Chiefs Draft Fits: Defensive Line
by Ransom Hawthorne | February 2, 2019
For everyone, but the armada of bandwagon Pats, and a handful of people in LA, who actually realize there’s a team there, it’s draft season. Upgrading the defense has to be a major priority, since the Chiefs are the league’s lone hope of an interesting SB, next year. For Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, it all starts up front. Here are a few of my draft crushes, for the defensive line:
1-Tech (NT) Daylon Mack, Texas A&M 6’1” 335 lbs
Mack is a beast. He’s got a great first step and a massive base. Easily absorbs double teams, and consistently gets push, when left one on one. While he lacks the speed to be a true pass rush threat, he’s absolutely dominant in the run game, and has the ability to shrink the pocket, with his push. Chiefs have a guy, like that, in Derrick Nnadi, so Mack won’t be a high priority, but if the Chiefs decided to go after him, he could prove to be even better. which is high praise. Mack is likely a 2nd or 3rd round prospect, but if he were to slip, into the late 4th or early 5th, K.C. should probably go up and get him, even though he’s not a huge need, at this point.
3-Tech Kingsley Keke, Texas A&M 6’3” 285 lbs
A 3-technique player refers to the strong side DE- Keke is a little bit of a tough prospect to evaluate. He flashes a great first step, but is often late off the line. He has some great pass rush reps, and others where he goes nowhere. The bottom line is that Keke is a freaky athlete. He very strong, with long arms and a dynamic push, when he gets his technique right. Looked like he was playing with too much bad weight in college. Showed up, at the Senior Bowl much trimmer and showcasing his signature attributes, speed and flexibility. Keke has some rare traits, and flashes the ability to dominate, with them. If the Chiefs can get him in the 3rd round or later, he has the potential to develop into a great player, as both a pass-rusher, and a run-stopper. The Chiefs currently have Breeland Speaks to fill this role, but Spagnuolo loves to rotate pass rushers, to keep guys fresh, so don’t discount the possibility of K.C. grabbing another guy, at this spot.
DT Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame 6’6” 306 lbs
Super long and strong, Tillery has the potential to be a monster on the inside. Lack of consistency, in his technique, led to mixed results, but plenty of tape of him dominating opponents as well. Chris Jones has been most productive, when he isn’t playing 100% of the snaps, so finding a guy to spell him needs to be a priority. Tillery has the length and strength to do a lot of the same things Jones does, though his ceiling is probably a little lower. Daniel Jeremiah says Tillery sometimes reminds him of DeForest Buckner who just made the Pro Bowl this year. Tillery will likely go somewhere in the first three rounds, depending on how he does, at the combine.
LEO- Charles Omenihu, Texas 6’6” 275 lbs
The LEO is a weakside defensive end – a pure pass rusher, Omenihu may lack the hip flexibility to dip under tackles, and he’s not a candidate to drop in coverage. None of that matters, because he’s super explosive, strong, and already has some polish to his pass rush. He’s long, strong, and plays hard every down, always proving a handful for whoever lined up across from him. He’s not the greatest at handling double teams, but from the LEO spot, he won’t really see any. Guys like Omenihu are the reason I’m so excited about the switch to a 4-3. Take a physical freak, glass-eater, and turn him loose every snap, to do what he does best: sack QBs. Evaluations vary on him, but don’t be surprised to see him sneak into the bottom of the first round. If he has a great combine, he might even be out of reach, for the Chiefs. Dee Ford is a good fit for the LEO spot, but he’s probably only here one more year, at the most, so adding edge talent needs to be a priority.
The Kansas City Chiefs are in fairly good shape on the DL, but you can never stop building in the trenches. Steve Spagnuolo’s defenses hinge on a successful pass rush, so continuing to invest there makes a ton of sense. My favorite of the group is Omenihu, but Keke is a guy that might slip in the draft and turn into a fantastic value, so keep an eye on him as well. As the off-season rolls on, we’ll take a look at my Draft Fits, for the rest of the defense. Should be a fun draft. Go Chiefs.
ArrowheadOne – Ransom Hawthorne
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