NFL's next Travis Kelce? Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson sees resemblances and can prove it at the 2025 Scouting Combine
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is set to return for the 2025 NFL season, but that's also expected to be his last ride. When the day does come that he decides to hang it up, the league won't feel the same without Kelce. No. 87 has already made an indelible mark on the game and the […]
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce is set to return for the 2025 NFL season, but that's also expected to be his last ride.
When the day does come that he decides to hang it up, the league won't feel the same without Kelce. No. 87 has already made an indelible mark on the game and the tight end position. Players coming into the league regularly try to emulate what he's done on the football field, and the 2025 NFL draft class is no exception.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine's Thursday podium sessions, one of those players vying to be next up spoke to the media. Asked whether he models his game after any NFL players, Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson immediately pointed at Kelce.
"I would say [Chiefs TE] Travis Kelce is a big one for me because I feel like I have a similar wiggle at the top of my routes that he does," Ferguson said. "He's just so creative and does so much after the catch, I really strive to watch a lot of his film."
Ferguson is coming off his best season at Oregon, where he recorded 43 catches for 591 yards and three touchdowns. He has often been compared to Kelce because of the traits he says he tries to emulate. He recognizes that being mentioned in the same sentence as Kelce, a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer, is an extreme honor, and he doesn't take it lightly.
"Yeah, no, I understand he's one of the best to ever do it," Ferguson said of Kelce. "I like to take a lot of things from his game, especially at the top of his routes. His wiggle. His yards after the catch are amazing. You take a lot of notes from that guy, but I definitely watch a lot of his film."
What will Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson need to do to validate Travis Kelce comparisons at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine?
Kelce was an elite athlete coming out of the University of Cincinnati. Kelce ranked in the 94th percentile in the A to Z Sports Athletic Composite among all tight ends since 2000. At 6-foot-5 and 257 pounds, Kelce ran a 4.63 40-yard dash, which gave him a 90th percentile speed score. Kelce didn't participate in any other drills at the combine, but on his Cincinnati Pro Day, he posted a 35-inch vertical, a 124-inch broad jump, a 4.42s short shuttle, and a 7.09s three-cone.
Ferguson will get a chance to compete and make his during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine on Friday, Feb. 28.
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