Laddie Morse
On Sunday David Bell and I laid out a program for how the Chiefs will approach the 2022 offseason called, “Chiefs Offseason: Final Jeopardy, Scenario I.” With that in mind, let’s explore a couple of prospects who may fit the Chiefs needs when they get ready to call a name 9 weeks and 2 days from today.
There have been several draft analysts who have published their own list of top 50, or top 100 prospects, and I’m sure that once the NFL Combine commences in a week, the rank and order of said prospects will change. In some cases, dramatically. Still, it’s a worthwhile process to project now who the Chiefs may be interested in, two plus months down the line.
First Round: Pick #30
Assuming Brett Veach sticks with the 30th pick in the draft and that he doesn’t trade up, down, or out for a veteran player, there’s a good possibility that one of the following two Edge Rushers may be available. David Bell and I are 99% convinced that K.C. is moving on from DE Frank Clark and even if they do that in a post-June first move, they’ll need to sign a DE who can play that position, someone like Emmanuel Ogbah, so they won’t look like they have a huge need there prior to the draft… then. So, they might be interested in one of these Edge Rushers.
Hall is ranked at #33 on Dane Brugler’s Top 100, #59 on DrafTek’s Big Board, #28 on CBS Sports Prospect Rankings and he shows up at #49 on Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 list. Here’s what si.com has to say about Hall:
“Hall’s best trait is his impressive effort. He has extremely active hands, often stringing moves together. He uses his above-average length to, at times, initiate contact. When he times them well, Hall’s hand moves are effective. His best attack is a well-timed swim that capitalizes on an opponent’s poor weight distribution. He also has a decent counter spin. He occasionally gets leverage into contact. As the quarterback releases the ball, Hall gets his hands into passing lanes. In run defense, the Houston standout exhibits impressive upper body strength to bench press linemen. He sometimes replaces them in the gap.”
That last line especially interested me because we know Steve Spagnuolo likes to move his defensive linemen inside and out to leave offenses that he’s facing guessing. NFLDraftBuzz.com projects that Hall will run the 40 in 4.58 seconds, which is really moving for a big guy, and adds this:
“In 2021 Hall finally was handed the starting role following the departure of Payton Turner to the NFL draft and had a major impact. He chalked up 47 tackles, 13 tackles for loss,7 QB hits, 16 QB hurries, and 7 sacks. He was awarded with a first-team All-AAC selection for his senior year play.”
You may recall that Payton Turner was taken by the New Orleans Saints int he first round, 28th overall, of the 2021 NFL Draft, just last year. Here’s Logan Hall with and inside sack:
Hall uses a swim move to beat their Right Offensive Guard. Next, he uses a bull rush to go right over their Left Offensive Guard:
Don’t be confused, Hall is meant to start on the outside. Notice how he does from the right DE position here:
He is also good against the run from when lined up as the RDE:
There are some things we don’t know, and may never know, about the prospects the Chiefs pursue. However, David Bell and I both think that a large part of the reason K.C. will draft a particular guy is because of their connection, personality wise. Things like, how competitive they are, or how they are to relate to, on a one-to-one basis. Here’s a post game interview he was part of which I edited down to only include him.
Hall was apart of what Houston fans are calling “Sack Avenue” and also says Payton Turner was there for that game, to which Hall indicates he was glad to get some tips from him. He’s affable, approachable, and coach-able, from the looks and sounds of things. Let’s hope he’s on the Brett Veach watch list.
Travon Walker, out of Georgia, is beginning to become many Chiefs fans’ favorite for them to take in the draft. However, I think that may be wishful thinking as he may be long gone by the time K.C. picks at #30. Dane Brugler has Walker ranked at #6 overall. On the other end of the spectrum, DrafTek has Walker as the #51 best overall prospect, but they did move him up 12 spots in the past week. CBS Sports has Walker at #25, but he likely goes somewhere closer to where Daniel Jeremiah has him ranked, which is at #15. Speaking of Daniel Jeremiah, he says that this draft is, “Loaded with Edge Rushers,” and I couldn’t agree more. David Bell has noticed the same, and it’s good to know, the Chiefs will be able to fix a weak point. So, let’s take a look at Travon Walker, because he just might be there when Veach decides what to do with pick #30. Jeremiah says of Walker,
“Walker is a versatile edge defender with exceptional length and athleticism. He primarily aligned on the edge, but played inside, too. As a pass rusher, he isn’t ultra-explosive, but he’s smooth and powerful. He loves to widen the offensive tackle with his upfield rush before using his inside arm to jolt and walk him back to the QB. He also flashes a quick swipe move to create pressures. He’s very disruptive, but he’s left some sacks on the field because of missed tackles. The Bulldogs dropped him into coverage quite a bit, and he’s made some incredibly athletic plays, including one particular pass breakup versus Florida. Against the run, he dominates with his length and power at the point of attack. He destroys tight ends. I believe Walker’s best football is ahead of him.”
Wow, that’s a mouth full. If Walker is on the draft board at #30, I’d hope Veach is ready to jump all over him. Here, Walker lines up over the Offensive Center and he runs a stunt, first hitting the Center then circling around (the bottom of your screen) the Left Tackle and chasing the Tennessee QB down. He’s #44 here:
Next, we’ll see Travon Walker running the same stunt move, but this time to his left.
This first play vs Michigan, Walker defeats their Center, who is pulling to block him, and he beats him so badly, he knocks him backwards, then stops the runner going up the middle. NFLDraftBuzz projects that Walker will run a 4.79 40 yard dash, which is plenty fast enough to beat most Offensive linemen he’ll face in the NFL, especially since he appears to have “rare get-off and explosion off the snap.” Here’s what thedraftnetwork.com has to say about him:
“Travon Walker is an exciting defensive lineman who offers rare athleticism and versatility along the defensive front. Walker, a former 5-star recruit and high school basketball star, has been a mainstay for the Bulldogs in his three-year career but has taken his game to the next level as a junior. Walker has outstanding size and length for the position and pairs those attributes together with rare athleticism. As a pass rusher, Walker displays rare get-off and explosion off the snap. He can easily win edges and shoot through gaps with his explosive and quick-twitch movements. He flashes very good power at the point of attack and has a terrific long arm, which he utilizes to knock back and shock offensive tackles.”
Travon was a Junior in 2021, and is coming out early and many count it a plus that he faced SEC competition.
I can’t emphasize this enough times, rankings will change after the NFL Combine, which starts next week… and they’ll change a lot too. So, what do you think? Is there an Edge Rusher you’d prefer the Chiefs take other than these two?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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