UDFA Spotlight: Can Jake Briningstool make the Chiefs’ active roster?

The former Clemson standout has drawn attention during Kansas City’s recent practices.

After the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs signed tight end Jake Briningstool as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Clemson. Briningstool had become one of the most decorated tight ends to ever play for the Tigers.

While the Chiefs seem pretty set at the position (with Travis Kelce, Noah Gray and Jared Wiley all likely to make the team), an impressive camp and preseason could earn Briningstool the fourth chair in the tight end room.

Background

A four-star recruit out of Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee — a suburb of Nashville — Bringingstool was targeted by more than two dozen colleges, including Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, South Carolina and Texas A&M. Over 48 games at Clemson, he recorded 127 catches for 1,380 yards and 17 touchdowns, setting an all-time Tiger record for career receptions by a tight end, while finishing second in career receiving yards and touchdowns.

Checking into the NFL Combine at 6 feet 6 and 241 pounds, 31 1/2-inch arms and 8 5/8-inch hands, Briningstool displayed a good physical build, which is the foundation for his game and playing style. He turned in a 4.75-second 40-yard dash (with a 1.6-second 10-yard split), a 31-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 9 feet 7.

Although his athletic testing shows him to be a modest athlete, Briningstool plays the game with good fundamentals — and when targeted, he catches it effectively.

At Clemson, Briningstool used his large frame to make contested catches over the middle of the field — and even provided some tackle-breaking upside. A crafty player, he also demonstrated a knack for making downfield plays once his quarterback had left the pocket — a valuable skill for a Kansas City tight end.

Film evaluation

While tight ends aren’t the centerpiece of the Tigers’ offense, Briningstool made the most of his chances.

Here, Briningstool runs a crossing pattern over the middle. As the pocket collapses around him, the quarterback scrambles in the same direction as his tight end, throwing just before he’s flushed to the sidelines. Briningstool stops his route, working himself into position to make the grab, boxing out the defensive back and making an impressive one-handed catch for a first down.

Briningstool created solid chemistry (and synchronicity) with quarterback Cade Klubnik during his final season at Clemson — displayed not just in these contested catches, but also with his impressive catch radius.

Running a corner route on this play, Briningstool initially works through different layers of coverage undetected. As the outside receiver runs a vertical route, the defensive back sticks with him — but finally spots Briningstool breaking into space. While the defender is able to close the gap, the tight end showed he isn’t afraid of laying out in space, making a phenomenal diving catch of Klubnik’s throw.

Clemson mostly used Briningstool as a zone-beater, so he developed a good understanding of running routes to find defensive openings.

On this play — in combination with the inside receiver — Briningstool runs inside the numbers while the running back begins leaking out of the backfield. The linebackers key in on the back, while the defensive backs stick with the inside receiver on his vertical route. This leaves Briningstool with a small pocket of space. Klubnik sees this and fires a good ball to his tight end, who comes up just short of the end zone.

This snap isn’t anything special, but it does show Briningstool’s good awareness. He times his route to work his way around a defender to find the defense’s soft spot.

With this good awareness — and an ability to read defenses — Briningstool could succeed in a Chiefs system that utilizes built-in reads intended to dice zone defenses and find downfield openings.

The bottom line

When Kansas City’s training camp gets underway, the tight end room will be packed. Briningstool will have an uphill battle to make the roster.

After Kelce, Gray and Wiley, the team might carry a fourth right end. Briningstool (and fellow rookie Tre Watson) will have to compete against eighth-year veteran Robert Tonyan, who may be in town to play the role once filled by Blake Bell: the team’s blocking tight end.

The problem for Briningstool is that while he does provide value as a solid route-runner who can make contested catches and beat coverage zones, he will need to improve in other areas. He doesn’t bring much as a run blocker — and lacks the strength (or leverage abilities) to play with his hand in the dirt. Early on, this could limit him — and make it harder to get past Tonyan on the depth chart.

So Briningstool will likely be fighting to make the practice squad. If he makes it there, he’ll have the chance to develop his game as he adjusts to the NFL’s speed — and develops the strength and blocking techniques he’ll need at this level.

He could end up on a similar career arc as the team’s former tight end Jody Fortson, who had a similar size and build. After two years on the practice squad, Fortson eventually made the active roster, providing Kansas City with a red-zone threat opposite Kelce. Unfortunately, injuries prevented Fortson from ever reaching his true potential.

Briningstool is a long shot to become a contributor — but we have seen a path he could follow to become one. It will still be interesting to see where he ends up after training camp — and if he is in the Chiefs’ long-term plans.