Jared Wiley film review: He's not Travis Kelce, and that's OK
Examining the film of Kansas City's big, fast 4th round pick for what he is, not who he's being compared to.
No one is the next Travis Kelce. He’s one of one. There’s never been a tight end like him, and expecting anyone to fill the same role he has in the Chiefs offense is an exercise in futility.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about Chiefs’ 4th round pick Jared Wiley, a big, fast tight end out of TCU who has smoother movement skills and better speed than you’d expect in a guy his size.
Wiley, who stands an imposing 6’6” and weighed in at a little under 250 pounds at the combine (while running a 4.62 40-yard dash), has drawn some favorable comparisons by Chiefs fans to Kelce, who of course came out of college a good-sized (nearly 6’5” and a shade over 250 pounds) TE who moved far better than his size would suggest. That’s going to set up some wildly unreasonable expectations given how Kelce has developed into the greatest receiving tight end to ever walk the planet.
And so our goal should be to evaluate the TE out of TCU (who had by far his most productive season last year with 47 catches for 520 yards and 8 TDs) on his own terms. Because, again, there’s no one like Kelce or really very close. Other tight ends (even great ones like Andrews and Kittle) play different roles than Kelce plays, because no one else is capable of operating both as a TE and as a giant X receiver (Tony G and Shannon Sharpe were the closest in history to being able to do what Kelce does, if you’re wondering).
So rather than evaluating Wiley as to whether he can operate in Kelce’s role, the better question is “what can Wiley do in a more standard modern TE role.” And to determine that, we need to go to the film and look for traits. Tight end, more than almost any other position, is something of a crapshoot projection from college to the NFL. The roles are quite different, and what makes tight ends successful in college doesn’t necessarily translate to the league. And so, we’re looking more for specific traits.
With that in mind, I went back and reviewed multiple games of Wiley at TCU to try and determine whether he’s got traits that fit into what a tight end is asked to do in Reid’s in offense (besides “Kelce special” type stuff). Let’s talk about where Wiley wins as a pass catcher and blocker, where he needs work, and my overall (really positive) takeaway on what he showed at the college level and where he fits in Kansas City.
Where Wiley wins
Wiley, as his RAS score indicates, is a pretty explosive athlete for a guy his size, with a very good 4.62 40-yard dash and 10/20-yard splits that demonstrate solid acceleration (he compares positively to Noah Gray, whose numbers were similar despite being several inches shorter and 10 pounds lighter. His numbers compare favorably to Kelce’s RAS as well, but again, that’s a dangerous comparison as it’s not Kelce’s athleticism that makes him who he is at this point). He’s not just an athlete in shorts, either. it pops out a little bit on film.
Wiley’s ability to accelerate in a hurry shows up particularly when he has the ball in his hands.
You can see on this snap where Wiley’s vertical (explosiveness) and splits show up on film. You can also see here why the word “smooth” gets attached to the way he’s able to ramp up his speed. He’s a natural catcher of the ball and is able to quickly transition from receiver to YAC guy once it’s in his hands. And the moment he makes that transition he explodes down the field quickly.
Wiley’s acceleration shows up consistently on film both before and after the catch, and it should allow him to be a legitimate threat up the seam and on other TE-specific downfield routes. He wasn’t asked to run a ton of them at TCU (honestly, watching their tape it’s hard to understand why they didn’t feature Wiley a bit more, but I digress), but he looks comfortable getting down the field in a hurry when running up the seam and making catches in that space.
This is a skillset that should be better weaponized at the pro level, where QB’s (like, you know, Mahomes) are more willing to make those throws in between safeties and dropping linebackers. This is ESPECIALLY the case when defenses are playing the sort of middle field open (2 deep safeties) coverages that the Chiefs are likely to see more of this year given Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy coming to town. Those looks leave the seams exposed, and Wiley could see some immediate looks down the field, where his speed and size make him tough to deal with.