Jace Sternberger vs. Dawson Knox

There is one position on the Chiefs offense that has not been utilized to its full potential in the Andy Reid era, and I don't think fans understand the impact a significant upgrade could make. TE2, more specifically the 2nd TE alongside All-Pro Travis Kelce in double TE sets, has been occupied by Demetrius Harris since 2015. He has been the best play maker at the spot out of the two that preceded him, although that is comparing him to 30 year old Anthony Fasano and 10 games of James O'Shaugnessy. Offensive mastermind Andy Reid loves using multiple TE sets, and it is a big advantage when you break it down: Defenses will have a particular personnel on the field based on what the offense has in their huddle, and multiple TEs traditionally suggest a tight formation with a run play as the biggest possibility. Defenses will substitute accordingly, but Andy will mess around and go empty spread with the TEs lined up as WRs. This automatically creates mismatches in the secondary. When the defense tries to catch on and adjust who's on the field, Andy will tighten the formation and run into a box filled with defensive backs rather than linebackers. Ideally, the TEs should be good at both receiving and run blocking for this reason. Travis Kelce is inconsistent in the blocking department, but is obviously an elite pass catcher. Demetrius Harris is inconsistent in both departments, and makes at least one bonehead play a game that always reminds me why I'm passionate about the point of this piece.

WE NEED AN UPGRADE AT TE2!

It is absolutely overdue and it is the perfect draft class to find one. The 2019 TE Draft class is widely regarded as extremely top heavy and deep, with prospects like T.J. Hockensen and Noah Fant projecting as surefire first round picks. With what the Chiefs draft plan should be, I prefer going into the deeper part of the class rather than the top tier. Brett Veach and the front office has already made it known that they are looking into drafting one. Two prospects they have officially met with are Texas A&M TE Jace Sternberger and Ole Miss TE Dawson Knox. Sternberger also has an additional visit to KC in April. They are two of my favorite TEs in the class, Jace projecting closer to the 1st round and Knox being a Round 3 pick at best, and by the end of this piece, I will tell you who I prefer as a potential Chiefs TE2.

Jace Sternberger 

Jace is a 4 year Junior from Kingfisher, OK. He was a 3 sport athlete in High School, including playing both sides of the ball and winning a state championship his junior year. He originally attended the University of Kansas, and had one redshirt year before playing very seldom his first year. He ended up transferring to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M for one season before being a gem of a find for Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. He immediately impressed by earning team MVP honors during spring camp and he didn't stop there. Sternberger ended the season leading the team in every receiving category, with 48 catches, 832 yards, 17.33 yards per catch, 10 TDs, and 64 yards per game. He was named a consensus 1st team All-American and was 1st team All-SEC. The team awarded Jace the Offensive Top Newcomer Award, Offensive MVP Award and Strength and Conditioning Offensive Aggie Award.

He attended the scouting combine and measured out as 6'4" , 251 pounds , 9.75 inch hands, 32.13 inch arms, and a 77.25 inch wingspan. He posted a 4.75 second 40 yard dash, 17 reps on the bench press, a 31.5 inch vertical, a 9'5" broad jump, a 7.19 second 3 cone drill, a 4.31 second 20 yard shuttle and a 12.09 second 60 yard shuttle.

He has good straight ahead speed for a TE and it's displayed here. He is very smooth both in his route running and as a ball carrier after the catch.

 

 Smooth route here, good speed bending around the defender but can't finish the very difficult catch.

 Good route run here quickly embarrassing a LB. The advantage of being a TE2 is you would get these types of matchups, and Sternberger is the type to fully take advantage of the mismatch with a slower LB on him.

A defender draped all over him, he still manages to go up and get it. He is consistently strong at the catch point.

 You can trust him to go get a contested grab around the sticks like this play. His route could be more defined, but his natural catching ability makes up for it.

 Shows off his playmaking ability and athleticism here. There aren't a lot of TEs that can execute that subtle speed cut to avoid the first attempted tackler, and with the way KC's offense can spread a defense out, one missed tackler can result in big plays like this one. 

His blocking isn't a strength in his play, but he does show good fundamentals and finishes his block all the way through here. 

 

 Takes out two defenders here on the cut block. Jace doesn't need to be a great blocker right away as a TE2, but you see potential that gives you hope he can develop that skill if/when he has to eventually be the TE1.

Dawson Knox

Dawson is also a 4 year Junior. His hometown is Brentwood, TN, where he had limited exposure on the football field due to a season ending ankle injury that happened halfway through the first game of his senior season. He was actually playing as the starting QB when that happened, even though he had previously been a receiver. A partial reason for the switch was an abrupt growth spurt of 4 inches and 50 pounds between his junior and senior football seasons. He also participated in Track, and was the champion of the school's Dunk Contest. He redshirted his first year at Mississippi, and barely found the field in his first eligible season. He then came onto the scene his sophomore year with 9 starts and a few games that earned him onto Pro Football Focus's SEC Team of the Week. He came into his junior year a Preseason 3rd team All-SEC pick, and on the Mackey Award list. His statistics were extremely underwhelming though, and totaled out to only 15 catches, 284 yards, and 0 TDs. Dawson was not able to catch a single TD in his college career. He did have 3 teammates at WR that will most likely be drafted in April, including two that could be first rounders. Regardless, it was an underwhelming season for Knox, and he decided to leave early.

He attended the scouting combine and measured out as 6'4" 3/8 , 254 pounds, 9.75 inch hands, 33.5 inch arms, and a 80.5 wingspan. At the combine, he totaled 16 reps on bench press, a 34.5 inch vertical, a 7.12 second 3 cone drill, and a 4.27 second 20 yard shuttle. At his Pro Day, he ran a 4.57 second 40 yard dash and posted a 10'2" broad jump.

 Dawson probably isn't as strong as he needs to be to excel at blocking at the pro level, but he does show good technique with his hand placement and the way he drives his feet. He does finish well, and there are tons of examples like this one below.

  

 He played a ton of snaps at the H-Back position, and he was tasked with being a pulling lead blocker regularly. He executed here by staying square to the LOS, setting his feet well and establishing a good base to stonewall the ILB.

 

 Here he again has the responsibility as the pulling lead blocker from the H-Back position, and he overwhelms Mack Wilson , a potential top 3 ILB in this Draft Class, with momentum coming downhill. He engages and pancakes him. 

Ole Miss had Knox lining up everywhere, including here as an outside WR. We all know how Andy loves versatility at all skill positions, and he shows at least above average quickness in and out of brakes and overall route running ability.

 

 Good speed coming across on the drag here. He doesn't look too comfortable dodging tacklers in open field though.

 

 Makes an impressive catch out of his frame behind him here, and stays on his feet for a few more yards.

 

 Another example of catching outside of his frame. In 4 games watching Knox I didn't see any drops. He was severely underutilized at Ole Miss. 

After evaluating both of these guys in the perspective that they would be the TE2 in the Chiefs offense immediately, I think Jace Sternberger has the highest ceiling for a receiving impact. That being said, Dawson Knox shows good enough ability in the pass game, and his blocking potential is much greater than Jace's. I think Jace will be an immediate impact anywhere he's drafted, and will be worth the pick for whoever makes it, but personally I believe in the fact that Knox was not able to show his true potential in college due to under utilization. I also am a fan of skill players that were former QBs in high school (just like Travis Kelce). They know how their QB sees the game, and usually have good general offensive IQ. All that combined with the fact he will probably fall further in the draft than Sternberger, I hope the Chiefs elect to upgrade their TE2 position by choosing Dawson Knox in the upcoming draft. I wouldn't be upset if Jace was the pick though.