2019 Rookies: the Wheat from the Chaff, the Weak from the Chiefs

by Michael Travis Rose | May 7, 2019

With less than three months until the 2019 NFL regular season starts on September 5, 2019, the Chiefs have only a mandatory minicamp next week, June 11-13, to wrap up OTAs for the year. The Chiefs will make their annual pilgrimage to St. Joseph, Missouri for the 2019 Training Camp in late July. From there, it’s preseason time, and then… finally!… on September 8, 2019, they will take the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars and ex-Chiefs receiver, Chris Conley.

Let’s look at some of our rookies and the role(s) they could possibly play with the 2019 Chiefs.

Safety Juan Thornhill will be a starter for the Chiefs defense in 2019. There is no question about that. His versatility to play both safety and cornerback helps assure that the Chiefs will find a place for him? The question is, how effective will he be in his rookie season? Can he make the adjustment to an NFL defense? My hunch is that Thornhill will be able to make the transition with help and guidance from veteran safety, Tyrann Mathieu. Thornhill has already proven that he can tackle, especially in the open field. He had 98 tackles for the Virginia Cavaliers in 2018! He has the ever-important, but so often lacking (in defensive secondary players) ability to drive through the runner’s legs to finish his tackles.

But wait, there’s more! Thornhill is also a ball-hawk. This physicality and athleticism help him quickly close distances and make a play for passes thrown his direction quickly. As a Cavalier, he nabbed 13 interceptions. Six of these came in his senior year.

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo simply said of his newly acquired rookie, “I like the way he plays…“

Special teams coach Dave Toub was a bit more verbose than the reserved Spagnuolo about Thornhill,

“Right now he is a four-phase guy for us. If he is a starter on defense, we will pull him back, but right now our plan is to have him as a four-phase starter and we’re happy to have him over there. He’s doing a really good job. He’s smart.”

I predict that Thornhill will win the starting safety job, which will limit his time and role on special teams. Given our 31st defensive ranking last year, I’m just fine with that.

Whether WR Mecole Hardman is a starter for the Chiefs this year has very much to do with how the Tyreek Hill saga plays out. I suspect that Hardman lines up with the first team if we are Hill-less. If Hill is still a Chief this season, Hardman will be used in the wide receiver rotation, but his primary focus will be as a kick/punt returner on special teams.

The blazing Hardman runs a 4.33 40-yard dash and averaged 20.1 yards per punt returns in his senior year with the Georgia Bulldogs, ranked first in the SEC. So impressed is Toub with Hardman, that he compared the former Bulldog to Devin Hester.

Whatever void(s), Hardman fills, he’s also impressed head coach Andy Reid thus far, 

“Every day he got a little better. These are all new. These routes are new to him. He did a nice job in the red zone, which normally is the toughest place to work, but he did extremely well there. He had a good finish.”

Hardman will have an immediate impact on special teams without a doubt. His impact as a wide receiver is somewhat uncertain due to the Hill situation. However, one must believe that as he gets better in learning the offense, running his routes, and the speed of the NFL, his role on offense will continue to grow.

I won’t go into much detail about the Chiefs other four draft picks, rookies: Khalen Saunders, Rashad Fenton, Darwin Thompson, and Nick Allegretti, as I don’t imagine that their impact this year will be too significant.

Khalen Saunders, surprisingly quick and athletic for his size, will get some playing time this year. However, much of 2019 will focus on comprehensive NFL-caliber conditioning and make him affording him the opportunity to learn the nuances of playing as a defensive tackle in professional football. I do, however, foresee Saunders starting for the Chiefs in the next year or two.

To be honest, I don’t have much to say about CB Rashad Fenton. Many were surprised that the Chiefs picked him in the draft, as they expected him to still be available to pick up as a UDFA. Furthermore, not much, if anything, was reported on him during the Chiefs rookie camp or OTAs. My hunch is that he will have to vie for a spot on special teams and occasionally fill in for a winded starting cornerback in the secondary.

RB Darwin Thompson certainly turned some heads during OTAs. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy gushed about his sixth-round rookie. He called Thompson’s skill-set one that you “fall in love with.” He added a few other superlatives about his rooking running back, saying that his talent “speaks for itself,” citing his “tremendous” work ethic, and going so far as to describe Thompson as “incredible.”

That’s high praise for a rookie. While OC Eric Bieniemy has made it clear that Damien Williams is the Chiefs 2019 starting running back, he will have to further build on his breakout season of 2018 after taking over for the dynamic Kareem Hunt, who was suddenly and unceremoniously dismissed mid-season. If Williams cannot build upon his success of last year, Thompson is clearly primed and pumped to take over the duties.

Offensive Guard Nick Allegretti is a workhorse, never missing a start in his final three years with Illinois. He was the number 3 rated guard in the country by Pro Football Focus in 2018, and his Illini quarterback suffered no sacks and zero hits in 2018. Allegretti also can play center in addition to OG.

Opined Chiefs scout Terry Delp on Allegretti,

“I’ll say this, I don’t usually get excited watching offensive linemen, but he was exciting to watch because he just gets after people. He will throw people around. He’s got a nasty edge, strong, really patient, under control, smart player. He’s just fun to watch, and he’s an offensive lineman.”

There’s no copy in this piece about the following UDFAs, but keep an eye out for them this offseason: John Lovett, Darius Harris, and Cody Thompson.

Let’s face it, no rookie has ever “made the team” during rookie minicamp and OTAs. The best we can hope for is mere glimpses at potential greatness, a sneak peek at their work ethic (or lack thereof), and a possible idea of how their personality fits with their teammates and coaching staff.

Training camp and preseason games are where rookies make the team. This is where they set themselves apart from the pack and turn coaches heads. Whether laying licks or taking hits, whether nabbing INTs or sacking QBs, this is where we will find out if these young athletes are Chiefs.

The rookies will be given the opportunity to shine very soon. Let’s hope that we will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff — or, perhaps, the Weak from the Chiefs — when that time comes. I, like most of a football-hungry, Super Bowl-starved Chiefs Kingdom, am excited to see!

Michael Travis Rose — ArrowheadOne

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