Mina Kimes: Taylor Swift ‘could not have picked a more perfect NFL player’ in Travis Kelce to handle limelight

“He was more ready for this than arguably any football player on earth.”

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made his debut on the big stage with girlfriend Taylor Swift this week, showing once again that he can handle the attention that comes with dating the biggest pop star on Earth. After clips from the show in Europe made the rounds, ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes remarked at just how perfect Kelce has been as a companion to Swift.

In an appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Thursday, Kimes praised Kelce’s ability to meet the moment in a way other football players might not, and be truly compatible with one of the most famous people in the world.

“She managed to date, and maybe there is a little bit of intention here, the one NFL player who similar to her doesn’t really offend anyone,” Kimes said. “He is equally capable of being the public eye … and for the most part they both are these incredibly innocuous, kind of glossy, smoothed-over cultural figures that seem to be very compatible from a fame perspective.”

Kimes added that while Kelce previously talked himself up as the next Dwayne Johnson type, his long-lasting relationship with Swift shows he can actually be likable and charming the way The Rock and other lovable jock celebrities are.

“He wants it,” Kimes said. “He was more ready for this than arguably any football player on earth. He has said he wants to be a Hollywood personality. He wants to be in movies. He seems to want to be famous. But his desire to be so is not aggravating, at least to me.”