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Chiefs' Travis Kelce Named Best TE 'Draft Bargain' Of Millennium

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 9:48 PM ET

The NFL career of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is coming to an end, and whether it is this year or next, there's no denying Travis' place among the greatest tight ends in history.

Some have him clear at No. 1, others have him close, and for a career that spans 13 years, Travis has done anything and everything in the NFL, and when he does retire, he'll ride off into the sunset with Taylor Swift.

In an interesting exercise, NFL.com has ranked the best draft bargain tight ends of the millennium, and with the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Kelce, George Kittle, and Jason Witten, it is Kelce who comes out on top as a third-round pick back in 2013.

"As a surefire Hall of Famer in the running for best tight end ever, Kelce must be considered one of the best draft bargains of all time -- even with brother Jason Kelce (2011 sixth-round pick) giving him a good run for his money," NFL.com writes. "Travis Kelce, the first pick in Round 3 in 2013, missed all but one snap of his rookie season before eventually stringing together seven straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2016 to 2022. He has been named to the past 10 Pro Bowls."

A total of 12,151 yards and 77 touchdowns from 1,004 receptions in the regular season, plus 2,078 yards and 20 touchdowns from 178 receptions in 25 playoff games, put Kelce at the top of the tight end mountain.

Kelce currently ranks third all-time for yards and receptions, first for yards per game (69.4), and fifth for touchdowns. But it is in the postseason where Kelce separates himself.

Travis is first all-time in yards, receptions, touchdowns, and yards per game (83.1), oh, and he has three Super Bowls.

While this list is subjective, it is hard not to make a case for Kelce to be the best tight end of all time. Yes, others have better regular-season stats, but when it comes to the playoffs and big-time moments, none have done it better.

And that likely makes Kelce the best tight end bargain of all time this millennium.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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