Buffalo Bills 2023 NFL Draft Film review of tight end Dalton Kincaid

The Buffalo Bills did exactly as expected. They selected players in the 2023 NFL Draft, sometimes trading up or down to adjust their position and resources. If you’re into the whole “precision” thing I suppose I can be more specific. Buffalo traded up two spots in the Round 1 to select tight end Dalton Kincaid out of Utah. Since you’ve read the headline, let’s get right to the film analysis of Kincaid.

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Play 1 — Contact balance

When a tight end gets the ball, you hope they’re hard to bring down. This wasn’t even the best example of contact balance I saw in this game and it’s pretty darn good. It’s not a big hit, but Kincaid survives it well. There was similar survivability with shots to his hips, which is excellent to see.

Play 2 — A bit of a reach

The pick wasn’t a reach, the catch here is. I like the high-point ability and the decisive hands catch. Kincaid’s reputation is that of a player who catches everything that comes his way, and what I saw warranted that.

Play 3 — Change of direction

At times Kincaid came across as a large wide receiver rather than a tight end. He doesn’t get any extra yards thanks to this cut, but it’s a pretty sharp one for someone listed at 240 pounds. He also catches the ball in traffic, and is able to accelerate out of the grasp of two defenders.

Play 4 — A little mistake and a big recovery

In sports, a short memory is considered a positive. Move on from your mistakes. Dalton Kincaid trips and falls early in the play. His response is to get up and finish his route, catch the ball, then get a first down and more.

Play 5 — Lead blocking

Kincaid has plenty of speed and athleticism here to get ahead and stay ahead of the ball carrier as a lead blocker. Kincaid isn’t able to blast his man back, but does do enough to help get some extra yards.

Play 6 — Blocking

What I hint at above, is more fully on display here. Kincaid’s blocking did not impress overall. This is a low-light reel as he pops his own teammate, letting the defender come free. Then Kincaid does a little bit to disrupt his next man.

Play 7 — Quick catch

I won’t lament the Bills’ offense overall (what with the second-best points per drive in the league and all). At times, I did feel a better quick-strike game plan might have done wonders last season. Kincaid bursts to the sideline, makes the grab and immediately twists around. That’s a good chunk of yards for about two seconds of route running.

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In summary

Let’s start with the negative as I have two major worries. The first is with Dalton Kincaid himself. It’s reasonable to think that with coaching and his full-time job depending on mass/muscle, that Kincaid’s blocking will improve. As of now, it wasn’t impressive and his competition is about to get much bigger, faster, and more more talented on average. My second worry is if the Buffalo Bills can adapt and integrate someone with Kincaid’s skillset into the scheme.

That said, if I can dream up how awesome Kincaid can be with the Bills, I have to assume that One Bills Drive can crack the code. Great catch radius and catches everything thrown his way. While the film was a bit limited, he looks like a good route runner. Kincaid can get open quickly or just high-point over defensive backs — pretty exciting stuff!