What position does Travis Kelce play? Tight end explained as Taylor Swift watches boyfriend in Super Bowl LVIII

Super Bowl LVIII is almost upon us, and all eyes are on the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers to see who will lift the Lombardi Trophy in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday night. Another gruelling season has resulted in a rematch from Miami four years ago when the Chiefs begun their recent dynasty, now reaching four of the last five Super Bowls, winning two of them.

As for the 49ers, they have arguably been the most complete team in football all year, and they have revenge on their minds after what happened in South Florida in the not too distant past. But as the two teams go head-to-head this Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, there will be plenty of attention paid to Travis Kelce, not only because he is one of the best players in the game, but because of his relationship with superstar Taylor Swift. Here we talk you through what you need to know about Kelce's role.

What position does Travis Kelce play?

Travis Kelce plays as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce attended Cincinnati college and played for the Bearcats there before being drafted by the Chiefs in 2013. The 34-year-old is one of the best tight ends of all time, and he is a shoe-in to be a Hall of Famer once his career ends.

He already has two Super Bowls to his name, and he could win a third on Sunday. Kelce is also a four-time first-team All-Pro, securing nine Pro-Bowls along the way. Those Pro Bowl nominations have come in the last nine seasons consecutively.

What does a tight end do?

As the name suggests, the tight end lines up on the end of the scrimmage, alongside the offensive linemen. Unlike the offensive linemen, who must report eligible before each play if they want to catch a pass - something we rarely see happen - tight ends are eligible for every play, just like receivers and running backs.

As for the specific role of the tight end, the job varies from play to play. While you will commonly see Kelce running routes and catching passes from Patrick Mahomes, he will also have blocking responsibilities, particularly in the run game. In the run game, tight ends take on more of an offensive linemen role, blacking defenders and - hopefully - clearing a path for the running back to run through.

It's not just on run plays that tight ends block, though. Should a quarter-back need extra protection, for example if he spots a zero-blitz, which is effectively an all-out pass rush from the defence, the quarter-back will commonly make an audible at the line of scrimmage for extra protection, leaving the tight end to pick up an extra man in blocking instead of running his route, while the receivers will be one-on-one down the field with the opposing team's defensive backs.

In terms of how many tight ends there are in each play, that again varies. Some formations can include zero tight ends, while others may include up to three. If you hear broadcasters talking about '11 personel', that means there is one tight end on the field, while '12 personel' means there are two, and '13 personel' means there are three.