Chiefs Draft “Perfect” ILB and a Huge OT – the Kansas City Chiefs and General Manager Brett Veach have secured the services of ILB Willie Gay Jr. from Mississippi State with the 63rd pick in the 2020 NFL draft as well as OT Lucas Niang with pick #96. Gay is considered a raw or developmental player by some but I think Matt House will coach him up quickly and get him involved in the LB rotation from day one. On the flip side, Gay figures to have a very high ceiling as he uses his ample speed to a decided advantage:
At 6-foot-1 and 243 lbs. Gay runs a 4.46 40 yard dash. That’s very fast for a LB his size. derrick Johnson was a fast linebacker and he ran a 4.52 40. What actually stand out the most about Gay is the way he plays… with the intent to do damage. He runs through the ball carrier and arrives so fast some players don’t know what hit them.
Here’s a great clip exploring Willie Gay’s strengths and weaknesses.
Willie Gay’s Off Field Issues
While I’m super encouraged about the prospects of seeing Gay incorporated into the Chiefs defense, he does have some off field issues that need to eb considered. Ever since the Chiefs traded away marcus Peters and sent Kareem Hunt packing the only off field issues they’ve had to deal with were related to Tyreek Hill and those appear to be done with and he looks like he’s matured. In fact, the Chiefs locker room is in such good shape from an off field standpoint, that they should be able to handle one case such as Willie Gay Jr..
Gay didn; play most of last season because he was suspended… twice. Once for cheating on a chemistry test which apparently involved several others who were doing the same.
The other incident involved an alleged fight which resulted in Gay hitting their freshman quarterback, Garrett Shrader, and breaking his orbital bone (the bone just below the eye socket) which kept him out of the Music City Bowl game. There is some confusion about what actually happened and anyone how was there tell a different story. So, Willie Gay has been depicted at both the villain and the victim.
Of the two incidents I think cheating is much the worse of the two. Andy Reid has said before that tempers can flair when high powered athletes play a high powered game. However, Reid has also kicked a player off his team for lying to him… and that’s what cheating really is, lying. So, we’ll have to take Gay at his word and hope nothing close to that ever happens again.
Pick #96: Lucas Niang, OT
The Chiefs also drafted offensive lineman Lucas Niang out of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. I’m familiar with TCU’s policy of recruiting the best athletes possible and then coaching them up instead of looking for the best football players. That doesn’t mean they haven’t fielded many fine ball players over the years but in a state where everyone including their grandma is a football fan and the competition is immense for talented player, the TCU approach is one that’s novel. That’s all to say, OT Lucas Niang is both a good athlete and a good football player.
Apparently, Niang played with a hip injury in 2019 or he may have gone much higher in the draft. However, it means he had some stiffness there and it affected his play to a degree. At 6-foot-7, and 328 lbs. Niang is a beast of a man and ran the 40 in 5.17. A typical time for a tackle but not for one as big as he is.
I consider Niang another quality pick by Brett Veach and expect the Chiefs to try him out at an Offensive Guard position initially. In a couple of years, if he develops, he may take over for Eric Fisher.
Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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