One of the Kansas City Chiefs’ most underrated 2021 draft picks was fifth-round selection Noah Gray, a tight end from Duke. He didn’t see much action until promising prospect Jody Fortson went down with an Achilles injury against Washington earlier in the season. Now sitting in the third string at the position for the team, Gray caught the first touchdown pass of his career on Sunday Night Football against Las Vegas, coming down with a spectacular grab in the end zone on a goal-to-go situation.
Take a look at the concentration the rookie showed on this play, that put the Chiefs up nine on the road in the third quarter:
FIRST NFL TOUCHDOWN FOR NOAH 🎉
📺: #KCvsLV on @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/CWreNQEt4Y
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 15, 2021
Gray’s contributions have been crucial to Kansas City’s success in recent weeks, as the team has tried new strategies to get the better of opponents after some early-season struggles. All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce still reigns supreme as the Chiefs’ most consistent target for Patrick Mahomes from the tight end position, but Gray made a good case for more playing time this week.
The rookie had been targeted two times in the game against the Raiders before his touchdown reception but failed to come down with either of the balls thrown to him before the big play. Kansas City will certainly take the points from their newest offensive contributor, and the coaching staff may opt to give him more targets in the red zone if he proves to have a knack for converting on goalline situations.
While Gray is far from a finished product at this point in his career, his involvement in the offense is a reason for optimism moving forward, as the Chiefs look to get back to championship form ahead of the playoffs. With a win tonight they’d sit alone at the top of the AFC West standings, with momentum to spare before their Week 11 matchup against the Cowboys.
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