After the Super Bowl loss, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was weighing up whether to play on in 2025 or retire, and for most, when you’re thinking about retirement, the end isn’t too far away.
With Kelce now returning for the 2025 season, which will be his 13th in the NFL, the general consensus is that this will be the future Hall of Famer’s final year, and that brings us to an interesting question.
Should the Chiefs draft his replacement now?
There are a host of prospects in the upcoming draft, with Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Mason Taylor expected to be the first three taken, but there is also another name to keep an eye on-Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr.
Why? He revealed on the Up & Adams Show that he has a pre-draft visit booked with the Chiefs, along with other teams. So, why does that move us? Fannin Jr. hauled in 117 receptions for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
That’ll do. A monster in the passing game for Bowling Green, in the 68 Ventures Bowl, a game in which his team lost 38-31, Fannin Jr. was named MVP for his 17-reception, 213-yard, one touchdown game.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein calls Fannin Jr.’s hands “automatic,” and while he isn’t a polished route runner, he still manages to get open, and when the ball is in his hands, he gets downfield.
Seen as a pure pass-catching tight end with his blocking ability not seen as a strength, if the Chiefs do take him in this year’s draft, he can get a full season of learning under Kelce before potentially taking over in 2026.
There are a host of “big name” tight ends in the draft, but don’t sleep on Fannin Jr. as a prospect, and the fact that the Chiefs are having him for a visit tells you they aren’t.