Five Aces Plus Three in the Hole!
I awoke in a panic this morning — a good panic. Panic attacks are something I try to avoid due to my cardio-vascular condition. So instead, I practiced some deep breathing exercises, ate some French Toast & Sausages, sat down at the PC, and reviewed what had happened. Something Happened is my usual refrain.
Draft Aces
I am convinced that Brett Veach struck Gold in the 2022 draft. I have drifted back over my earliest comments about the success of the draft picks. However, my mind has not wavered from my first impressions. I think Brett Veach aced this draft! That means I see starters and high-impact players in the first five choices – 3 Starters(McDuffie, Karlaftis, Moore) and then Cook and Chenal!
The First Five Draft Picks
On Monday, I delivered a breakdown of the draft picks as follows:
R1 (21) — CB Trent McDuffie, Washington –Immediate Starter
R1 (30) — EDGE George Karlaftis, Purdue –Immediate Starter
R2 (54) — WR Skyy Moore, Western Michigan –Immediate Rotation WR
R2 (62) — S Bryan Cook, Cincinnati –Immediate Impact Player in the Safety Rotation
R3 (103) — LB Leo Chenal, Wisconsin –Immediate Impact Player in the LB Rotation
These Five Draft Picks will have a considerable impact, and I forecast that all five will become immediate starters or significant impact role players in 2022. More than that. I think–no, I believe that all Five players Will significantly play a role in winning the AFC West this year, not next, not down the road. They are here and now players for the Chiefs. I’d bet money on it!
I then wrote about the following two players drafted:
R4 (135) — CB Joshua Williams, Fayetteville State
R5 (145) — T Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
Joshua Williams -(CB, Fayetteville State)
Choosing Williams would seem to the casual observer to be the biggest gamble. I’d generally agree due to the small school environment from which he ascends. On the other hand, Williams possesses an athletic skill set and metrics that will aid his emergence as a secondary component. Williams will have a learning curve, but he possesses that athleticism that will fit well in the NFL.
While I would like to have seen a 40 time of 4.4? Everything else aligns well with his height, hands, and length. Remember Ron Parker? That is how I see Williams as a fit for Spagnuolo’s secondary. It’s not a starter we are looking to see. We are looking for a CB to take on Tall WRs and TEs. He does fit well for that role.
The question is this simple: Will he become a role player in 2022? I think he will. Among the top seven picks, this is perhaps the long shot of the draft(through five rounds).
Darian Kinnard (OT, Kentucky)
The more I have deliberated what Kinnard brings to the Chiefs, the more I am convinced that Brett Veach has a steal in selecting what might well have been a third-round draft pick but for oversight by other teams GMs. Ryan Tracy of RGR football had Kinnard as a third-round rated draft pick. When Brett Veach had the opportunity to trade into the 5th round to select him, Veach dove for the chance to obtain Kinnard. As Ryan Tracy characterized it, choosing Kinnard in the 5th round was a “Steal.” Kinnard excels at run-blocking. I reviewed the tape of his pass-blocking. It is not the same level of expertise as his run-blocking though from what I saw, his pass protection was not shabby either. It is my view that Kinnard plays a violent game as an OT, and now he enters the NFL with a chip on his shoulder due to being overlooked until round five. I foresee Kinnard as the SW/T for 2022. He is that good. Yes, I have considered that the Chiefs re-signed Andrew Wylie and signed free agent OT Geron Christian(Former Texan). Both those moves were excellent choices by Brett Veach. For the OL, I still project Lucas Niang as the starting ROT. Wylie and Christian are safe additions. Drafting Kinndard is icing on the cake. If he has a chip on his shoulder, and it plays out that is similar or equal to Trey Smith last year? Look Out, NFL.
Skipping on to Round Seven Draft Choices and UDFAs
I cannot fault the draft picks in round seven. These players were good choices for late-round picks.
At the same time, they are salaried players who must earn it in the face of the invited UDFA players brought to the rookie camp. Of the Seventh Round draft picks, I think Jaylen Wilson has the best shot at making the roster among the three seventh-round picks. Rutgers RB Isiah Pacheco may find himself a place, too. Both will find a spot on the PS, no doubt. Safety Najeeh Johnson is the long shot as I see it.
Here is the list of UDFA’s that I have Compiled
LB – Jack Cochrane – South Dakota
RB – Tayon Fleet-Davis – Maryland
LB – Mike Rose – Iowa St
RB – Devin Darrington – Harvard
QB – Dustin Crum -Kent State
OL – Gene Pryor – Hawaii
WR – Kendrick Price – Northwestern S
WR – Trevor Begue – McNeese St
RB – Jerrion Ealy – Ole Miss
S – Qua Brown – S. Ill
C – Mike Caliendo – Western MI
WR – Bryce Nunnelly – Western Michigan
Edge – Brandon Barlow – Boston College
S – Jaylon Monroe – Tulane
DB – Komotay Koffie – No. Colorado
DB – Nasir Greer – WFU (was a top 30 visit)
RB – Howard Payne – Jake Parker
OL – Chris Glaser – Virginia
DB – Caleb Holden – Merrimac
If you add the three Seventh Round Draft choices, you have a good list of players who have the most to gain from participating in the Rookie Minicamp.
Justyn Ross (WR-Clemson)
On Tuesday, Brett Veach signed WR Justyn Ross. Some pundits and analysts had rated him as a top-10 draft pick before it was revealed that he had a congenital health problem in the vertebrae of his neck: this required surgery and a fusion. Ross is cleared to play football. Due to the health issue, Ross was not drafted. Veach signing Ross is a low-risk, extremely high reward signing. If Ross overcomes questions about his neck problem, he could be the equivalent of an Ace draft pick. It would mean that the Chiefs obtained a very likely to have been a high round-one draft pick, signed him to a contract, and then the gamble pays off—what a way to finish off the draft. If Ross comes to the logical fruition, our WR Corps will be a tough nut to crack for opposing defenses – no matter what. Pray to the NFL gods that this works out.
In the Meantime?
Late Tuesday, Brett Veach traded a 2024 7th-round draft pick to obtain Texans CB Lonnie Johnson. As John Dorsey frequently said, you cannot have too many Defensive Backs. This addition should be exciting. There is the Reid Connection as well between the two.
David Bell – ArrowheadOne