Tight End Talent: Big 12 Prospect’s Meeting with Chiefs Could Seal Draft Fate

The Kansas City Chiefs are neck-deep in preparation for the 2025 NFL Draft and will continue in that mode until the late-April event has come and gone. The three-day affair is a pivotal event annually for every NFL team since so much of a team’s ability to succeed is dependent on finding young talent on slotted contracts (read: cheap labor).

For the Chiefs (and 31 other teams), this means that jobs can be lost for enough busted draft picks—those that fail to yield any real dividends for the team. That’s why the Chiefs do their homework for years on each player as they try to suss out which players could become meaningful contributors, or even stars, in front of Chiefs Kingdom at Arrowhead.

The latest player who has drawn the Chiefs’ attention plays a position of potential need, depending on how tight end Travis Kelce decides to spend his immediate future.

West Virginia tight end Kole Taylor was invited to this year’s Hula Bowl, which is where he met with the Chiefs (following season’s end for the Mountaineers. Taylor put up another consistent season as a receiver for WVU as a senior with 43 catches for 448 yards and 3 touchdowns. This came after catching 35 catches for 444 yards and 4 scores in 2023.

Taylor was a transfer to West Virginia from LSU after playing for the Tigers for three seasons. He had only 17 total catches in that span for 159 yards and a single touchdown. He told Justin Melo of The Draft Network that he enjoyed his time at LSU but was forced to play more as an in-line blocker and wanted to showcase his hands in a different offense.

As for his meeting with Chiefs front office personnel, Taylor said, “I thought the meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs went well.” He also met with several other teams including the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals and more.

The Chiefs are likely doing their homework on a late draft addition or potential UDFA depending on the scenario when it comes to Taylor, but that’s not intended as a slight to his talents. Plenty of players have fared well in that same position in K.C., including Turk Wharton, Carson Steele or even Jody Fortson at the same position.

As for the tight end role, Taylor’s ability to make an impact would come primarily on special teams, at least to start his NFL career, and that’s true for any team. For the Chiefs, the potential depth play could be interesting if Kelce decides to retire, but it’s also important to note that Jared Wiley is scheduled to return from a season-ending injury, so his progress will be something to keep an eye on throughout the offseason.