By: Michael Higgins

School: Utah (Senior)

Position: TE

HT: 6’4

WT: 242 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #44

Dalton Kincaid was a lightly recruited tight end prospect out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Kincaid only played one year of high school football, a season in which he impressed and won All-Conference Honors. He was a multi-sport athlete, playing both basketball and football. He committed to UCSB out of high school and spent his first two collegiate seasons there before transferring to Utah.

Dalton Kincaid’s basketball background is evident with his style of play. He has great body control and balance when in the middle of his routes. Kincaid is a tight end with a high receiving upside. He has a deep route tree for the position and he executes all of them with quality route running. Kincaid can get in and out of breaks with ease and is very snappy in his routes. He can stop on a dime and come back to the ball or change direction on his routes as well as some of the best receivers. Kincaid has undeniable athleticism that he uses to get open and make plays on contested balls down field. Nickel corners have a tough time sticking with Kincaid due to his blend of size and athleticism. Kincaid has consistent hands no matter how sticky the coverage is or how tight the window is to catch the football. Drops have never been a problem for him despite being relatively new to the sport. While he is an older prospect, at 23 years old, he still has plenty of untapped potential and room to grow as he spends more time developing his game and his role. Despite having lackluster arm length and wingspan, Kincaid offers an impressive catch radius. If the ball is thrown in his general area, chances are that Kincaid is hauling in that football. The league is seemingly transitioning to using tight ends in a mainly receiver role. Kincaid is best used when he is in the slot as a receiver, versus being put on the line and asked to block.

That brings us to Kincaid’s weaknesses. He has a slight frame for a tight end and this makes it more difficult for him to be an effective blocker. He is certainly willing to go out there and throw his body in front of rushers, but he doesn’t have the functional strength or length to hold them off for too long. The most that a team at the next level should expect out of Kincaid in terms of blocking, is for him to be a willing body in run blocking and for the occasional chip block before running his route in pass protection.

As frequently talked about, tight ends take longer to develop than other position groups in the NFL due to the fact that they have to develop both as a blocker and as a receiver. With Kincaid only playing football since 2017, he may need even more time to truly reach his ceiling. Dalton Kincaid is a promising tight end with high receiving upside. He still has plenty of untapped potential in all areas of his game as he is newer to the sport. If he could add a bit more size he will be a more impactful blocker and will be able to help his team in all areas of the offense.

Scheme Fit: Spread Offense

Ideal Role: Receiving TE

Best Team Fits: CAR, LAC, CIN

Player Comparison: Mike Gesicki

Player Grade: 80.0