Chiefs: Grading the Rookies After Week Two – Alan Haupt and David Bell – PART 2 – Alan Haupt and David Bell, are grading the Chiefs rookies and their impact on the team. This is PART 2. You can find PART 1 here.
Finishing up on L’Jarius Sneed from PART 1: In game 2 Sneed was defending against more talented receivers, but still showed starter level talent. He also produced another interception on an an ill-advised pass by Justin Herbert. In game two, his versatility became evident and one of the reasons was due to his ability to play both CB and Safety. Against the Chargers, Sneed’s versatility was demonstrated as observed by Ryan Tracy of Rogue Analytics.
David’s Take on Mike Danna – Danna was the player that I didn’t have a perspective about when drafted. Laddie viewed the pick more favorably, but both he and I felt Danna was a pick out of the blue, though the Chiefs have a relationship with the staff at Central Michigan. For both of us, Danna was a “wait and see” draft pick. Although, during Camp DL Coach Daly expressed liking him bunches. Others came along in this view and noted the praise given by DC Steve Spagnuolo as well as DL Coach Brandon Daly, being significant. This showed that Danna being entrusted with snaps in both weeks one and two. More importantly, when Frank Clark left the game in week two, Danna’s importance was increased.
Alan’s Take on Mike Danna: In the 1st game Danna had 3 tackles with no missed tackles. In game 2 he produced a sack. Danna has a knack for always being around the ball when plays are run to his side of the field. He shows glimpses of quality play, and just needs to be more consistent, which will come with more reps. Will prove to be quality rotation DE.
David’s Take on Tommy Townsend – Townsend beat out Tyler Newsome clearly in camp and from week one’s first punt, he’s already shown that he’s a proven starter. On that first punt, he pinned the Chargers to about the 5-yard line. From that point on it is my projection that Townsend was going to be a great NFL punter. True, his average yard per kick dropped a bit due to punts during week two’s game against the Chargers. Still, the average was 44.2 YPK. That puts Townsend in solid company of good NFL punters. As Alan Noted, the two punts that put the Chargers inside the 15 in the Chargers game were good examples of pinning the opposition deep in their own end of the field. I am very good with Townsend. We need to see more and as a Placeholder, Townsend gets top grades in my book as well.
Alan’s take on Tommy Townsend (UDFA Punter) – My summary of the accomplishments of Tommy Townsend as a Punter, is that he’s been excellent… thus far. As a placeholder, Townsend has excelled at receiving the snap from James Winchester and he’s quick at getting the ball placed. Getting a correct placement done quickly, is vital to the accuracy of all kicks. Townsend has 8 punts for 357 yards for a 44.2 average. In the Houston game, Townsend’s very first punt in that game landed about the 2-yard line, bounced straight up but the gunner was blocked from making a play on the ball. In the 2nd game, Townsend produced 2 fair catches by the Chargers on their 7 and 15 yard lines. Showing good potential, Tommy needs to gain expertise at placing the ball inside the 15 yard line in order to consistently pin the opposing offenses deep in their own territory. This was something that Dustin Colquitt, now departed for the Steelers, established as the high bar, which Townsend must live up to. My overall view is that Townsend needs to continue develop placing punts deep in enemy territory.
David’s Take on Tershawn Wharton – I thought Wharton was going to have a shot at making the roster based on my initial perception from watching his workout videos before camp. His participation in camp kept building until it was a crescendo based on what he did, how quickly he learned and adjusted to playing NFL Caliber players. The icing on the cake for me was how highly Brendan Daly thought of Wharton. His snaps increased in week 2 and Wharton is performing beyond expectation that one might have for a UDFA. Even at this early stage in this career, Wharton has already earned a spot as a rotational player among the Chiefs defensive tackles. This was a needed boost since the Chiefs were without the services of Mike Pennel for the first two games. Seth Keysor highlights Wharton’s strength below:
Alan’s Take Tershawn Wharton (UDFA Interior Defense Line) – Wharton was a pleasant surprise as an addition to the defensive front. He has played well in two games thus far and his impact continues to grow. In like manner to Mike Danna, Brendan Daly was highly impressed by the work that Wharton put in during camp. Wharton had 2 tackles, 0 missed tackles in week one. Getting on the field in week one as a UDFA indicates the amount of faith DC Steve Spagnuolo and DL coach Brendan Daly have in Tershawn. At this point, he is a valuable backup/rotational player and this was needed in week two where his snap count increased. His strength is evident when he leverages against offensive linemen. He pushes them back into the back field. During week two, he had increased snaps and was a contributor when on the field. We saw no mistakes when reviewing film. Below, find the Chiefs Two Game Snap Count Chart. In reference to notes and grades, both David Bell and I agree on the grades we’ve given these players.
Chiefs Two Game Snap Count Chart
| PLAYER | OFF | PCT. | DEF | PCT. | SpecT | PCT. | Other facts | GRADE | Notes | |
| Week One | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | 46 | 67 | x | x | x | x | 138 Yds/1 TD | A | |
| L’Jarius Sneed | x | x | 55 | 93 | x | x | 1 INT | A | ||
| Willie Gay Jr. | x | x | x | x | C | No Defensive Snaps | ||||
| Mike Danna | x | x | 29 | 49 | 2 | 8 | C | |||
| Tommy Townsend | 3 | 44.6 Avg | B | |||||||
| Tershawn Wharton | x | x | 14 | 24 | 2 | 8 | C | |||
| Week Two | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | 48 | 62 | x | x | x | x | 38 Yds | C | Poor OL Play really hurt Wk 2 |
| L’Jarius Sneed | x | x | 82 | 99 | 3 | 11 | 1 INT | A | ||
| Willie Gay, Jr. | x | x | 6 | 4.2 | C | |||||
| Mike Danna | x | x | 40 | 48 | 5 | 19 | B | |||
| Tommy Townsend | 5 | 44.2 | C+ | Kick Holder – A | ||||||
| Tershawn Wharton | x | x | 25 | 30 | 4 | 15 | C | |||
| Braxton Hoyett (UDFA) | x | x | 2 | 2 | x | x | ungraded | |||
| 2 Weeks Combined | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | 94 | 64.4 | x | x | x | x | 1 TD | B | Poor OL Play/Pass Catching |
| L’Jarius Sneed | x | x | 137 | 96.5 | 3 | 5.8 | 2 INTs | A | ||
| Willie Gay, Jr. | x | x | 6 | 4.2 | 34 | 65.4 | C+ | Blocked punt, Finally D Snaps | ||
| Mike Danna | x | x | 69 | 48.6 | 7 | 13.5 | 1 sack | C+ | ||
| Tommy Townsend (UDFA) | x | x | x | x | 44.5 Yd Avg | C | ||||
| Tershawn Wharton (UDFA) | 39 | 27.5 | 6 | 11.5 | C | |||||
| Braxton Hoyett (UDFA) | x | x | 2 | 2 | x | x | ungraded |
Summary: Grading the Chiefs Rookies — So Far
When any young player shows improvement from Game One to Game Two, it means that player is on the right track, an ascending tract. That is especially true for rookies, and if any player is getting more reps each game, it usually means he has earned the trust of the coaches, a crucial plus for team development. From, L’Jarius Sneed to Clyde Edwards-Helaire to Willie Gay to Mike Danna to Tommy Townsend to Tershawn Wharton: it looks like the Chiefs rookie class, is going to be a good one.
Alan Haupt and David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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