Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs is one of the most recognizable names in professional sports. From delivering three Super Bowl championships to Kansas City to breaking all-time tight end receiving records and dating superstar musical artist Taylor Swift, Kelce has become a household name, even for non-football fans.
The Chiefs did not have their typical season under head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes last season. After reaching at least the conference championship game every year prior, the Chiefs fell apart, finishing 6-11 and No. 3 in the AFC West and missing the playoffs entirely for the first time since 2014.
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The silver lining of the rough 2025 NFL season is that the Chiefs were rewarded with a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Chiefs selected seven players, headlined by LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 6 overall.
Another selection was former Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Cyrus Allen. Allen finished in the top five in college football in receiving touchdowns with 13. The 5-foot-11 wideout finished the season with 51 receptions for 674 yards, averaging 13.2 yards per reception.
Kelce already feels a kinship with his fellow former Bearcat. On his podcast, "New Heights," Kelce discussed his expectations for the rookies on the roster. He spoke about how the team’s general manager, Brett Veach, brought in two former Bearcats for the 2026 season, highlighting the versatility of the new wide receiver and how Allen will help the team flourish.
"The other sideline, Cyrus Allen, wide receiver from Cincinnati," Kelce said. "Who I am jacked up to see. We got another Bearcat in the building. We actually got two Bearcats in the building. One came as well, Jeff Caldwell, in a free agency pickup. Cyrus Allen, he's a route runner, man, he's a route runner. When we were talking about what I want to see out of a guy in the wide receiver room, he has his own twists on a lot of routes, and he has the quickness, he has the decisiveness. He really knows how to use his shoulders, quickness and rhythm to get DBs in a bind."
