The 2025 season has a very real chance of being Travis Kelce’s last in the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs might be looking for his replacement. With Kelce coming back for Year 13 after an offseason that saw him seriously contemplate retirement, it will be a farewell tour for the future Hall of Famer.

But due to that, the Chiefs could be in the market for a new tight end next offseason, however there is merit to the thought of grabbing a tight end in this year’s draft to let him develop and learn from one of the best to ever do it. We haven’t heard too much about the Chiefs going after a tight end in the draft, but over the past couple of days, several mock drafts have come out, and there is a theme starting to develop.

Kansas City selects Miami Hurricane Elijah Arroyo in the second round. The Athletic’s Nate Taylor was one of the first to mock Arroyo to the Chiefs, and now, a day later, CBS Sports has, with Kansas City taking him in the second round. Coincidence? Possibly.

It does make sense for the Chiefs to get out ahead of Kelce’s retirement, and having the future Hall of Famer impart his wisdom on a rookie for a full year could be hugely beneficial. Kansas City did host Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin, so there is a link to the Chiefs and a tight end in this year’s class, but Arroyo now appears to be gathering steam.

Kelce has been a wonderful player for Kansas City, but now with his retirement looming, the Chiefs look for his replacement, and in Arroyo, they get a nice developmental player to be his understudy.