky smooth route on the TD grab.
At least he's capable of making a big play, which is more than can be said for the other backup TEs we've had since Harris.
The Jody Fortson loss still stings because I really liked him, but if Gray is capable of being that tertiary short yardage/goal line option that teams forgot to account for, we're still in pretty good shape. [Reply]
Hopefully his TD boosts his confidence. I heard everything about this guy being a training camp hero, and haven't seen shit but dropped passes and missed opportunities.... until that TD. [Reply]
I think similarly to Nick Bolton, he will start getting confident and more involved. I think theyll make it a point to get him involved and let Kelce get some pine time. [Reply]
It's also notoriously difficult to get TEs going during their rookie seasons. Not just in Andy's offense either, it's across the board. Most of the all-time great TEs did jack squat in their rookie seasons in terms of receptions and yards. Some of them were even probably terrible. Remember Tony G's rookie year?
I'll bet Gray will be regularly contributing in his 2nd year. Might even see a dual threat kind of situation between him and Kelce. [Reply]
