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Along with San Francisco 49ers superstar George Kittle and ex-NFL star Greg Olsen, Kansas City Chiefs team leader Travis Kelce has helped begin a movement.
The tight end position has been undervalued and disregarded for too long — according to the pair of All-Pros — so they worked out a way to try and fix that in the future. It was called “Tight End University” (TEU), and the second coming of the offseason summit will take place at Vanderbilt University from June 22-24.
Kelce won’t be the only Chiefs tight end in Nashville for the 2022 rendition either. It was recently reported that 2021 fifth-round draft pick Noah Gray would be in attendance as he works on his game heading into his sophomore campaign.
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Gray Will Learn From the Best
In case you’re unfamiliar with TEU, the idea was simple, yet necessary. Every summer, the top tight ends in the business will gather at a predetermined location for three days to “come together to share trade secrets both on and off the field.”
The summit will do this with film study, on-field drills, recovery and rehabilitation tips, and more as the goal is to better the valuation of the tight end position long-term. In other words, the nation’s best learning from the nation’s elite in an effort to even the pack and raise the standard.
Kittle noticed positions like edge rusher and offensive line doing this in years past and decided that it’s only right that tight ends do the same. The rest was history, and now Gray will attempt to pick up some new skills in Nashville.
“Tight ends stick together,” Kelce voiced in this year’s TEU press release. “It’s awesome to bring the current generation of tight ends together with legends from the past generation to be able to pick their brains. There are always ways to improve as a player and this is a unique opportunity to be in the same room with the most talented individuals to ever play the position and learn from them.”
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Gray’s Quiet Rookie Campaign Was Not Unusual
The tight end position is gritty and technical. It takes the strength of a man and the savvy of a veteran.
Because of this, college prospects rarely impress during their rookie season at the position. The Kyle Pitts of the world are unicorns in all honesty. An injured Kelce practically redshirted his inaugural year and even Kittle had a slow rookie campaign by his standards.
The Duke product, Gray, was also playing behind one of the top tight ends to ever represent the position, so that won’t help with production. Where it does help is in a developmental sense.
Just like he will at TEU, Gray was able to watch and learn from Kelce all season in 2021. He only finished with seven receptions for 36 yards but the positives were a 70.0% catch rate, solid blocking marks on Pro Football Focus, a touchdown, and two first downs.
According to PFF, Gray’s limited action as a pass blocker was tremendous. He earned a grade of 82.2 in that regard with an efficient 70.0 score in the run game.
Gray isn’t just a blocker though. The former high school quarterback was Duke’s all-time receiving leader at the tight end position and was also named a team captain in 2020.
He’s never been known for his speed or separation as a receiver but he does flaunt quality athleticism, good hands, and technical footwork on blocks and routes. As a student of the game, TEU could be just what Gray needs to take his game to the next level.
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