The moment everyone has been waiting for finally arrived with Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid appearing as a guest on New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
On Wednesday, Reid had a chance to open up and address various topics with the Kelce brothers. Reid discussed his decision to draft the now-Super Bowl Champion brothers. He breaks down selecting Travis and if he was the first tight end on the Chiefs’ board, along with more unique stories.
Here are some of the things that we’re taking away from what Reid had to say:
Andy reveals if he would've drafted Travis if he didn't know Jason
The 2013 NFL draft selection of Travis Kelce wasn’t viewed favorably initially. He had some character issues clouding his time at Cincinnati, which dropped him down draft boards. Many believed the connection Reid formed with older brother Jason, who he drafted years prior in Philadelphia, forced the Chiefs’ head coach’s hand.
Jason Kelce: “Do you think – so, back to draft night – does Travis get drafted if you hadn’t drafted me and knew me already? With the red flags that were kind of out there around him?”
Andy Reid: “Yeah, that would’ve been tough. If you were in the league, I still would’ve called you. Somewhere I would’ve called you and checked on him just to make sure because I had heard the rumors about him.”
Jason Kelce: “What do you think, having known those rumors and now having coached [Travis] for ten years?”
Andy Reid: “Yeah, so like I said, for like the first five years, those rumors were pretty close. For the next five years, they’ve been awesome. I’ve watched him blossom into a leader. I mean, he’s always been a great player but a tremendous leader, big heart, and I just love him.”
Andy says Travis was the first tight end on his draft board
After looking past the rumors and focusing on Travis’ ability on the field, Reid put to rest doubts that he was the best available tight end on the board.
“[Travis] actually was the first one… We were going to get him; that’s who we wanted. John Dorsey was a part of this; I mean, you can double-check with John. That was a slam dunk. He was going to be a Chief.”
Andy on evaluating quarterbacks in the NFL draft
Andy Reid’s quarterback legacy is extensive and filled with incredible depth of talent making him a legend regarding development at the position. He’s done exceptionally well during the draft process and revealed his thought process when evaluating quarterbacks, such as Patrick Mahomes.
“I think you gotta get to know the guy and see what he’s all about. You go to the combine, and the answers are kind of packaged there, and I think that’s easy. You don’t get a ton out of them. But you get a guy, lock them in a room for eight hours, go over a whole install, make them spit it back at you, and then throw questions at them on how you’d handle this or handle that. By the time you get done with those eight hours, you got a pretty good feel on what the guy’s about. We did six – I believe it was six of them (in 2017) – by the time we left, we were pretty accurate with it, actually. We’ve gone through and looked at the history part of it. We were pretty accurate on our evaluation; it takes a lot of time, though.”
Reid later revealed that Brett Veach had been feeding him and John Dorsey information on Mahomes up to two years prior to their selection of the Texas Tech quarterback.
Andy on still feeling connected to former Eagles players during Super Bowl LVII
Andy Reid began his amazing head coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles, leading them to several NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance. He changed the franchise into a perennial contender and left a considerable mark on the team’s future, with many of his draft picks still on the Eagles sidelines for Super Bowl LVII.
“Yeah [seeing players I drafted on the other side of the field] was weird. That was different. That was a little different. Yeah, I mean, you look across, and I know people across the field. There was actually one time – I probably shouldn’t even say this, but I’m going to say it – so there was one point where I was back talking with [Patrick Mahomes], my back was to the field, I heard the cheer, I turned around, and [the Eagles’] tight end caught the ball. And for a minute, I went, ‘Hey! Nice–’ It was weird. It was just the one time, and the rest of the time, I was all red.”
Andy says second Super Bowl victory was better than the first
The Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years with their victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the 2019-20 season. The milestone first title for Andy Reid, however, doesn’t compare to last season’s accomplishment, as he explained to the Kelce brothers.
“Yeah, I think it did feel better, actually, and it wasn’t because it was the Eagles. The first one was a whirlwind; everything was moving fast. The second one was weird because of COVID, and we lost. And then, the third one, you were able to step back and take everything in. You still know there’s a challenge ahead of you coming up for that season, but you’re still able to enjoy that moment there. I’ll remember that part where the first one was a little bit foggy.”
