Unrecognizable Travis Kelce held back tears when Chiefs finally called his name in NFL Draft
Travis Kelce bowed his head and stared down at a table.
The young man from Cincinnati could not look at the TV.
"With the 63rd pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select ... "
As the words streamed out of a nearby television, the clean-shaven Kelce -- who would eventually become one of the best tight ends in NFL history and internationally famous as Taylor Swift's boyfriend -- slowly lifted his head and stared up at his new future.
"There you go," someone in a small room said.
"Travis Kelce," a man on TV announced.
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Cheers, screams and echoing applause followed, and an almost unrecognizable Kelce was suddenly a new Chief.
He thought he was joining the St. Louis Rams, who would later relocate to Los Angeles.
Kelce was also afraid that partying in New Orleans and a failed drugs test in college had scared off NFL teams.
After taking on Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators, Kelce partied too hard in New Orleans and failed a drugs test for marijuana, landing on Cincinnati's suspended list.
“I got kicked out of college because of (that incident),” Kelce said during an appearance on the 'Bussin’ With the Boys' podcast.
“I partied a little too much down there, got hit with a drug test and from that point on, I realized I’ve got to tighten the f*** up."
He was soon thanking Chiefs head coach Andy Reid for taking a shot on Jason Kelce's younger brother.
"I answer and he's like, 'Hey, it's Andy Reid,' Kelce told FS1. "And I'm like, 'Aw, man, life just got better!' "
Fans loved watching the draft-day footage of a nervous Kelce hearing his name called on TV, long before he was catching TDs from Patrick Mahomes.
Kelce sat in a simple room that only featured a small TV, tables and chairs.
There was no famous entourage, while Swift and three Super Bowl rings were still years away.
"One of KC’s best picks," one fan tweeted.
"Best TE to play the game…absolute goat," a second fan posted.
"Baby Travis," a third fan wrote.
"And The Rest Is History. Go Chiefs!!!" a fourth fan said.
Kelce, 35, has made 10 Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.
The No. 63 overall (third round) pick of the 2013 draft has 1,004 receptions for 12,151 yards and 77 TDs in 175 games.
Kelce also 178 catches for 2,078 yards and 20 TDs in 25 playoff contests.
He's a future Hall of Famer and now has Hollywood connections.
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But in 2013, Kelce was sandwiched between Christine Michael and Dwayne Gratz in the draft, and his selection by the Chiefs barely made a noise in the NFL universe.
"Not bad! Not bad at all!" a fan tweeted.