The Name Is Dalton, Dalton Kincaid -Utah Utes

First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst William Yanish goes big on Utah tight-end (TE) Dalton Kincaid.

Tight-ends are the most underrated and disrespected position on the field.

As the NFL has evolved over the years, so has the position. From the pure blocking position TE once was, there are endless combinations of what they do in today’s NFL.

They are protectors. They are weapons.

The root of it all can be traced back to Don Coryell, who became Head Coach of the then San Diego Chargers in 1978.

Chargers’ quarterback (QB) Dan Fouts and teammate tight-end Kellen Winslow were the benefactors of what Coryell designed. The “Air Coryell” system as it became known as, has produced Hall of Famer after Hall of Famer, to this day.

In one of my first-ever evaluations about 2023 NFL Draft Prospect Cade Stover, I mentioned how difficult it is for a tight-end to be selected in the first-round.

I don’t believe that ever will change.

Since 2000, there have only been 24 selected in that range.

So many are talking about Notre Dame’s tight-end, Michael Mayer, being a first-round pick. However, I have a different story for you tonight boys and girls. In the immortal words from Road House, I present you…

The name is Dalton Kincaid

This tight-end caught my attention in the Pac-12 Championship while watching Utah’s “Minshew-esque” QB Cameron Rising tearing apart the University of Southern California.

In their seasonal match up on October 15 of this year, the Rising/Kincaid connection was a perfect 16/16 for 234 yards and 1 TD.

“You see what he did tonight,” said Rising to The Salt Lake Tribune, “When he touches the ball like that he makes plays and he extends them and he’s a [run-after-catch] player, so he can do it all. So, we just have to make sure we’re getting him the ball.”

I thought you’d be bigger

Kincaid is listed at 6’4″, 240-pounds. At NFL Mock Draft Database, he currently has a 6.0% change of being selected in the first-round as the consensus No. 45 prospect overall.

My assessment of Mayer hasn’t been done yet, but despite that, I’ll argue all day that Kincaid is the best TE in this draft.

As a high school basketball player from Summerlin, Nevada, his friends convinced him to join the football team. He was a walk-on at with the San Diego Toreros to begin his college football career.

Kincaid is a fifth-year senior with injury concerns. He has some mileage on him. After skipping the Rose Bowl (which was personally disappointing), Kincaid accepted his invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl. I can’t even explain what you can learn from binge watching the week of practice leading up to that game.

What the game film has to say about #86

Kincaid is absolutely willing as a blocker. However, it just might be his biggest weakness, but then when you’re not paying attention, BOOM! This kid will pancake you!

He’s not even close to being the fastest player, you might say he has pedestrian speed while running a route-tree. However, on the receiving side, his hands are feather soft, and the breaks he makes on his routes into the soft parts of a zone coverage are absurd.

Kincaid’s football IQ appears to be off-the-charts. He just might be the most intelligent player on the field for Utah.

He might also be the toughest.

Generally speaking, TEs take a few years to develop at the next level. From the work I’ve done so far, Kincaid appears to be the most NFL-ready TE in this draft.

I would pound on the table for this kid at the end of the first-round. He’d be the perfect safety valve for a team with a young QB.

When it’s all said and done, he will contribute to whoever takes a chance on him right away.

My Big Three Questions

In this case, my questions have been answered to my satisfaction.

In preparation for writing this evaluation, I’ve watched every video on Kincaid available on YouTube. The Utes are exciting to watch, and I’m 110% confident in my evaluation of Kincaid. Barring injuries, he will be a star.

How Kincaid stacks up and game film reviewed

Draft projection: First-Round baby

Pro comparison: Greg Dulcich

Game film reviewed:

Oregon ’21 (Best)

UCLA ’21

Florida ’22 (Worst)

USC ’22

William Yanish III is a life long football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.