ArrowheadOne Writer’s Mock Draft: Second Round Pick

ArrowheadOne Writer’s Mock Draft: Second Round Pick – just as the Kansas City Chiefs have had many excellent first round picks over the years, so too have they had their share of excellent second rounders. Pictured above are some of those choices. Clockwise, from the upper right-hand corner:

Jim Lynch and Willie Lanier were drafted three picks apart in the same year, and along with Bobby Bell formed one of the best LB trios to ever play the game.

Yesterday David Bell selected Zack Baun as the Chiefs first round pick. Today, Michael Travis Rose is up and he will select for the Chiefs in round two:

Michael Travis Rose on Bryce Hall

I am confident that the Chiefs can pick a low-risk, high reward IOL rookie in the later rounds of the draft to fill that bill… and… I’m still high on Nick Allegretti, the Chiefs 7th-round draft pick from 2019.  Allegretti can hang whether pass or run blocking. As an added bonus, Allegretti can also fill in at center, should the need arise. Thus, with my IOL concerns addressed, I can think of no better second round pick for the Chiefs than University of Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall. Hall as the Chiefs 2nd round pick would be quite serendipitous when you consider the Chiefs used the same round draft pick in last year’s draft to select fellow teammate safety from the Cavaliers, Juan Thornhill. The irony of a reunion between the terrific tandem that terrorized ACC quarterbacks in 2018 is not lost on me. A first-team All-ACC and second-team All-American in his junior year, the lanky, physical CB not only can break passes up, his height and athleticism almost assure him the winner of any jump balls. Smaller NFL wide receivers will be hard-pressed to get a clean release off the line of scrimmage when lining up against him. He can close quickly and does not hesitate to pop ball carriers head-on, should they have the misfortune of meeting him in the secondary. While some are concerned about Halls injury, a broken ankle, his senior season, I’m not. Great players can often overcome injuries and produce for their teams. Why I’ve even heard of an NFL QB who had his knee cap displaced, popped back into place while on the field, only to return approximately a month later, then, to not only win a come-from-behind victory in a Super Bowl, but also be named the Super Bowl’s MVP. Furthermore, Hall has a maturity that belies his age. In an interview in December of last year after his season ended and collegiate career-ending injury, in the Cavaliers sixth game of a season, a somber, introspective, optimistic Hall stated,

“I’ve had opportunities where I feel like I’ve grown in areas that would not have been possible had I not gone through this injury.  The word I’ve been (coming back to) in this process is perception. What is your perception of what’s happening? Are you going to get bitter or are you going to see the lessons that are in this and knowing that everything happens for a reason and that God works all things out for our good?”

I’m resolute in my belief that, should he still be there, Hall is the man for the Chiefs in the second round. After all, the Chiefs didn’t do too shabby when they plucked Juan Thornhill from the Cavaliers in the second round in the 2019 draft. While rare, sometimes, lightning strikes twice.

Ransom Hawthorne on Bryce Hall

Steve Spagnuolo builds his DL to spill runs to the outside. This means that his outside CBs have to be physical players. Physicality is Bryce Hall’s calling card. Well-built frame with long arms and big hands, Hall thrives in zone coverage. He’s a little tight, and not the fastest CB. Certainly not a good option for man coverage, particularly against fast receivers, who can beat press. Hall also dealt with a foot injury, last year, but, since he went to the combine, the Chiefs should have a good idea on his medicals. Hall has his limitations, but he’s a really good fit for Spagnuolo’s scheme. With his instincts and physicality, the Chiefs could absolutely plug-and-play him right away. His chemistry with Juan Thornhill is a big bonus [because they’re both from Virginia], particularity for a defense that relies heavily on communication.

Laddie Morse on Bryce Hall

CB Bryce Hall would be an excellent 2nd round pick for the Chiefs. Is he Marcus Peters? No. However, he could eventually be a Pro Bowl performer and should start Day One for the Chiefs. As both Travis and Ransom have mentioned, Hall and Thornhill played together in 2018 and that should be a plus for Hall because Thornhill already knows how he’s going to need help over the top. However, I’ve seen him run down a Miami RB on a long run and so his game speed is excellent. On October 11, in a game vs the Miami Hurricanes, Hall injured his ankle while blocking on a punt. He had surgery the next week and consequently he only played 7 games in 2019 and missed the rest of the season. However, in 2018, he was thought to be one of the best corners in college football and projected to be a top corner off the board in the draft, if not the first. So, the Chiefs could be getting themselves a gem if they choose to draft Hall. Lance Zierlein at NFL.com has this to say about Hall:

“His reactive quickness and ball skills fit nicely into zone-based coverages, allowing greater freedom to spy quarterbacks and squeeze short and intermediate throws. He can handle man coverage, but he needs protection over the top. Hall is a future starting cornerback but might garner attention at free safety at some point in his career.”

Hall consistently and properly turns his body as he back peddles and consistently maintains positioning throughout a WRs route. He plays the corner position the way you’d see a Safety play that position: with his eyes and ears open to the play that’s developing in front of him and will often break off his coverage to tackle the ball carrier. Consequently, he can play off the ball – which appears to be his favored coverage – or he can play bump and run, which he’s not as good at yet. However, his college coaches may be asking him to play that way so some judgement should be withheld there. With the Chiefs, he should pick up the bump-and-run skills needed at the pro level but his versatility to flip between zone and man is a plus for K.C. and Spags would love his willingness to come up and play the run or slip blockers on a screen pass. Hall is extremely competitive and often runs the route for the receiver which really means, he puts himself in a position to catch the pass before the WR does. I’m all in on Bryce Hall in the 2nd.

David Bell on Bryce Hall

Bryce Hall is a good match for Steve Spagnuolo’s zone/match defense. He has great timing and violent hands at the point of catch, witness his 38 PBU’s for Virginia. If the Chief’s were to select Hall his aggressive style of play would be a boon to the KC Defense and he also would be reunited with former teammate Juan Thornhill. Hall was 1st team All-ACC in 2018, had an All-State 4 star recruit from Prep school. Unfortunately for Hall, his 2019 season was cut short due to a broken leg and dislocated ankle. He was on track for a top season when injured. Unable to fully participate at the Combine and injury recovery/rehab is problematic for NFL team appraisal especially with the Corona-19 virus lockdown. Hall is a perfect match for Steve Spagnuolo’s aggressive match-zone combination defense and has length and size that brings advantage to the Chief’s scheme in both pass and run defense support. Hall is highly skilled in defense reads and patience in waiting for an opposing WR to make his break — that ability and reading the QB is top notch to put him in the right position to contest the ball at the point of catch. Hall’s numbers demonstrate the talent with a tally of 5 INT’s and 38 PBU’s at VA. After his injury the was used as an unofficial coach on the sidelines. Hall’s Football IQ and leadership qualities are a tremendous boost to his bona fides. Hall’s weakness with man-up match and mirror has been evident and he struggles with back-pedaling off of the Line of scrimmage.

David Perkins on Bryce Hall

Hall did not complete drills due to ankle surgery, cutting short his senior year. Hall is 6 foot 1 and 202 pounds, long by NFL standards, purportedly running 40 in the 4.38 to 4.58 range. One downfall is only benching 11 reps. Ranked #48 by CBS Sports, #62 by Draft Scout, and #78 by The Draft Network. Any valuation is primarily based upon 2018, and may be drafted as low as 4th due to injury.

It looks like corner Bryce Hall would be a Low-Risk High-Reward draft pick at #63. So far, we’ve taken:

• 1st Round – LB Zack Baun by David Bell
• 2nd Round – CB Bryce Hall by Michael Travis Rose

Tomorrow David Perkins gives us his 3rd round choice for our ArrowheadOne Writer’s Mock Draft.

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