Every team had an opportunity to draft Travis Kelce before the Kansas City Chiefs stopped his fall in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Kelce is a nine-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro. He’s a cornerstone piece of Kansas City’s dynasty. This postseason, Kelce passed Jerry Rice for the most receiving yards in NFL playoff history while winning his third ring.
It’s safe to say the Chiefs made the right decision by drafting the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, that decision was not just as easy for every other NFL team.
Travis Kelce Reveals ‘Red Flag’ For Why Cowboys Didn’t Draft Him
According to Kelce, one of the many teams that passed on him due to alleged character issues at the University of Cincinnati was the Dallas Cowboys.
“At the Combine, I had some bad interviews,” Kelce said on his New Heights podcast that he hosts with his brother, Jason Kelce.
“The Cowboys, they were kind of pressing me about having this red flag of missing a year.”
In 2010, Kelce was suspended for his entire collegiate season after testing positive for marijuana, which was a violation of team rules at that time. He was eligible to return to the Bearcats in 2011 before a massive 2012 season that put him on NFL Draft boards. In 2012, he put up over 700 yards and eight touchdowns.
Despite the big year, the Cowboys were scared off by Kelce’s suspension, and it was a negative NFL Combine interview that Kelce did not enjoy.
“It ended really fast,” Kelce said about his meeting with the Cowboys. “I basically just said, ‘If you guys think I’m gonna be that kind of guy, or you’re questioning everything that I’ve battled through to get to where I am now from missing a season, then you guys [should] probably go somewhere else and pick somebody else.'”
And the Cowboys did just that.
KEEP READING: The Story of How Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Drafted Travis Kelce
In the first round, they drafted Travis Frederick, a Pro Bowl center who spent all seven of his professional seasons with the Cowboys. But with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, the Cowboys selected tight end Gavin Escobar, who caught just 30 passes in four seasons.
In comparison, Kelce has caught 907 passes and won three Super Bowls as a member of the Chiefs.
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