Potential first-round tight end receives clean bill of health

Per Schefter, Dr. Robert Watkins sent an email to NFL teams fully clearing the 23-year-old. “Dalton Kincaid sustained a back injury while playing football on 11/26/2022,” the email said. “Subsequent MRIs have shown appropriate healing, and he has been asymptomatic with no pain and no limitation of function for at least 3 months. He is cleared to play football with no restrictions.”

The injury forced him to miss the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine earlier in the evaluating season. He had also previously been working through a shoulder issue. While the injury concerns don’t help questions about his smaller frame, Kincaid is a stellar pass-catching option who snagged at least eight touchdowns in four-of-five college seasons (the fifth being the COVID-shortened season).

The full clearance is big for Kincaid, who is expected to be selected in the first round of the draft in less than two weeks. He and Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer are widely anticipated to draw Day 1 picks. Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave and Georgia’s Darnell Washington have a chance to go relatively early, as well. With such a deep class, a nagging back injury could have hurt Kincaid’s draft stock. On the flip-side, full clearance should help Kincaid maintain his status as a consensus top-two tight end in the class.

The former Utah product has met with the Bengals and Patriots this past week and plans on visiting the Packers upcoming. Kincaid has already checked in with the Texans, Raiders, Chargers, Jaguars, Titans, Lions, Chiefs and Cowboys.