Add another TE to the list available
 

Notre Dame junior TE Troy Niklas will forego his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL draft.

A Mackey Award semifinalist, Niklas caught just 28 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns in 2013, but checks in at a mountainous 6-foot-7, 270 pounds. Rotoworld's Josh Norris believes there's a chance Niklas is among the draft's first 50 picks. Already a plus blocker, a strong Combine showing would make Niklas a highly sought after upside pick.

www.rotoworld.com

Thats a lot of yards on 28 catches.

He's a big jack too, very interesting prspect.

Our new Jason Dunn?

Dude is almost big enough to be a lineman... LMAO

Looks like a solid TE. Probably gone in the 2nd round or early 3rd though. Possibly the most upside?

No. But definitely some potential. Ebron has the most upside.

wow... very cool. Really liked everything I saw of him, but did not expect him to declare.

That is a big dude.

This.

We lost a lot of starters this offseason. Plus our OC and DC.

Jason Dunn blocking but way better catching.

I saw this on the bottom line and knew this thread was coming. Way to be on top of it, Pesty. The irish still suck, Go Blue!

I only posted it because they mentioned that he could go in the first 50 picks. That surprised me.

Does he offer anything over Fasano other than size?

Because I view Kelce as a potentially slightly improved Fasano, if he makes it back from surgery.

People need to remember that while Fasano isn't Jimmy Graham, he's a pretty solid NFL tight end.

And we also need to remember that Duck McGrath really only has one year of college production, which was 2011 at Henderson State. (You want to talk about beating the odds? How many times does a guy from Henderson State, with only one year of tape on him, make it in the NFL?) McGrath is as raw as you'll ever see, but he showed that he was capable of getting open against NFL safeties and linebackers and had very good hands. You want potential? That's some serious open end potential.

The real question on tight end for the Chiefs is what are they looking for? Do they want the big mauler that they can use as an extra blocker a la Jason Dunn? Or do they want that "dynamic" WR/TE hybrid that is all the rage, e.g. Jimmy Graham?

And the real, real question is the micro-fracture surgery results on Kelce, who, by all accounts of the draftniks, was a Rob Gronkowski clone. Still might be if he can't stay healthy.

If he's 100%, or close to it, we don't need a tight end. There is way more than enough in Fasano, McGrath and Kelce, especially considering the growth potential/ceiling of Duck and Travis.

I guess we will find out around draft day, as this team will most likely carry three tight ends and that's it. If Kelce is good to go, you already have your dynamic TE on the roster.

To be that damn big and average a little over 15ypc suggests he can get that big body down the field pretty well, thats a decent number for most WR's.

Nothing says average Tight End like a tall white guy from Notre Dame