*****The Noah Gray Thread*****

[Dante84]

Surprise! More to come!

Spoiler!

The former all-state pick from Massachusetts played quarterback his junior year at Leominster High School. He started once in 12 appearances as a sophomore (20 receptions, 234 yards, 11.7 average, one touchdown) and also contributed in 13 games as a reserve (five receptions, 37 yards, two touchdowns) his first year in Durham. Gray stepped into the NFL draft spotlight as a junior, garnering second-team All-ACC honors by leading the Blue Devils in receptions and finishing among the top FBS tight ends with 51 catches for 392 yards (7.7 per) and three scores. The 2020 team captain played in 10 games with nine starts as a senior (29 receptions, 285 yards, 9.8 average, two touchdowns), becoming the school's all-time leading receiver at tight end. He accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. -- by Chad Reuter

Overview
Gray understands leverage and how to create some tilt in coverage but doesn't have play speed or separation burst to do enough with it. While he's not going to have the size or strength to block defenders when firing off the ball, he has enough athleticism and grit to offer some assistance as a move blocker from the slot or wing position. He has late-round potential and could find a team fit as a TE3/4.
Strengths

• Team captain.
• Helps out in pass protection with decent mirror and technique.
• Will stick and sustain as a slot blocker.
• Reads the track properly when asked to lead block.
• Slick footwork and leverage in his routes.
• Ability to run more complex routes underneath.
• Spins open suddenly in space against zone.
• Sharp angles out of his turns.
• Adjustment and focus to bring the throw in.

Weaknesses

• Just nine yards per reception during career.
• Thin through waist and hips with lean lower body.
• Lacks threatening vertical push off the line.
• Moves well but doesn't separate much.
• Might not have ability to attack the seam.
• Lacks agility on the move when working at the second level.
• Gets overtaken by force at point of attack as blocker.

How can you not get fired up after getting off the phone with EB �� @noahgray87 pic.twitter.com/dZJ7Zy1vwV

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 1, 2021

[Rainbarrel]

Gray will replace Henne and be Taysom Hill II.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by kcclone

Gray looks the part but his numbers at Duke were a joke. Hopefully that’s because Duke doesn’t know how to use TE’s.

It's Duke football dude. Way Better than ku shitball, but it's still Duke football

[Stryker]

Personally, I feel that Kelce will be a great mentor to Gray ala Smith to Mahomes. I like the selection.

[RunKC]

For the “Noah Gray is too short” crowd. Dude is exactly one ****ing inch shorter than Dallas Goedert.

Kelce himself is just over 1 inch taller than this man. He isn’t that short

[Discuss Thrower]

Too tall to be a fullback

[RunKC]

Listening to Nate on this Kingdom Kast pod (he retweeted it if you wanna listen) and man he is pretty much telling everyone how excited the Chiefs are to have this guy.

He mentioned a lot of things Andy did when Alex was here bc they had 2 capable TE’s. One was forcing the defense to keep LB’s on the field by running 12 personnel with 2 TE’s and lining one up in the slot and in-line, then checking to have both TE’s in the slot and the defense panicking last minute bc it’s ****ing hard covering 2 capable receiving TE’s, especially when one is the best in the league.

He also mentioned that Andy had plays in practice and camp that he saw that they never ran and basically said that the Chiefs couldn’t run them bc of the lack of talent at TE2.

This is going to be so ****ing fun. I can’t wait to see these guys together

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Pasta Little Brother

It's Duke football dude. Way Better than ku shitball, but it's still Duke football

Duke is actually a pretty decent place to groom solid NFL guys. They run a system that is pro-style and produce a lot of smart players.

No, they're not Bama or LSU but there's something to be said for guys coming out of Duke. We got a solid, dependable football player IMO and that's worth a lot for a team like this.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Listening to Nate on this Kingdom Kast pod (he retweeted it if you wanna listen) and man he is pretty much telling everyone how excited the Chiefs are to have this guy.

He mentioned a lot of things Andy did when Alex was here bc they had 2 capable TE’s. One was forcing the defense to keep LB’s on the field by running 12 personnel with 2 TE’s and lining one up in the slot and in-line, then checking to have both TE’s in the slot and the defense panicking last minute bc it’s ****ing hard covering 2 capable receiving TE’s, especially when one is the best in the league.

He also mentioned that Andy had plays in practice and camp that he saw that they never ran and basically said that the Chiefs couldn’t run them bc of the lack of talent at TE2.

This is going to be so ****ing fun. I can’t wait to see these guys together

Yeah, that's why I've been intrigued by the idea of acquiring another good TE who is a receiving threat and ramping up the use of 12 personnel.

Key is if Gray blocks well enough to make teams play 12 personnel like a true TE is on the field. If he does, KC can play these games and work mismatches.

Pairing Kelce/Gray with Hardman/Hill could be really, really nasty, too. You know teams are going to keep their safeties deep if Hill is out there, let alone Hill and Hardman. Will leave a lot of room underneath and also create numbers advantages in the run game.

[RunKC]

The Broncos drafted Surtain to eliminate Kelce. People compared him to Derwin James as a TE remover and that’s likely what they saw.

Would be hilarious when they put Surtain on Kelce only to watch Gray rape their LB’s

[Wilson8]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Yeah, that's why I've been intrigued by the idea of acquiring another good TE who is a receiving threat and ramping up the use of 12 personnel.

Key is if Gray blocks well enough to make teams play 12 personnel like a true TE is on the field. If he does, KC can play these games and work mismatches.

Pairing Kelce/Gray with Hardman/Hill could be really, really nasty, too. You know teams are going to keep their safeties deep if Hill is out there, let alone Hill and Hardman. Will leave a lot of room underneath and also create numbers advantages in the run game.

I agree.

I'm excited to see what the Chiefs do with Noah Gray.

Noah's size isn't bad. At the 2021 Senior Bowl, his measurements were height - 6035, weight - 240, wing - 78 1/8, arm - 31 1/2, and hand - 9 3/8.

At the Duke Pro Day, he ran an unofficial 4.52 40 yard dash, 35" vertical, 9' 7" broad jump, 4.30 short shuttle, 6.72 3-cone drill, and 15 bench press. Everything but the BP is very good for a TE.

To really help the Chiefs though, Noah needs to get bigger and stronger. If you watch Duke game films, you will see Noah is a willing blocker, but he just gets in the way of the defender and he's not really driving and blocking. It also concerns me as a 240 pound man, he seldom makes a defender pay for hitting him. He gets pounded, thrown down, and gets beat up on most of the plays where he is the receiver.

The good news, Chiefs can help him with his strength and blocking, so another good draft pick for the Chiefs.

[Dante84]

Mahomes, from the presser today:

…and when asked specifically about tight end Noah Gray and wide receiver Cornell Powell, Mahomes suggested that those young careers were already off to a promising start.

"They can work. They know how to get out there and make plays happen. Noah has been really good - I think he has a veteran-type skillset where he knows how to get himself open even if it's not exactly what the play is designed to do. He knows how to get his eyes back and how to get on the quarterback's timing," Mahomes explained. "Then Cornell, he's a beast. He's big out there, running across the field and making some big catches in some tough, contested spots."

[staylor26]

If he’s really already getting a lot of time with the starters, that’s a sign that he’s going to immediately be part of the offense.

[CatfishBob2]

Originally Posted by Pasta Little Brother

It's Duke football dude. Way Better than ku shitball, but it's still Duke football

As a North Carolina transplant. I have to say Duke football is way better than KU....... Basketball too

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by CatfishBob2

As a North Carolina transplant. I have to say Duke football is way better than KU....... Basketball too

I'll cut you

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by staylor26

If he’s really already getting a lot of time with the starters, that’s a sign that he’s going to immediately be part of the offense.

Andy has a 12 personnel to play with now.