The Kansas City Chiefs should be keeping tabs on the tight ends in the 2026 NFL Draft, regardless of the decision of future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce.
The 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl is a good place to
start. On Friday, members of the Arrowhead Pride staff took in practice and spoke with draft prospects afterwards. In general, the tight end position seems to be a strength among both teams’ rosters.
During the players’ availability to the media, three tight ends — each offering different strengths as a player — were kind enough to answer questions we had. We start with one of the most intriguing prospects at the showcase:
1. Bauer Sharp, LSU
Sharp measured at just over 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 251 pounds at the Shrine Bowl weigh-in. He looks the part of a traditional, in-line tight end — but he was a quarterback in high school (like Kelce). He transitioned away from the signal-caller position early in his college career, but he acknowledged the benefits of having that perspective on pass plays.
In Friday’s practice, Sharp shows off the contested-catch ability as well.
However, when watching Sharp play at LSU, his blocking stood out as sound and consistent. When asked about it, the tight end made it clear that it wasn’t by accident.
“I’ve always had a physical part to my game, when I was quarterback, too,” Sharp told me. “Obviously, it was just the technique for me when I first started playing that I had to improve, and that is what I’ve done. I love it, I take pride in it, I’ve actually fallen in love with blocking. I’m just a nasty player like [George] Kittle… I take pride in that for sure.”
The self-comparison to the San Francisco 49ers tight end sets the expectation for what to expect from Sharp in the NFL. It’s not just his mindset; it’s also his attention to detail that makes him so effective at locking up a defender.
“That’s the main thing about tight end is hand placement,” Sharp emphasized. “I try to start low to high when trying to stick in their chest. That’s tight end… every defensive lineman I go against in the league is going to be bigger than me. You have to win with technique, base and footwork.”
With practice snaps showing off athleticism as well, Sharp appears to be the total package; it wouldn’t surprise me if he is one of the highest drafted players from the Shrine Bowl.
2. Jaren Kanak, Oklahoma
A native of Hays, Kansas, Kanak is looking to prove himself as more of a “hybrid position” than tight end at a height below 6 feet 2 inches. Last season at Oklahoma, he lined up in-line (265 snaps), flexed to the slot (222), out wide (39), and in the backfield (43) according to Pro Football Focus.
In a play from Friday’s practice, Kanak’s first step gets the defender off-balance, and a notable burst the other way gives him the separation he needs to catch and run up the sideline. He also lined up in the backfield as an H-back during team period.
“That’s just part of having a versatile tool belt and to be able to put defenses in binds,” Kanak shared with me. “Like ‘how do we label this personnel group? Are they in 21? Are they in 12? Is it 11? Is this guy a receiver because he’s running past our Nickels?‘”
“It can create hiccups for a defense,” Kanak said. “And so being able to have that versatility in my tool belt is something that I’m definitely looking forward to offering a team.”
If you thought of 49ers’ fullback Kyle Juszczyk when Kanak explained his ideal role, you weren’t alone.
“That was a guy that I constantly am referring back to,” Kanak shared. “And a guy that I studied very heavily in the offseason, trying to model my game after him. Mostly in the run game, using his body position… he’s honestly just the perfect example.”
3. Seydou Traore, Mississippi State
No prospect had a more intriguing background than Traore, who grew up in London, England, playing goalkeeper in soccer among different sports, but eventually wanted to play American football. He didn’t even know what position; he just wanted to play.
“I had no idea,” Traore answered when I asked about his original positional desire. “I was pretty slim when I first started. So initially, when I first started, I was playing safety and wide receiver for my local club.”
“A year on from that, I played wide receiver at the NFL academy. The following year, I’m at Clearwater Academy International in Florida, and I’m a receiver too, and then from there I got recruited by Arkansas State.”
In his transition to college football, Arkansas State immediately asked Traore to gain strength in order to play tight end rather than receiver. At the Shrine Bowl weigh-ins, he was over 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 233 pounds. He has an 80-inch wingspan — the longest measured of any tight end there.
“I feel my strength is my versatility of what I’m able to do,” Traore declared. “I can turn a five-yard catch into a 20-yard gain. I can also go deep and stretch the field, then in the run game, I just stick my face in there and get busy. I feel like I create problems, and I’m a mismatch for defenses.”
On Saturday, Traore stood out to NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline in practice.
