Kansas City Chiefs rookies and veterans won’t get to work together formally until OTAs begin in late May, but one rookie already has a head start.
If you follow me on X aka Twitter (shameless plug ), you might have known Chiefs TE Travis Kelce made his way down to Texas for some work with Patrick Mahomes and his private QB coach Jeff Christensen last week. In a segment called “Travis Outta the House” on this week’s episode of “New Heights,” Travis added more context to the photo with Mahomes and Christensen. He also let it slip that a rookie was working with them ahead of his selection in the 2024 NFL draft.
“I always get down to Texas this time of the year to try and throw with Pat (Mahomes), and get things going again, get the engine all fired up for OTAs and when we get back to KC,” Travis said. “Big Jeff Christensen is Pat’s out-of-the-facility QB coach, makes sure he’s getting those fundamentals right. (He) gets him going through certain drills. So, we always take our family picture here.”
As for the players working alongside the Chiefs’ dynamic quarterback and tight end combo, Travis mentioned a third-year veteran wideout and one of the team’s fourth-round draft picks, TCU TE Jared Wiley.
Looks like #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce made it out to Texas for some work with Patrick Mahomes and his QB coach, Jeff Christensen. pic.twitter.com/9WoCGQCcQy
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) April 26, 2024
“It was good seeing them,” he continued. “And on top of that, it was good seeing some of the young guys. Justin Watson was out there, running around, getting some good work in. Then, on top of that, our newest draft pick was out there. He was undrafted at this point when I met him and was running around with him. But we ended up picking him in the fourth round, Jared Wiley out of TCU. He was down there. That is a big dude out there, galloping around. . . He was down there having some fun and looking good.”
“He’s a big old Clydesdale,” Jason quipped.
“Yeah, he is,” Travis replied. “He’s a galloper, he’s a big dude, too, man.”
It’s not uncommon that Mahomes gets throwing sessions in with some incoming rookie talent ahead of the draft. Last offseason, it was players like Zay Flowers, Quentin Johnston, and Rashee Rice. This year, things have been a bit more tight-lipped in terms of who went down to Texas to catch passes from Mahomes. Wiley is the first confirmed instance of a draft prospect being in attendance this offseason.
Whether or not those throwing sessions play into any decision-making come the NFL draft is up for debate, but it certainly can’t hurt that Wiley already has some chemistry and rapport with Mahomes and Kelce.
