The preseason is over and the final roster cuts have been made. Only one player that the Kansas City Chiefs drafted was cut. Kevin Hogan, one of two fifth-round draft picks, was released to complete the 53-man cut down. The Chiefs drafted nine players total, and while keeping eight of the nine is quite impressive, some rookies looked better than others during the preseason. Here are some of takeaways about the Chiefs rookies so far.
Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Takeaways
Kansas City has a couple rookies that have showed plenty of potential. thus far. Some might see the field this year, while others could see their playing time increase in future seasons. The Chiefs first draft pick came in the second round, where they selected Chris Jones out of Mississippi State. It is safe to say that Jones will see playing time this season for the Chiefs, as he’s shown to have a very quick first step.
People do not always notice how the defensive line is playing, but look closely at Jones. The former Bulldog will see playing time on the defensive line as either an end or a tackle. He anticipates the call very well and can disrupt offensive lines very quickly. If Jones plays like he did in the preseason during the regular season, offenses will have to watch out.
Depth From the Middle Rounds
Kansas City has had some rough offensive line play over the past couple of seasons. The franchise hopes that left guard Parker Ehinger can help protect Alex Smith this season. The Chiefs drafted Ehinger in the fourth round out of Cincinnati. It is unsure how many mistakes the coaching staff will let the former Bearcat make before pulling him in favor of Zach Fulton, though. With that said, if he is able to hold his own for the most part there will be no need to take him out of the game.
A lot has been said about the Chiefs’ fifth-round pick Tyreek Hill but this is not about the off-the-field issues he had in college. Hill has shown flashes of being a great special teams player. He could also be used as a deep threat receiver. However, Hill has dropped a few passes that he should have caught. It might take him a little while to find his way onto the offense. Kansas City loves his explosiveness and speed, and the team wants to see some big plays from him.
A Late Round Contributor?
The final draft pick for Kansas City was Dadi Nicolas out of Virginia Tech. The former Hokie has shown some great pass rushing talent from of the outside linebacker spot. Kansas City is looking for help on their pass rush with Justin Houston being out for at least the first six weeks. Tamba Hali helps out a lot, but he is getting older and has his own injuries that he’s dealing with. Nicolas could become an effective pass rusher in a few years for the Chiefs, but will need to put on more muscle. Nicolas is currently around 235 pounds, while a lot of outside linebackers are closer to 250 to 260 pounds. As Nicolas puts on more weight and familiarizes himself with the defensive playbook, he could see more playing time for this team.
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