Chiefs trade up, select Duke TE Noah Gray with 162nd overall pick in 5th round
The Kansas City Chiefs took Duke tight end Noah Gray with the 162nd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2021 NFl draft, moving up 13 spots in a deal with the New York Jets to take him.
The terms of the trade include the Chiefs receiving picks 162 and 226 overall, sending Nos. 175 and 207 to New York.
Gray played four seasons at Duke, and in his career he racked up 105 receptions for 948 yards with eight touchdowns receptions. As a senior, his totals were 29 catches for 285 yards and two scores in 10 games. The best game of his senior year came in the season-opener against Notre Dame, when he made five receptions for 68 yards.
He was diagnosed with Type I diabetes as a college freshman, and told Sports Illustrated that it forced him to learn more about how to take care of his body and subsequently made him a better football player.
He’s the Gray is now the sixth tight end listed on the Chiefs roster, notably including Travis Kelce, Nick Keizer and free-agent signee Blake Bell, among others. This is the first time the Chiefs have drafted a tight end since taking James O’Shaughnessy out of Ilinois State in the fifth round in 2015.
Joe Marino of The Draft Network and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com complimented Gray’s complex and detailed route running. Both also commented on his lack of strength, though. Marino said he will need to add a “notable amount of functional strength,” with Zierlein listing his struggles as a blocker as a weakness.
Take a look at some of the reaction on Twitter to the Chiefs selecting Noah Gray.
https://twitter.com/barleyhop/status/1388572396848885764?s=20
Gray is the Chiefs’ fourth pick this year, along with linebacker Nick Bolton (second round), center Creed Humphrey (second round) and EDGE Joshua Kaindoh (fourth round). Kansas City’s next scheduled pick is the 181st overall selection later in the fifth round.
