Up next from the upside machine is middle linebacker Leo Chenal. Most CHIEFS fans had their eye on the D during the combine and draft. This draft choice makes sense from a statistical view. Here are the Pro Football Reference numbers for the last two seasons that jump out:
2021 Team Defense
Let’s start with a great example of stats telling a story of selective truth: the CHIEFS ranked 8 overall for total team D on the first click. I will offer more commentary on the optics later, but let’s see the numbers first.
- Points Allowed: 364, rank 8
- Yards Allowed: 6272, rank 27
- Plays: 1060, rank 13
- Yards Per Play: 5.9, rank 31
- Takeaways: 29, rank 6
- Pass Yards Allowed: 4273, rank 27
- Rush Yards Allowed: 1999, rank 21
- Penalties: 116, rank 27
- Missed Tackles: 93, rank 4
- Yards After Catch: 2973, rank 32
2020 Team Defense
- Points Allowed: 362, rank 11
- Yards Allowed: 5733, rank 16
- Plays: 1022, rank 16
- Yards Per Play: 5.6, rank 19
- Takeaways: 22, rank 14
- Pass Yards Allowed: 3779, rank 16
- Rush Yards Allowed: 1954, rank 21
- Penalties: 97, rank 24
- Missed Tackles: 119, rank 23
- Yards After Catch: 2333, rank 31
Optics
Look, we all know the D sucked these past two seasons. I veer to the side of optimism and stability, so never jumped on the fire Spags now train. However, I did identify my local depot and took a long look at the schedule and fare structure after the Titans game. The CHIEFS lost Super Bowl LV mainly due to incompetent OL play, which is as unfortunate as it is unacceptable. A third straight Super Bowl trip came and went last season, and that was mainly offensive inefficiency. The CHIEFS D sucked, but they could get up every now and then. It is also only fair to point out the CHIEFS sat in top seeds both seasons, but it was from working harder not smarter. Brett Veach went into the 2021 off-season set to fix the line, and that happened.
The word was 2022 target was fixing the D, and that is the work in progress. My stat review observations are simple: the CHIEFS D was grotesquely inefficient, always on the field, completely unsustainable, and it’s shocking they did not ruin everything. That last part really is amazing. The most amazing part is that it’s true. Many fans will say I am crazy, but the D did not stop the CHIEFS from getting anywhere these last two seasons. They didn’t stop the other teams either, and it was a giant risky game of KerPlunk. The last stat I will mention is the lack of missed tackles in 2021. That number surprised me until recalling that you have to be close to ball carriers to tackle them, and the 3K YAC explains that.
The D was missing focus and intensity, and that needs to change. Recent upside profiles show Karlaftis bringing intensity, McDuffie bringing focus and Cook bringing opponents, pain. Chenal Brings intensity and violence.
Leo Chenal – Badgers Middle Linebacker
The Badger from Murderer’s Row. My Milwaukee home is right in the middle of Badger and Big 10 Country, so extra content is at my fingertips. I follow college football and pull for the Badgers to do well. Kansas sucks out loud at football (this may actually be changing…like, for real), so the locals grab me a bit. However, I cannot even joke about calling myself an expert. Both Laddie More and David Bell of ArrowheadOne were ecstatic when Leo was selected(Chenal was the Chief’s lone 3rd round draft pick#103–Brett Veach was fortunate to be able to select him at that point).
My expertise involves making and utilizing connections, so that’s how I approached this. I have assembled a small committee of personal connections with deep football and Badger knowledge. Here is a quick overview of the team:
- Matt: friend, coworker, and Badger season ticket holder
- James: friend, former coworker, fantasy sport arch-rival, and Badger grad
- Travis: friend, former coworker, and Badger grad
- Adam: friend, former coworker, business-owning peer and mentor, and former Badger DE
- Jordan: friend, former wedding service team member, and Badger fanatic
Each of these guys received an identical text at the same time:
Good morning – Badger MLB, Leo Chenal was drafted by the CHIEFS. What should I expect from him?
James
James got back to me first with an enthusiasm indicating he liked the assignment:
I’m a fan of him. He’s smart, instinctive, and doesn’t miss tackles. He’s not the biggest or fastest guy out there and can get run over a bit but he doesn’t make stupid mistakes or plays. If I recall his bigger weakness is pass coverage. He’s also just a good dude. Chenal is passionate, plays with focused emotion, is a leader, and works his a$$ off.
I mentioned James as a fantasy sports rival. This dude is maddeningly good at fantasy. We are year 10ish playing baseball, football, basketball, and hockey, and we have traded more playoff blows than any other players. The thing about great fantasy players is their acute knack for player evaluation. James is a fanatic of all his Chicago teams and the Badgers, supports the stars, but is also the first to admit shortcomings. He would call him a bad prospect if it was the appropriate comment. This was also my longest text thread as we went deep on fantasy baseball, potential trades, and the Avs winning the Stanley Cup.
Matt
Matt hit me back next, and he knew exactly what I was after. He is a technical whiz, and approached this as such:
Good things. Lots of hustle to the ball and ability to penetrate the line. I see him as part of the newer style of lb. To be effective in the role they have to have speed and agility to move through the line, coverage skills for receivers, visibility and reactions to play changes, and the ability to make tough open field tackles. He is smaller than the stereotypical NFL LB of the past, but that is good for how today’s offenses flex. I also sent an email with his badger highlight reel. Good footage from quality teams.
Here is the link mentioned above. Matt is methodical and forward-thinking, so his commentary about the evolutionary nature of the position was on brand. He was the only one of the 5 that called out Chenal’s pass coverage and range as a positive trait. It makes a ton of sense how he lays it out.
Travis
Travis is an engineer and the most recent Badger grad. His response:
He’ll lock down the run game, not too sure about the pass. [We had] a few other guys at MLB that went pro and clunked out so I’m 50-50 on him.
A classic engineer giving the most conservative response. I was around Travis the most during the last college football season, and recall most of his thoughts about the Badger team. He was always high on the D, and the run D in particular, but a skeptic of the offense, and the passing game in particular. That is a potential eval of any non-Russell Wilson Badger team, but it does not make it incorrect. My main takeaway from Travis was the run-stopping ability. Our exchange did go a both further as I pressed for Chenal’s contextual place in the past 10 years of Badger football. His response: he’s not as good as TJ Watt. We can work with that.
Jordan
Jordan is an immersive fanatic that lives every Badger campaign. I don’t believe he misses a play, let alone a player or trend. His assessment:
He’s a hard-nosed player…(with a) chip on his shoulder. High motor..he was always around the ball as well! I’m personally looking forward to drafting him in my dynasty league. Not as good as TJ Watt…but a good solid player.
We have another TJ Watt comparison along with another fantasy angle. The Watt comparison is exciting by sheer association. It implies the potential to be in the same conversation, which in this case is All-Pro, DPOY, etc. I view it as a compliment on the level of comparing someone’s BBQ to KC BBQ: you don’t have to get all the way there to be really good.
Adam
Adam played DE for the Badgers in the mid-2000s. He has context for both the team culture and the LB corps. Here were his thoughts:
Leo is a hard-nosed football player, a physical specimen, and has surprising athleticism. He is a high-energy guy and a natural leader. He is one of those people that was born to play football and he does it very well. Leo has a knack for getting to the football and will contribute right away at the next level. Would not be surprised if he turns out to be an all-pro talent.
Adam and I end up in text threads often during playoff or otherwise noted CHIEFS and Packer games. He possesses a player’s view of the game, and also pro insight. He did not go to the NFL but had many teammates who did. We have talked about that prospect, and he had some notable comments. The main thing was confirmation that NFL players become pros while still in college, but the other one that sticks with me is the necessary love for the game. Born to play football is the important part of his comment.
My Take After Conversations
Veach grabbed an excellent addition to the Bolton and Gay-led LB room, and gone are the days of gashing runs up the middle. The Chiefs have 3 very good LBs(and more) and Leo will emerge quickly in the mix. He Fits! The worst-case scenario is Chenal becoming a 2-down LB, and Spags can work with that. The best-case scenario is KC’s version of Brian Urlacher. Let me back that up with some pre-draft measurables lest I become accused of blasphemy.
Urlacher
- Height: 6’4″
- Weight: 258 lbs
- Arm length: 33″
- Hand span: 9-7/8″
- 40 time: 4.57 sec.
- Broad jump: 122″
- Vertical jump: 34″
Chenal
- Height: 6’3″
- Weight: 250 lbs
- Arm length: 31″
- Hand span: 9-3/4″
- 40 time: 4.53 sec.
- Broad jump: 128″
- Vertical jump: 40.5″
Chenal had no business being on the board in the third round, but that is now the 31 other team’s problem to solve. Leo was the leader of the Badger’s D in 2021, which was tops in the country. The CHIEFS D needs leadership, discipline, execution, and intensity. Leo Chenal provides every single one of these traits.
Last Take
About 20 years ago I was in a book store and found a section of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader.
It is actually a series of books, but the best of the editions jumped off the shelf and into my basket. I love trivia, so this was perfect. All this random knowledge is packaged into one 500+ page masterpiece. My favorite chapter in the book is the Monday Night Football overview, and my favorite part is the small blurb at the end. It is a much shorter version of this story that focuses almost exclusively on the John Lennon, and Ronald Regan interaction. There was an initial fear of putting them in the same room, but they bonded immediately and deeply.
The Reagan Lennon from Uncle John’s books seems relevant today.
Josh Kingsley – ArrowheadOne