Chiefs Scout on Jared Wiley's 'Under the Radar' Traits, Wiley on Joining KC

A Chiefs scout believes KC's tight end pickup has more to his game than some think, and Wiley is excited to join his new offense.

Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas Christian tight end Jared Wiley (TE16) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have a new tight end in town: TCU product Jared Wiley, a five-year college player.

Spending his first three seasons with the Texas Longhorns, Wiley didn't produce much and subsequently transferred schools but remained in the state of Texas. In two seasons with the Horned Frogs in 2022 and 2023, he hauled in 71 passes for 765 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Wiley's last two seasons were huge in making him a legitimate draft prospect. According to Chiefs regional scout Jason Lamb, he's someone who "loves football" and was routinely early to the practice field and late to leave. Lamb believes Wiley's college experience will come in handy, but there's plenty to his game that doesn't register with some folks on the surface. His upside is real.

“That was something that actually kind of stood out watching him last year,” Lamb said on Saturday. “You do see this bigger tight end, so you kind of expect more of the blocking and everything, but he’s kind of sneaky. He ran really well, he tested well, but you also see that speed on tape. You see the ability to separate versus linebackers, you see that route feel versus both man and zone. I feel like that’s something I felt like was kind of under the radar.

"Because he’s a bigger guy, you expect him maybe to just be more of a blocker. But once you see him getting open, making catches and being able to make plays after the catch in the open field, that’s something you kind of get excited about for sure.”

Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 249 pounds, Wiley is a lengthy and big-bodied tight end prospect. Despite that, he tested quite well during the pre-draft process and registered a sparkling 9.3 Relative Athletic Score. The 23-year-old recorded "elite" grades for speed and explosion, a testament to his linear athleticism. His lateral agility leaves some to be desired, but Lamb's assessment of his range as a player is apt.

Now, Wiley will go from catching passes in college to potentially catching them from Patrick Mahomes. He'll go from a nice collegiate tight end piece to learning from a future Hall of Fame player in Travis Kelce. When asked about Kansas City's offense, Wiley praised the unit as something he's excited to get involved with.

“I think the numbers and the hype about it speaks for itself,” Wiley said. “I really think they have the best offense in the NFL, and it’s run by the best quarterback in the NFL and the best tight end in the NFL. Like I said earlier, I’m just super excited for this opportunity to get to learn behind them and to be able to pick their brains and see if I can find my role in this offense really early on.”

With Kelce sitting comfortably atop the Chiefs' tight end depth chart, no one is confusing Wiley with a short-term successor or breakout candidate in 2024. Given Noah Gray's consistency and Irv Smith Jr.'s free agent contract signed less than two months ago, the rookie faces an uphill battle to make a serious impact on the field immediately.

On the other hand, he has more playing experience than most first-year tight ends and the Chiefs are no strangers to carrying four of them. Pen hasn't even been put to paper on his rookie contract, but Wiley is clearly an intriguing player for Kansas City already. If there truly is some untapped potential, finding him at pick No. 131 will be looked back on as silly.

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