Who Will Take the Reigns from Kansas City’s Iconic Tight End After 2026?
In what will be his 14th year with a Kansas City Arrowhead emblazoned on his helmet, the 2026 NFL season will more than likely be the last for tight end Travis Kelce. The 36-year-old three-time Super Bowl Champion, who has more postseason receptions than Jerry Rice, has inked a one-year contract worth $12 million, with incentives that could bring the total value up to $15 million. For at least one more year, the legendary offensive triumvirate of Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Kelce will take the field with the goal of returning to dynastic glory. No doubt, a motivator in the 2026 campaign for that outcome will be the resonant note of a fourth Super Bowl ring to conclude the Kansas City icon’s swan song and illustrious career. Something also not in doubt will be the void left at Arrowhead after Kelce’s departure. With two first-round draft picks at ninth and 29th overall, and a second-round pick at 40th overall, the Chiefs, who were an extremely uncharacteristic 6-11 on the season in 2025, can acquire a blue-chip piece at the tight end position via the draft to help them get back to their winning ways in 2026 and beyond. Should the Chiefs decide to draft high for a tight end, two fan-favorite prospects are Kenyon Sadiq out of the University of Oregon and Eli Stowers out of Vanderbilt.
Kenyon Sadiq
At a solid six-foot-three, 241 pounds, a max bench press of 435 pounds, and a 40-yard dash clocked at an astounding 4.39 seconds, the Oregon Duck’s physical attributes were on full display at the NFL Combine. Rated the top tight end in the draft, Sadiq’s combine performance was the cherry on top of an impressive on-field collegiate résumé. Named the 2025 Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year by the Big Ten Conference for outstanding play on the field, Sadiq led the Oregon Ducks in receptions with 51 for 561 yards and eight touchdowns. There is some concern with concentration issues leading to dropped passes, but Sadiq’s high upside is a salve for that concern. While the top tight end in the draft impresses with his route tree, his yards after contact, and his acceleration after catch, there’s an aspect to his game that catches the eye of many a Kansas City fan: his ability to block. Considering Patrick Mahomes’ knee injury in 2025 and the acquisition of running back Kenneth Walker III, Super Bowl LX MVP, Sadiq could play a crucial role in keeping Mahomes out of harm’s way and provide Walker more opportunities to find a lane. Known as a ferociously physical run blocker who follows through until the whistle, Sadiq had a PFF run-blocking grade of 73.0 through two years. In pass protection, Sadiq is known for sound footwork and being consistent in space. With big play ability with the ball in his hands and consistent, effective blocking with high potential for improvement, this well-rounded physical phenom is a multi-faceted threat who could open the playbook wide for coach Reid.
Eli Stowers
As pass-catching tight ends go, few in the 2026 NFL Draft have met the productivity of Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers. A First-Team All-SEC honoree and Third-Team All-American, Stowers racked up 769 yards for four touchdowns in 2025. At six-foot-four, 235 pounds, Stowers is taller but slighter of frame than the granitic Sadiq. Seen by many as the second-best tight end in the draft, Stowers set a sky-high record in the vertical jump with a historic 45 and a half inches, a record for the tight end position. In the broad jump, the Vanderbilt tight end put in an incredible 11-foot, three-inch performance, which is the best all-time at the Combine. Stowers’ leaping ability, combined with good hands that can catch outside his frame, is a talent custom-fitted for a Reid/Mahomes offense. With an acceleration and elusiveness that allow for big plays deep down the field, along with other deep threats such as Kansas City receivers Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton, the Chiefs' high-flying offense could be back for 2026. Though not as versed in blocking as Sadiq, Stowers is a weapon who could be taken in the second or third round of the draft, enabling Kansas City to preserve their two first-round picks for positions they may feel more in need of. If selected, the former Vanderbilt tight end would be the kind of receiving tight end that the Chiefs have built their offensive philosophy around, a philosophy that has helped make them a dynasty.
Whether Sadiq or Stowers is chosen by Kansas City, or another tight end altogether, it is assured that whoever learns behind Kelce for a year is learning from one of the best of all time. This is a value that must be in the thinking of the organization: get the best tight end in the draft to learn from a first ballot Hall of Famer. That is why this particular draft is ripe for the Kansas City Chiefs to select a top tight end; the timing couldn’t be more perfect. With higher draft picks they don’t usually have due to being perennial postseason mavericks, the additional first-round pick received from the trade of cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, and the impending retirement of an icon, the time is now to arrange an apprenticeship at the tight end position that could put the Chiefs back on the path to making angels in even more Super Bowl confetti.
