Travis Kelce says ‘red flag’ led to Cowboys passing on him in the 2013 NFL Draft

Travis Kelce had to wait until 62 other players were selected before his name was ultimately called during the 2013 NFL Draft. Based on all the success he’s had with the Chiefs, it’s safe to say that Kelce has made the teams who considered but didn’t draft him regret their decision.

One of those teams was apparently the Dallas Cowboys, who according to Kelce did not draft him due to character concerns stemming from his time at the University of Cincinnati.

“At the combine, I had some bad interviews,” Kelce said on his and his brother Jason’s “New Heights” podcast. “The Cowboys, they were kind of pressing me about having this red flag of missing a year.”

Kelce was suspended for the Bearcats’ 2010 season after testing positive for marijuana, which was a violation of team rules. He returned to the team in 2011 before having a big 2012 season that put him on NFL radars.

Despite the turnaround, the Cowboys were apparently skeptical, which Kelce didn’t appreciate.