Travis Kelce
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We look at how and why TE Kenyon Sadiq could be the ideal replacement for Travis Kelce for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs are stocking up on offense in the 2026 free-agency cycle by not only signing Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker but also bringing legendary tight end Travis Kelce back for at least 1 more season on a 1-year, $14 million contract.
There could be even more help on the way.
The Athletic’s post-free agency mock draft has the Chiefs predicted to select Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 9 overall and make him the heir apparent at tight end — if not an ultra-valuable weapon to pair alongside Kelce from the moment he steps on the field.
“Kenyon Sadiq is going to the KCChiefs,” Aislop Sports wrote on its official X account. “Kenyon Sadiq will win OROY by a landslide. He’s scoring 10+ tuddies in his 1st season. They’re going to use him like how KC likes to use TE’s & WR’s & RB’s because this man is literally the embodiment of ALL THREE of those positions.”
“Imagine Kenyon Sadiq catching passes from Patrick Mahomes,” Pro Football Focus wrote on its official X account.
Kelce, 36 years old, is entering his 14th NFL season in 2026.
Kenyon Sadiq Wows at NFL Scouting Combine
Sadiq turned in a front-to-back performance at the NFL scouting combine that shot him up draft boards from a mid-to-late round pick to a possible Top 10 pick.
“Blowing people away in interviews, like walking into interviews and explaining what everybody else’s position is,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo said in a conversation with Philadelphia sports talk legend Anthony Gargano on Friday. ” … One guy said it was the best interview he’d ever done.”
Sadiq, 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, ran an incredible 4.39-second 40-yard dash — the fastest time for a tight end since 2006. He also registered a 43.5-inch vertical leap and a broad jump of 11 feet, 1 inch.
“Kenyon Sadiq was blazing,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on X.
Highest Praise in Pre-Draft Evaluations
Sadiq was an All-Big Ten selection in 2025 and named the Big Ten Tight End of the Year with 51 receptions for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns before he left school with 1 year of eligibility remaining to declare himself eligible for the draft.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Sadiq to Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride in his pre-draft evaluation. McBride, a 2-time Pro Bowler, earned NFL All-Pro honors for the 1st time in 2025 after he set the NFL single-season record for receptions by a tight end with 126 catches to go with 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns.
McBride, a 2nd round pick in the 2022 NFl draft, signed a 4-year, $76 million contract extension before the 2025 season.
“A versatile tight end with a shredded physique and alluring potential as a volume target, Sadiq’s route tree will be full of branches,” Zierlein wrote. “His athleticism and break quickness should allow him to uncover against man coverage on all three levels. He’s talented after the catch, with the ability to make things easier for play-callers and quarterbacks looking to move the sticks. He has the body control and hand strength to win contested catches … He’s adequate as a blocker, giving good effort in-line and locating and landing on linebackers as a move blocker. Teams looking to diversify their passing game options with a talented pass-catching tight end could make Sadiq a priority.”