Former Blue Devil Noah Gray will have a shot at being an NFL tight end this fall.
With the 162nd overall pick in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Gray to be their newest rookie.
During his four years at Duke, Gray became one of the most dependable faces on the Blue Devil offense, playing 47 out of 48 games in his career. The Massachusetts native notched a solid 29 receptions for 285 yards in 2020, but his best work came in 2019. As a junior, Gray caught 51 balls for 392 yards, good enough for the second-highest total of receiving yards on the team.
In addition to being a bona fide receiver, Gray also made a name for himself at Duke through his consistent blocking out of the tight end position. Head coach David Cutcliffe will need to train a replacement well to replace both functions of Gray’s game in his lineup next year.
As a late-round selection, Gray will have his work cut out for him in making the roster, and will likely need to put in some work on special teams before his big opportunity to get in the game on offense. In some way, shape, or form, Duke fans can at least be ecstatic to see another one of the team’s players make it to the big leagues.
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