Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid will not participate in drills at the NFL combine on Saturday after suffering a small fracture in his back during the Utes’ final regular season game against Colorado.
The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo was the first to report Kincaid’s decision. He said Kincaid will still interview with teams at the combine.
Garafolo also offered an injury update in a second tweet. He said it was determined that surgery wasn’t necessary for Kincaid and that the tight end should be “fully cleared in the coming weeks.”
Some NFL analysts think Kincaid could be the first tight end off the board during the draft.
Where does Dalton Kincaid rank among tight ends in the draft?
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Kincaid ranked as the best tight end in the draft and the overall No. 10 prospect in the second edition of his list of the top 50 prospects.
“Kincaid is a highly productive tight end with exceptional quickness, route polish and run-after-catch ability,” Jeremiah wrote on NFL.com. “At Utah, he typically lined up flexed in the slot. He is explosive in his release and is a smooth/fluid route runner. He gets up on the toes of defenders before snapping off his route and creating separation. He attacks the ball with his hands and can hold on after taking hard contact.”
Jeremiah called Kincaid a “more explosive version” of Arizona Cardinals’ tight end Zach Ertz when he came out of Stanford. In his two mock drafts, he has Kincaid going to the Los Angeles Chargers in one and the Green Bay Packers to team up with former Utah State Aggie Jordan Love in the other.
Dalton Kincaid’s career at Utah
Before his three seasons with the Utes, Kincaid was at the University of San Diego, where he started his collegiate career. In his two seasons with San Diego, he totaled 1,209 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns across 68 receptions.
In his final season in Utah this fall, Kincaid posted some of the best numbers of his career. His 70 receptions, 890 receiving yards and eight touchdowns led the Utes this season.
Kincaid is the active career leader among FBS tight ends in receiving yards and touchdowns with 2,484 yards and 35 touchdowns, according to the Utah Utes website.
Kincaid had himself a career game against USC in October, catching 16 of 16 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown. His performance in that game earned him Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, Rose Bowl Pac-12 Player of the Week and Reese’s Senior Bowl Offensive Player of the Week honors.