Travis & Jason Kelce’s ‘New Heights’ Ep. 38: Draft reactions and rookie advice

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his older brother — Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce — host a weekly podcast called “New Heights.” The title is an homage to the Cleveland Heights, Ohio neighborhood in which they grew up.

In their first episode since the NFL Draft, the brothers recap their team selections — and give their advice to the new rookies entering the league. Then they contemplate a New Heights drinking game.

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“New Heights” with Jason & Travis Kelce | Jukes Original Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment | You can also listen to the show on Spotify.

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1. Travis denied spiking the real Lombardy Trophy

A viral video showed Travis at his “Kelce Jam,” chugging a beer via the Lombardi Luge and then spiking the trophy on the stage. Naturally, there were people who thought that he’d desecrated the actual Lombardi. But Travis insisted that it was similar to the one that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was passing around during the most-recent Super Bowl parade.

“That was 1,000% a replica,” he said. “I have way too much respect for the game — for the history of the game.”

Travis has made a few questionable moves over his career, but he’s never done anything that would disrespect the game like spiking the Lombardi Trophy. Those who believe otherwise haven’t paid attention to how much he loves football — and how hard he works to be a champion.

2. Travis gave his thoughts on the Chiefs’ draft class

Travis sounded excited for Kansas City’s new defensive player: Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

“He looks like he has great frickin energy — explosive.” he said. “He looks like he is going to help us out right fricking now... He’s athletic as hell.”

Travis said he expects big things from Rice wide receiver Rashee Rice.

“He might be the dark horse in this wide receiver class,” he mused. “Doggone, man! I like what he does with the ball in his hands. He has a great feel for voids over the middle of the field. Tough as nails. I love wide receivers who are tough dudes — guys who will just stick their face in the fan — [to] do the dirty work.”

Travis compared fourth-round pick Chamarri Conner to another former Hokie.

“I’ve never seen a DB at Virginia Tech wear No. 1 who I didn’t think was impressive,” said Travis. “Shout out [to] Brandon Flowers!”

Photo by Rex Brown/Getty Images

Kelce’s former Kansas City teammate was selected in the second round (35th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. The only problem is that while he was with the Hokies, Flowers wore No. 18.

But Travis said that among Kansas City’s draft picks, he’s the most curious about former Stephen F. Austin edge rusher BJ Thompson.

“He could be a diamond in the rough,” he noted. “Hopefully, he’s not just tossing me around training camp.”

3. Jason shared his thoughts on Jalen Carter joining the Eagles

At one point, the former Georgia defensive tackle was expected to be the first non-quarterback taken in the draft — but in recent months, his stock fell because of conditioning and off-field concerns. Carter ended up sliding to the Eagles at ninth overall.

In Jason’s mind, this is an opportunity for his new teammate to get a fresh start .

“Jalen gets the opportunity now to reinvent himself,” he explained. “He gets to enter the league; he’s the No. 9 pick overall. [He] clearly has the talent to be a premier player in this league; you don’t get picked that high if you don’t have the upside to make that happen... as long as he goes about it the right way, as long as he dedicates himself [and] as long as he becomes a professional, he has the chance to have a life-changing career in the NFL. He has the chance to play for over a decade — as long as he doesn’t get hurt — if he dedicates himself to the game, to his teammates and to his craft.”

Bonus: Jason shaved his head — and his daughter reacted to it

During the postseason, the Kelce brothers made a friendly wager: if Kansas City made it further in the playoff than Philadelphia, Jason would have to shave his head, put on a diaper and have his head signed like a baby. (This is a running joke on the show: whether it’s safe to autograph a baby with a Sharpie).

Since the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, Jason made good on the bet during their live show from Kansas City just before the draft.

So when Jason returned home, his little daughter Wyatt saw her dad without hair for the first time in her life — and gave an adorable reaction.