Dalton Kincaid enters the 2023 NFL draft as one of the more experienced college tight ends, but only picked up the game of football as a senior in high school. Kincaid played basketball at a strong level, including a high school championship before making the switch, and due to his late move to the gridiron received limited offers during college recruiting.
Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Kincaid enrolled to play football for the San Diego Torero’s, a Division 1 FCS program. After spending two years with the team and managing over 1,200 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns, he transferred to Utah.
Kincaid grew into a stellar pass catching tight end, and is now projected to take his talents to the NFL as one of the first tight ends drafted in the 2023 draft.
Considering Dalton Kincaid never played football until his senior year of high school, his achievements at the college level are superb. He grew as a tight end year on year and eventually exploded onto the scene in 2022 with 70 receptions for 890 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kincaid’s five years in college make him one of the older prospects in this year’s class, but the counter is the wealth of experience he’ll carry into the league. He led the Utes in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, proving to be a mismatch for linebackers and nickel corners across the NCAA.
The tight end’s performance as a senior led to First-Team All-Pac-12 honors, having led all FBS tight ends in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (77.3).
Kincaid’s standout performance came in a monster outing against the number seven ranked USC Trojans during the 2022 season, catching a career high 16 passes for 234 receiving yards and a touchdown, averaging 14.6 yards per catch. Kincaid’s performance helped the Utes take down USC in one of the best games of the 2022 NCAA season.
Dalton Kincaid now ranks 10th all time at Utah for touchdown receptions, and his 16-reception game against USC is the second most receptions in a single game in school history.
Dalton Kincaid is one of the most dangerous receiving tight ends in the 2023 NFL draft. He’s a natural pass catcher with the athletic ability of a wide receiver. Pairing that athleticism with his size and frame at six-foot-four and 240 pounds makes him a significant mismatch headache for defenses on a regular basis.
Kincaid’s experience at the collegiate level comes mostly in the form of reps split out as a slot receiver. He rarely lines up tucked in with the offensive line, and wasn’t a contributor as a run blocker.
While his lack of experience in the run game likely stops Kincaid from being a day one draft pick, he will be valued highly by many passing game coordinators at the next level.
Kincaid’s ability to separate is excellent, taking strides away from trailing linebackers, and when he is matched for speed and covered downfield, he has the size and vertical ability to come down with the football over the top of a defender.
Dalton Kincaid is fast for a tight end. He has impressive speed after the catch and a rare ability for the position to weave through tacklers and make a man miss in the open field. He was used plenty in motion and given the ball in short throws allowing him to make plays in space with the ball in his hands.
Kincaid projects at the next level as a day two pass catching tight end, who will spend the majority of his time in the league split out in the slot. His size and speed make him a good red zone threat and he could get plenty of work in a pass heavy offense that doesn’t require him to get his hands dirty in the run game. While that lack of run blocking experience might cost him some reps, there are several teams he could contribute to as a rookie in the pro’s.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals took a flier on Irv Smith, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings this off-season, after allowing Hayden Hurst to sign with the Carolina Panthers.
Hurst played an important role for the Bengals last year with 52 receptions for 414 yards and two touchdowns. While he picked up a ton of catches, Hurst is not the sort of receiver who can do a lot of damage after the catch, unlike Dalton Kincaid.
Irv Smith is a good receiving tight end when he’s healthy, but his career so far has been underwhelming and the Bengals should look at offering him some training camp competition. Sure, they have some gaps on the roster to plug and tight end might not be a top priority, but considering a dangerous pass catching threat over the middle to add to an already dangerous passing offense seems like a good idea.
Joe Burrow had plenty of success throwing to tight end Thaddeus Moss in college, and if anybody is going to get the very best out of an athletic tight end like Kincaid, it’s Joe Cool.
Dallas Cowboys
Dalton Schultz is now a Houston Texan, which suddenly leaves a lot of targets up for grabs in Dallas. Jake Ferguson is a fan favorite in Dallas who will likely consume some of those opportunities, but a competing tight end feels like an important pick here for an offense looking to compete with the likes of Philadelphia and the New York Giants in the division.
The Cowboys might be a run first team, but Mike McCarthy’s west coast offense is going to offer a lot of opportunity to the tight ends, and Dak Prescott is never shy to throw the football down the field.
Dalton Schultz had 89 targets in 2022, and there is a strong possibility that those targets could be split between Ferguson and a rookie competing for snaps. Dalton Kincaid has a wealth of athleticism that would add another element to an already talented Cowboys passing offense.
Pro’s
- Athletic tight end
- Speed for the position
- Yards after catch
- High production as a split out tight end
- Catch radius
Con’s
- Limitations in the run game
- Lack of experience as an inline tight end
