Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton sat down with The Draft Network’s Justin Melo for an exclusive interview on June 27 and a member of the 2024 rookie class received an unexpected shout-out.
“The tight end we got [Jared Wiley] looks like a great red-zone target,” Bolton said after being asked about premium draft picks Xavier Worthy and Kingsley Suamataia.
He went on to praise the rookie fourth rounder unprovoked.
“[Wiley’s] a great route-runner that already understands spacing,” Bolton noted. “That’s impressive considering he’s yet to play a game in this league. He understands concepts and finds ways to get open. He’s in the right place at the right time and understands how to dominate his leverage. [Plus], he’s legit almost 6-foot-8.”
Wiley is listed at 6-foot-6 to be clear, but perhaps the first-year tight end plays bigger than he is.
“Once you get the ball in his vicinity, he’s going to come down with it,” Bolton stated. Concluding that Wiley and Worthy “are going to be great additions” to the KC offense.
Jared Wiley Has the Attention of His Chiefs Teammates
It’s not the first time that Wiley has caught the attention of a veteran teammate. Travis Kelce spoke very highly of the rookie at minicamp on June 11.
“I’ll tell you what, man. He’s got a lot of upside. He’s got a lot of upside,” Kelce voiced. “Very comfortable, smart guy.”
“I would say he’s a lot further along than I was as a rookie in terms of just understanding the offense and really seeing the field,” the superstar continued. “He’s trusting what he’s seeing right now, and I’ll tell you what, 1-5 [Patrick Mahomes and] 11 [Carson Wentz] — the quarterbacks — are on time with it and it’s fun to watch him kind of take off and get more comfortable out there.”
Chiefs area scout Jason Lamb also touted Wiley as a playmaker in late April, explaining what stood out about the TCU product.
“You do see this bigger tight end so you kind of expect more of the blocking and everything,” Lamb told reporters. “But he’s kind of sneaky. He ran really well, he tested really well, but you also see that speed on tape. You see the ability to separate versus linebackers. You see that route fuel versus both man and zone. But that [playmaking ability] was something that I feel like was kind of under the radar.”
Clearly, Kansas City is very high on Wiley, and his teammates appear to be too.
Chiefs’ Nick Bolton Says Hollywood Brown Is Going to Be ‘Electric’ With Ball, Thinks Xavier Worthy Will Be Dangerous
Bolton admitted that he hadn’t seen much of Worthy on the football field during OTAs and minicamp while speaking with Melo. The first-round wide receiver has been dealing with a hamstring ailment all spring, but he’s expected to be ready for training camp.
Having said that, the linebacker sees the potential in Worthy’s film.
“I actually had a chance to watch the footage of him on our iPads from rookie minicamp,” Bolton said. “It’s obvious that he can fly.”
The veteran defender added that “I know Patrick Mahomes is going to get him the football in stride because he’s so dangerous with the football.”
Later, Bolton started talking up the Hollywood Brown signing too.
“We already had a fast group, and [the rookies are] going to take things to another level,” he predicted. “Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown is going to add to that as well. He’s going to be electric with the ball in his hands. He can run all day.”
Considering the influx of talent — both veteran and youth — this Chiefs offense could be something special in 2024.
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