The Kansas City Chiefs got great news with the return of Travis Kelce for the 2025 season, but there was serious thought that he might walk off into the sunset.

If that did happen, the Chiefs would be very short on tight end options for Patrick Mahomes. Noah Gray (437 yards, five touchdowns) was the next bet tight end for the Chiefs, and it isn’t known if he is seen as the long-term replacement for Kelce, despite being 25 years old.

That brings us to the draft, and if there ever was a time for the Chiefs to think about drafting Kelce’s replacement, it’s now.

For USA Today, that is exactly what the franchise should do, and get Michigan Wolverine Colston Loveland in to learn from the Hall of Famer.

“The 2025 NFL draft features a deep pool of tight end prospects,” USA Today writes. “Michigan Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland possesses the athleticism and route running to replace Kelce as Kansas City’s go-to target. Loveland is a top 15 prospect in the class but could tumble a few spots as teams clamor to select offensive and defensive linemen. The Chiefs need to trade up to draft Loveland.”

Getting Loveland into the building and having a full offseason and regular season to learn from Kelce would put him in a great position to succeed him in 2026.

He possesses good speed on seam routes, and like Kelce, has the ability to sit down in zone coverage in spoft spots, making it easy for his quarterback to find him. Plus, he is a solid route runner and has agility that makes him tough to get down in open space.

It does loom as a solid choice, but we don’t see the Chiefs trading up to get Loveland, not when there are other pressing needs, but it is certainly something to think about for the front office.

They have Kelce for one more year, so getting his replacement in the building makes sense.