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SALT LAKE CITY — Dalton Kincaid wasn't a finalist for the John Mackay Award this fall, but that hasn't stopped the former University of Utah tight end from having a productive lead-up to the 2023 NFL draft.
And as the attention shifts to this weekend's NFL scouting combine, which will take place March 2-5 in Indianapolis, Kincaid's name has been repeatedly mentioned as the potential No. 1 tight end in a loaded class for this year's draft, which includes John Mackay Award finalists Michael Mayer (Notre Dame) and Sam LaPorta (Iowa).
Kincaid is not expected to take part in the on-field drills for tight ends during Saturday's combine as he recovers from a serious injury he sustained at the end of the 2022 season that kept him out of the Rose Bowl, but he will take part in the week's interviews and other aspects of the scouting combine.
Still, Kincaid is a marked man, and one whose stock continues to rise the closer it gets to April.
Last week, NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who has Kincaid projected as the No. 15 overall pick to the Green Bay Packers in his latest mock draft, spoke to the media about the upcoming combine and mentioned his thoughts on Kincaid in a class that he believes features about 11 tight ends that could be drafted this year in the first three rounds.
"To me, I know he is coming off of an injury right now, and I know he is kind of more of a flex tight end, but Dalton Kincaid from Utah is — I think he is a big-time player," Jeremiah said. "I think he is one of my favorite players to watch in this draft. I think he is one of the best players in the draft.
"I don't like when you compare guys to all-time great players, but just in his movement stuff, he moves, he kind of looks likes (Travis) Kelce just the way he moves in and out of breaks. He is a really, really good player. I think he's — I really liked Zach Ertz when he was coming out the year he was coming out. I think he is a better version of Zach Ertz. So he's up there."
That's quite the praise for the Las Vegas native who was Utah's leading receiver last season, where he finished with 890 yards and eight touchdowns on 70 receptions. That's 52 yards shy and one touchdown more than John Mackay Award winner Brock Bowers (Georgia) in three less games, and more than either Mayer or LaPorta last year.
And part of that receiving production is why Kincaid is quickly moving up the various mock draft boards, especially as the NFL has seen a shift in more tight ends becoming a receiving threat on offense. A bigger pass catcher like Kelce, who just helped Kansas City to another Super Bowl win, is a hot commodity in the league.
"Dalton Kincaid is unbelievable and I think he's the best TE in the draft" ~ @MoveTheSticks#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/dDCOqMH8H3
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 28, 2023
"He's so smooth and so athletic. He makes everything look easy. He makes catches that are extremely difficult look routine; that's how he does it," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham recently told KSL.com. "Most people, I would think, don't appreciate how talented he is and how tough those catches are that he makes. He just makes them look like it's just every day for him.
"He runs extremely well, he's got great body control, he can go and get the contested ball, he's a very good blocker — he's not devastating blocking, but he's certainly good enough," he added. "He's extremely intelligent, never blows an assignment, and he's got the frame — 6-foot-4.5 and 240 plus. So he's a tremendous football player. But the biggest asset is his ability to catch the ball."
Kincaid is by no means a consensus TE-1 in the upcoming draft — fellow NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks has him as his TE-2 behind Mayer going at No. 24 to the Jacksonville Jaguars — but Jeremiah said Kincaid is one of the names he hears most in his conversations with the various NFL teams he talks to in the lead-up to the draft.
(ESPN's Mel Kiper has Kincaid as his TE-2 and going in the first round with the No. 26 pick to the Dallas Cowboys, and ESPN's Todd McShay also has Kincaid as his TE-2 but being selected with the No. 28 pick to the Cleveland Browns.)
"When you talk to teams around the league you'll hear different names mentioned," Jeremiah said. "Usually it's Kincaid, it's Mayer, it's (Luke) Musgrave, and it's (Darnell) Washington. Those are kind of the four that get mentioned. I would say I've got back — the feedback I've got back the most, the most teams I talked to have Kincaid No. 1 because of the passing game value, but Mayer has his sponsors around the league, as well."
Though Kincaid won't be able to take part in the on-field exercises this week, he's shown enough at the collegiate level to make teams believe he's worth a potential first-round pick. And whether he's the first tight end drafted or the second or third, Kincaid appears to have a promising future.
In the upcoming draft, any player selected in the first round is expected to make more than $12 million for his initial contract, though that number increases the higher a player is drafted. The No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft is expected to make just over $40 million, according to Spotrac.
