Buffalo Bills’ Dalton Kincaid Named Top 10 TE by ESPN’s NFL Personnel Survey

The year of “Doot” may have arrived. Buffalo Bills second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid has been the subject of many optimistic predictions during the 2024 NFL offseason (and also some deflated national prospects). With former top receiver Stefon Diggs being traded to Houston Texas, the Stanford product has been highlighted as a potential star in the making.

But in a survey conducted by ESPN After collecting responses from league executives, coaches and scouts, the consensus is that Kincaid is already a next-level player at his position.

Jeremy Fowler released the results of this poll that focused specifically on tight ends, compiling a top 10 list and a few honorable mentions based on the responses. In this poll, Dalton Kincaid ranked eighth:

8. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills

Highest rank: 2 | Lowest ranking: Outside the top 10

Age: 24 | Last year’s ranking: N / A

Kincaid was compared to Travis Kelce coming out of Utah in 2023 because of his smooth route running.

Buffalo wouldn’t mind quarterback Josh Allen and Kincaid stealing Mahomes’ magic from Kelce as a powerful quarterback-tight end duo.

“He’s very natural in his movements, very instinctive, very good hands,” said one high-ranking NFL personnel member. “I’m not sure he’s as explosive after the catch as some of the others.”

In addition to his 73 receptions for 673 yards as a rookie, Kincaid ranked atop that group in average yards from the nearest defender when targeted, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

While he doesn’t possess top-end speed, Kincaid’s 4.71-second 40-yard dash time was adequate for his position, and several evaluators believe he plays faster than that.

With Diggs gone and Gabe Davis heading to free agency to join the Jacksonville Jaguars, there are 241 targets up for grabs from 2023 among Buffalo’s wide receivers this year. The natural assumption is that new free agents Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins will absorb some of those vacated targets, with rookie second-round pick Keon Coleman and post-draft addition Marquez Valdes-Scantling also expected to pick up some of the slack. But alongside Khalil Shakir’s return, the target share potentially absorbed by Dalton Kincaid (with a larger role in the passing game) remains a major story point among the Bills Mafia this summer.

Generally, ESPNThe “high-ranking NFL personnel executive” quoted above had a fair assessment of Kincaid’s skillset. The Bills’ second-most targeted player as a rookie, he’s always been described as a player who simply looks like a natural receiver. Whether it’s running routes, picking the ball up out of the air, or naturally transitioning from receiver to runner, Kincaid certainly looked up to the task at hand to impress some NFL decision-makers. Now, let’s wait for a callback.

…and that’s how things get messy. I’m Bruce Nolan of Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday on Rumblings Cast Network!