06 March 2024 , 02:45
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The Dallas Cowboys passed on drafting Travis Kelce because of concerns about his past.
On the "New Heights" podcast, which he does with his brother Jason, Travis talked about why the Cowboys picked Gavin Escobar and Terrance Williams over him in the 2013 NFL Draft.
"At the Combine, I had some bad interviews," Travis shared. "The Cowboys, they were kind of pressing me about having this red flag of missing a year."
Jason reminded everyone that Travis didn't play in 2010 at the University of Cincinnati because he got into trouble for using marijuana, breaking the team's rules. The Cowboys did not forget this when they talked to Travis, leading to an honest chat between them and the player.
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"I don't know if I was having a bad morning, I basically was just, I don't even know if I want to say this," Travis recalled to Jason. "It ended really fast. I basically just said, 'If you guys think I'm gonna be that kind of guy or you're questioning if I'm still that person after everything that I've battled through to get to where I am now, from missing a season, then you guys probably go somewhere else and pick somebody else."
Almost straight after Travis shared his story, he explained that Dallas did exactly that, much to the amusement of his older brother. Travis, though, has not looked back once.
Since being picked by the Chiefs in the third round, 63rd pick overall, thanks to head coach Andy Reid's familiarity with him and his family - after having drafted and coached Jason with the Philadelphia Eagles - Travis has had an amazing career with Kansas City. Not only has he helped the Chiefs win three Super Bowl titles, but Travis has also made seven All-Pro teams, being selected on the First Team four times and the Second Team three times.
Travis Kelce has showed out when he plays against the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)Travis is a nine-time Pro Bowl pick and holds the record for the most career postseason catches (165), the most seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards by a tight end (seven), the most consecutive seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards by a tight end (seven), and the most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season (1,416). His partnership with Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has brought Kansas City a level of success not seen since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's reign with the New England Patriots in the 2000s.
In his three games against the Cowboys, Travis has made 12 catches for 147 yards and scored two touchdowns. Most of these stats were earned in 2017 and 2021, as Travis only played once against Dallas in his first season.
But in 2017, the tight end caught seven passes for 73 yards and one touchdown. Then, four years later, Travis caught five passes for 74 yards and scored one rushing touchdown.