Chiefs: Meet UDFA KR/WR Extraordinaire, Nikko Remigio

Laddie Morse

Ever since the Kansas City Chiefs brought Mecole Hardman onto the team in 2019, they’ve been looking for a replacement for Tyreek Hill. Hill of course, was a DeSean Jackson type of player, so HC Andy Reid is paying attention to his own design and model for his runway. With so many wide receivers already in house, the Chiefs will be looking for any way to not only get better, but to expand the roster at specific positions. In this case, it looks like KR/WR Nikko Remigio will be able to fulfill the role of kick returner better than anyone they have available right now. So, let’s start by taking a look at Nikko Remigio’s kick return ability:

Here’s a look at the list of Chiefs WRs who I think will be a certainty (in yellow) to make the 53 man roster:

If this is indeed true, then that would leave two spots to fill and 8 possible WRs who could fill those roles. The question I have next is… how much say does Special Teams Coach Dave Toub have over who will be included in the final list of WRs/KRs who make the 53 man roster? If the final spot comes down to a decision about which WR has KR skills, then it may be a choice between Richie James and Nikko Remigio.

The Jerrion Ealy factor is an non-starter as far as Kick Returners is concerned but it may effect the number of RBs that make the team since Ealy is both a WR and a RB. Since we know Andy Reid loves RBs who can catch the ball, that will be another decision they will have to make come September.

Here’s an interview with Nikko Remigio and you can pick up on why K.C. would be intersted in him:

While Nikko Remigio got a low grade on his Relative Athletic Score — 4.89 — it doesn’t take into consideration other important aspects of his skills:

The RAS doesn’t track things like: the ability to stiff arm, the ability to jump over a defender, or the ability to juke an opponent out of their jock strap. The reason for bringing this up is… Nikko Remigio can do all those things and do them with aplomb.

I was wondering the same thing myself… how in the world did Nikko Remigio go undrafted? Here’s another Nikko Remigio TD (Remigio is #1 in deep red):

Remigio kind of reminds me of Jerick McKinnon. NFLDraftBuzz.com said of Remigio pre-draft:

“… as a fifth year senior in 2022 [after transferring from Cal to Fresno St.] he played 13 games and had 69 catches for 768 yards for an average of 11.1 yards per catch, 5 TDs, and an excellent QB rating when targeted of 117.2.”

NFLDraftBuzz.com goes on to say Remigio’s strengths as a WR include:

“His competitiveness and knack for high-pointing the ball allow him to play bigger than his size (5-foot-11, 190 lbs.). A savvy, natural pass-catcher with reliable hands and very good focus. Snatches the ball out of the air and shows the concentration to make acrobatic catches look easy.”

TheDraftNetwork.com says of Remigio:

“Remigio is at his best with the ball in his hands as he has outstanding vision, instincts, and elusiveness as a ball carrier. He is a YAC monster who should be featured on quick screens, bubbles, and jet sweeps…. Remigio is an outstanding return specialist who can be a consistent threat for big plays both as a punt and kick returner.”

Remigio should be featured on: “quick screens, bubbles, and jet sweeps”… does that sound like anyone’s offense that you might recognize? Sorry for being so backhanded and/or cryptic… but it’s obvious about what I think Remigio’s potential is. With both Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney needing to step up and into their 2023 WR chores more completely, it would be best if one of the Chiefs other WRs could take over the Punt Returner and Kickoff Returner responsibilities. I think Nikko Remigio is the man for that job. I mean… how in the world does he go undrafted?

Remigio was timed at a 4.57 – 40 yard dash, but from his tape, he looks like he plays much faster. It’s hard to measure lateral quickness or the kind of twitchiness that Tyreek Hill had. I’m in no way saying Remigio is another Tyreek Hill, but he does have top level skills as a kick returner.

Here’s Nikko Remigio’s stats for both Cal and Fresno St., from Sports-Reference.com: