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This year’s tight end draft class is considered one of the strongest in recent history, and the New England Patriots are now set to meet with one of the top prospects.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid will travel to Foxboro on Thursday for a Top-30 visit with the Patriots.
Despite not playing football until his senior year of high school, Kincaid is one of the top-two consensus tight ends in this class. While he is a tad undersized at the position (6-foot-3 1/2, 246 pounds), Kincaid is arguably the best pure pass catcher in the draft.
We'll see how the #Patriots handle their tight end room, but Utah's Dalton Kincaid is reaaaaally fun to watch.
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) March 8, 2023
Great ball skills with run after the catch ability. Don't like to make comparisons to All-Pros but the way he operates gives off serious Kelce vibes. pic.twitter.com/qE4JKfC1on
He showed great ball skills and yards after the catch ability for the Utes, where he led all FBS tight ends last season in receiving yards (74.2) and receptions (5.8) per game. His play style has even drawn comparisons to Travis Kelce.
The tight end has not done any pre-draft testing due to a back fracture he suffered in late November. As Schefter noted, Dr. Robert Watkins sent a letter to NFL teams telling them Kincaid is “cleared to play football with no restrictions.” New England will likely medically test the tight end during their visit.
Kincaid’s usage as a pure receiver may be a slight overlap with Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki. But, with neither tight end signed beyond this season, Kincaid would be a valuable addition to New England’s passing attack in 2023 and for the long-term.
The 23-year-old would take high draft capital to acquire as a projected mid-to-late first-round selection in this year’s draft. He would mark the first tight end Bill Belichick has taken in the first round since Benjamin Watson in 2004.
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