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By Greg Auman
Apr 30, 2022
The Bucs picked
up a second tight end on Saturday, sending two seventh-round picks to
the Jaguars for a late sixth-round pick used to draft Ko Kieft, a
tight end from Minnesota.
Kieft, who had just 12 catches in his college career, is
unapologetically not a pass-catching tight end. “I’ll get down and dirty with the worst of them,” he said
when asked if he embraces being a block-first tight end.
Kieft — pronounced to rhyme with “beefed” — is the Bucs’ third
draft pick from Minnesota in three drafts, following safety Antoine Winfield
and receiver Tyler Johnson in 2020. Sporting a thick red beard as he spoke to
reporters via video conference call, Kieft talked about his “indescribable”
excitement to not only be drafted, but to a team that has Tom
Brady at quarterback and Super Bowl aspirations.
Big board ranking: Kieft was decidedly not a consensus draft pick — The
Athletic’s Dane Brugler had him among the 1,600 prospects in his
exhaustive draft preview, but just barely. At tight end, Brugler gave draftable
grades and “priority free agent” grades to 30 tight ends, and he ranked Kieft
as the No. 60 tight end in this class.
Video: New Bucs tight end Ko Kieft is fine with you calling him a blocking tight end. “I’ll get down and dirty with the worst of them.” pic.twitter.com/nUNGzn1wT5
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) April 30, 2022
Introduction: The Bucs started the day Saturday with
just two tight ends on roster, and they’ve doubled that by taking Washington’s
Cade Otton in the fourth round and then Kieft in the sixth. They still very
well get the best of them back if Rob Gronkowski decides to return for another
season, but this helps them insulate against that decision with improved depth.
If Otton is more of a combination tight end who can catch and block, then Kieft
is the more physical, block-first type, something the Bucs could use as they
want to assert themselves more in the run game and especially in short yardage.
How he fits: Kieft isn’t a lock to make the
Bucs’ 53-man roster — will they keep four tight ends or only three? The only
givens now are veteran Cam Brate and Otton, but Kieft will have a chance to
compete with Codey McElroy for the next spot, or
convince the Bucs to carry four on the roster if they get Gronkowski back.
Kieft can help his chances by finding work as a blocker in the return game and
on coverage units, something former first-round pick O.J. Howard wasn’t asked
to do with the Bucs.
Second guess? Giving up two
seventh-round picks just means giving up two long shots ahead of the signing of
undrafted rookies. The Bucs have so much talent back from last year that this
is a difficult roster to crack as a low-round pick. Tight end is a position
Tampa Bay has neglected in recent drafts, but if Kieft can carve out a role for himself, he has all the
right attitude and demeanor and intensity they want from their players.
Rookie impact: The initial challenge
will just be making the cut — convincing the Bucs to carry a fourth tight end
if Gronkowski returns, and being able to outlast any veterans they sign ahead
of the start of training camp. Low-round picks haven’t had a great success rate
under Jason Licht, with receiver Scotty Miller perhaps the best success
story in recent years. If he can make the cut and find a role as a key blocker,
he can do what Antony Auclair did from 2017-20, sticking
around despite having only 10 catches in four years.
Depth-chart impact: The tight end depth
chart was only two-deep before Saturday. Kieft is primary blocker, while
Gronkowski is an all-around talent and Brate more of a pass catcher. Otton is
also coming back from an ankle injury, though he’s expected to be healthy in
time for training camp.
Fast evaluation: Bucs fans will like Kieft’s
personality — a quick Google images search shows him with blood coming out of
his nose in a postgame photo. Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck is a former
Bucs assistant and an intense one at that, and the Gophers have a strong
presence in the Bucs locker room. Getting the tight end room a little younger
and a little meaner is a good thing, especially as the team seeks more
offensive balance and an improved run game to ease the burden on Brady.
(Photo of Ko Kieft scoring on a 42-yard catch-and-run against Iowa: Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)
