Packers hosting top TE Dalton Kincaid on official pre-draft visit
By Paul Bretl
Utah tight end, and one of the top prospects in the 2023 draft class, Dalton Kincaid, will be visiting the Green Bay Packers next week, according to Adam Schefter. Along with that piece of information, Schefter would also report that Kincaid has been fully cleared for football activities after suffering a back injury last season.
Listed at 6’3″ – 246 pounds, Kincaid did not test at the NFL combine or a pro-day because of his back injury. He is, however, considered to be the best pass-catching tight end in this year’s draft class.
In what was a breakout season in 2022 prior to his injury, Kincaid caught 76% of his 87 targets at 12.9 yards per catch with eight touchdowns, and over half of his snaps came lined up in the slot. Among all tight ends, Kincaid would rank first in yards after the catch and yards per route run, according to PFF ($$).
Kincaid is not known for his blocking abilities but rather is going to make his impact in the passing game. But, for what it’s worth, he did rank 38th out of 100 tight ends in PFF’s run-blocking grade metric.
In what is a loaded tight end class, PFF has Kincaid ranked as the best overall. For more on his game, here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had to say in his pre-draft report:
"“Move tight end whose premium talent as a pass-catcher will be the primary focus for evaluators. Kincaid is a fluid route runner with the athleticism and play speed to create mismatches against lesser coverage. Impeccable ball skills and sticky hands allow him to tilt 50/50 contested throws in his favor. He lacks the play strength and technique to work in-line, but can handle some positional blocking in space from time to time. Kincaid can manage a more extended route tree, allowing calculating play-callers to open up the entire field and stress coverages. He will need to acclimate to a more physical/athletic brand of coverage, but should blossom into a weapon.”"
Without question, the Packers need more playmaking at the tight end position. Although Robert Tonyan was reliable, he was their only true pass-catching threat in 2022 and averaged just 8.9 yards per catch, which ranked near the bottom of the NFL among eligible tight ends. Most playoff teams from last season had some playmaking ability at the tight end position, but Green Bay was missing that element.
On the flip side, as I wrote recently, the Packers could very much benefit from having a well-rounded player at the position as well. There was a predictability to the tight end room, with Tonyan being the only pass catcher while Josiah Deguara and Marcedes Lewis were primarily asked to block. Having a tight end who can effectively do both would make it more difficult for defenses to decipher what was coming from the offense. With Kincaid, however, not that he can’t take on some blocking responsibilities, but that’s also not how he’s going to be often used, either.
If the Packers want Kincaid, they’ll have to take him with the 15th overall pick. Typically, this is not a position that Green Bay has coveted early on in the draft, and with most tight ends not contributing in a significant way in that first season, from a value standpoint, the Packers spending their first-round pick on another position and addressing tight end in round two could make more sense, especially with how deep this draft class is.