Not every position gets drafted in the first round. The Chiefs under GM John Dorsey have rarely spent picks on fullbacks, and never drafted a punter or kicker. That said, they haven’t had much luck with seventh round picks either. If the Chiefs get late into the draft and find themselves staring down players who won’t make the roster, they might be better off taking a look at some of these guys.
Pick 170 FB James Connor 6′1” 233lbs
I don’t think Anthony Sherman is going anywhere soon, but Connor is a guy who can give you value as both a FB and a short yardage back. He tends to be kind of boom or bust in his runs, due to lack of speed, but incredible physicality. More importantly, he’s got good hands and really thrives in the screen game. As much as we hate screens, we all know they’re here to stay. In Reid’s offense, if Chiefs draft Connor, they’ll at least have another guy who can take advantage of them. If Chiefs can find a spot on the roster for both Sherman and Connor, he can take over the position in a year or two when Chiefs move on from Sherman.
|
40 Time |
Bench |
Vertical |
Broad |
3-Cone |
20 Shuttle |
|
4.65 |
20 |
29” |
113” |
None |
None |
Pick 180 P Cameron Johnson 5′11” 194lbs
Johnson isn’t listed first on most punter rankings, but he’s my favorite prospect. He has a big leg, with long punts of 70, 63 and 76 the last three years. Of his career 211 punts, more than half (109) have been downed inside the 20-yard line. Averaged 46.7 yards per punt last year with a career average of 44.9. Kicks have good hang-time. Punts in the traditional way and can speed up his delivery to avoid pressure. Not sure about his ability to make directional punts. Not much experience as a kicker and most NFL punters are the emergency backup at kicker. Overall, a really solid prospect if Chiefs want to move on from Colquitt. (4.92 40 yard dash)
Pick 216 or 218 P/K Austin Rehkow 6′3” 214lbs
Rehkow has really nice touch on his punts. Able to drop it where he wants it. Handled all kicking duties for his team and will be ready for role in the NFL as an emergency kicker. Not a starting kicker, leg is below average for FGs and no team will view him as a potential starter at K. Has decent hang time on his punts, but, I think, Johnson’s is a little better. Overall a well-rounded prospect with accurate punts and the size to be a solid last line of defense. (No Workout)
Pick 245 K Eric Medina 5′11” 195lbs
Small school kicker with a live leg. Medina took some time to get his accuracy up, but he had a great year in 2016. Made 15 of his 16 FG attempts six of them from 40-49 yards and one from 51. While Texas Southern didn’t ask him to attempt a lot of long kicks in college, he set high school records with 55 and 57-yard FGs I watched the tape of the 57 yarder, it would have easily been good from 60, maybe farther. His lone miss last year came from the 20-29 range. Needs to stay consistent with his accuracy, but a little work with NFL coaching should make him a solid FG kicker who can also blast the ball out of the end-zone on kickoffs. (No Workout)
Chiefs worked out out the draft’s top kicker Zane Gonzales, but even the best kicker in years isn’t worth the third-round pick he‘s probably going to be. Chiefs don’t need to use major draft resources on these positions, but it’s better to get a player at a low position who makes the roster than a player at a premium position who doesn’t. I think my favorite of this group is Eric Medina. He’s a really good kid and a hard worker, Toub should be able to mold him into a really solid NFL kicker, if he can beat out Santos.