Recruited as a High School Quarterback [nearly 2600 yards and 31 touchdowns as a Senior] he was Redshirted his first year on campus [2008]. His Redshirted Freshmen year, he was used both as a Wildcat Quarterback and Tight End, where he had 1 catch for 3 yards and ran for an additional 47 on 8 carries from the Quarterback position. Suspended all of 2010 for an undisclosed team rule violation, Kelce returned in 2011 at Tight End, where he had 150 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year. Exploding onto the scene in 2012 for the tune of 722 yards on 45 catches and 8 touchdowns, he earned himself all Big-East First Team honors. His brother, and former Bearcat, Jason, is the starting Center for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Size and Speed: Travis measured in at the National Football League Combine at 6 foot 5, weighing 255 pounds, with 33 and ¾ arms and 9 and 5/8 hands. While he was unable to run due to an abdominal tear, which also kept him out of the Senior Bowl, he is expected to run in the 4.65 range, while having his official Pro-Day on March 13th. Kecle brings an impressive and imposing frame with surprising athleticism for someone of his size. He shows deceptive speed, showing an ability to make a break and outrun a defense. While he doesn’t have track speed, he has enough to be a big play threat from the inline, out wide, or Fullback position. Kelce uses his lower body extremely well, showing great strength in the run game, being able to move defenders off and out of a play.
Release: Travis has a quick release off the line from wherever he is lined up from. Shows quick twitch in the run game and is able to get his hands onto the defender before he let’s them into his frame. He gets a clean release from the slot or inline position while showing the ability to hand fight and use his frame to overpower the Linebacker or Corner in coverage.
Route Running: Kelce is a smooth route runner, with loose and flexible hips. He shows he can run the entire route tree and do so patiently. Showing versatility from multiple positions while demonstrating a high IQ on patterns, he puts himself in the best possible position to make a positive play. He does need to slow down his feet on occasion, as he will get himself ahead of the play and will take a poor angle. Travis shows he is able to overpower and outmatch smaller Corners and Linebackers at the line, and will use his speed then to outrun and make a splash play.
Hands: Travis has phenomenal hands in both facets of the game. He shows soft hands in the pass game, where he showcases a large catch radius, and will use his hands over his chest and pads. He also demonstrated the strength to fight off and rip the ball out of the air and away from defenders. In the run game, has large and strong enough hands to latch on and move defenders around.
Body Control and Traffic Ability: Travis shows an elite level of body control and concentration. He shows he is able to adjust himself both in the air and on the fly to make a play on the ball. Kelce demonstrates a large catch radius while also showing a good ability to go up to high point the ball over the defender. He has great toughness over the middle and is a load to bring down, with his strong core and lower half. He isn’t afraid to challenge the middle of the field and will shed/deflect the initial tackle frequently.
YAC: While Travis doesn’t have the track speed, what he does have are strong upper and lower halves which he is able to use to break initial tackles, that lead to large gains, which is how most of his yards are accumulated. One game where this is shown is the 2012 bowl game against Duke, where he broke one 5 yard pattern for 30+ and another was the game winner, in which he was able to out run the defense for 83 yards and the touchdown.
Blocking: Travis is a punishing run blocker who relishes in finding a body and moving/eliminating them from the play. He plays with a mean streak and imposes his will on whomever is in front of him, while keeping his eyes scanning and looking for a helmet to put his on. Rarely taking poor angles and wasted steps, Travis is the best run blocker in the class who should only look to improve at the next level with more and better coaching.
Overall: Travis grades out as the best Tight End in the class but is likely to slip due to his year long suspension in 2010 [undisclosed team rule violation]. Travis touts a complete game, showing elite blocking skills while also showing he is a legitimate threat in the pass game, with his ability to shed tackles and impose himself on the defender. With his big time play ability and willingness to do the little things to ensure positive plays, Travis will hold a mid to late first round grade based on talent but could drop to the middle or late second round (teams will need to deem the character issue [suspension] and one year of productivity a non factor however). He compares favorably to Rob Gronkowski [the prospect] when he came out of Arizona.
