Chiefs New Tackle Options: Building for Depth

Wesley Peel

Alright, it has been a little over a month since the news broke on Dianna Russini’s Twitter account that LT Trent Williams was re-signing with the San Francisco 49ers on a six-year contract. Every Kansas City Chiefs website has talked about this ad nauseam and how it fit Veach’s style as a General Manager to be aggressive. Concern still existed for QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs about who would protect his blindside.

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For the last month, almost every NFL media source out there has talked about what Veach will do about the gaping hole at left tackle. Friday, Veach held a pre-draft press conference, where he talked about the sweet spot in the draft and the difficulties with a COVID draft process. The whole time he was working behind closed doors to complete a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for LT Orlando Brown Jr.. We will discuss Brown in other articles, but let’s talk about what the Chiefs could still do in this draft to add depth to the O-line and prevent what happened last year from ever happening again.

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The Draft Options

The tackle position has a great deal of talent and depth this year, even into the second and third day of the draft. The NFL combine was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so teams have relied on players’ Pro Days at their universities. One overarching concern coming from these Pro Days is, most of the tackles in this class have shorter arms than most teams prefer. Tucker D. Franklin wrote a piece for SI.com called, “Does Arm Length Really Matter for NFL Offensive Tackles?” in which he says,

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“According to Arrowhead Pride’s Kent Swanson, the average arm length of a tackle for head coach Andy Reid is 34 1/4 inches. When comparing that to the top 20 tackles in this year’s draft, only six meet or exceed that measurement.”

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Andy Reid’s preference for tackles with an arm length of at least 34.25 inches, would limit the Chiefs choices in the draft. Let’s look at some options and discuss their pro and cons.

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Teven Jenkins

Jenkins is a large man, standing 6’6 and weighing in at 317 pounds at his pro-day at Oklahoma State University (OSU). Analysts describe Jenkins as a mauler or finisher, and you can see it in the way he plays. Turn on some highlights, and you’ll likely see Jenkins pushing his man out of the frame or into the ground. He is strong in his upper body and uses that to impose his will on defensive players. During his 448 snaps this season, Jenkins did not allow a sack, giving up only two hits and two hurries.

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Jenkins has experience playing left and right tackle at OSU, with most of his snaps coming on the right side. He started for the last three seasons and grew to be one of the best linemen in college football. There was a particular rep against Texas where Jenkins drives his defender off the screen and onto the sideline. Jenkins’ testing gave him a 9.74 Relative Athletic Score (RAS, a composite score developed by Kent Lee Platte and posted on his Twitter handle @MathBomb). The RAS is a scoring system from one to ten and this ranked Jenkins as the 31^st tackle out of 1134 scored since 1987. Jenkins’ athletic ability likely has NFL teams thinking about his power and athletic ability translating to the next level.

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All of this has me excited about what he could bring to the Chiefs. Jenkins’ hard-charging, mauler mentality would be a great addition to what the Chiefs are trying to build with players like Joe Thuney and Kyle Long. The one thing teams are questioning about Jenkins is the… dreaded arm length measurement. Jenkins’s arms reportedly measured in at 32 7/8 at OSU’s Pro Day.

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Samuel Cosmi

Cosmi is an intriguing prospect at tackle, out of the University of Texas. He is another large human, a pre-requisite to play tackle, measuring in at 6’6 inches and weighing 314 pounds at his Pro Day. Cosmi played left tackle for coach Tom Herman and played right tackle in high school. He has the versatility Andy Reid covets in his offensive linemen.

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Cosmi has a different way of winning his pass sets, getting it done with his athletic ability and not necessarily with his technique. He has quick feet and the ability to setup for a rusher’s plan of attack. Like Jenkins, Cosmi has been a starter for the Longhorns, starting 34 of 35 games during his three-year career.

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Reports are that Cosmi might need some tuning to his technique, and perhaps NFL coaching could provide it for him. Andy Heck has worked wonders with linemen during his career, and Cosmi would give a talented lineman for the Chiefs to work into their rotation. Cosmi scored a 9.99 RAS on Platte’s scoring; this ranked him as #2 of 1134 OT’s rated from 1987 to 2021. Cosmi’s arms measured in just a 1/8 of an inch longer than Jenkins’, and below the Reid average preference of 34 ¼.

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Walker Little

Little is a talented tackle in this draft class coming out of Stanford. According to Dane Brugler’s, The Beast, he was a five-star recruit in the 2017 class coming out of high school. Little is 6’7 and weighs 313 pounds and had a composite score of 8.91 on @MathBomb’s RAS. Little ranked 125 out of the 1134 tackles measured since 1987.

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According to The Beast, just like Jenkins and Cosmi, Little had shorter arms than most NFL teams prefer, measuring 33 ¾ inches.

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Lots of draft analysts like Little’s film, but have concerns about his injury history. Little started all 13 games during his sophomore season and earned first-team all-conference honors. In the first game of his Junior season, he suffered a season-ending knee injury. If I were guessing, I believe the consensus was Little would recover from his injury and come back ready to prove himself in his Senior season. However, COVID-19 hit, and players were given the option to opt-out of the season. Little chose to opt out of the season and therefore has not played meaningful football in two seasons.

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The biggest question for interested teams with Little will be what they are getting. Is Little the ascending player who earned All-conference honors his sophomore year, or is he a liability who needs a lot of work? Teams may benefit from this gamble as Little could provide first-round talent on day two of the draft.

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Stone Forsythe

Forsythe is a tackle out of the University of Florida, starting the last two years as their left tackle. Forsythe is one of the most enormous tackles in this class, measuring 6’8 tall but only weighing in at 307 pounds. He has plenty of room to add some bulk onto his frame. The Chiefs sent a coach to Florida’s pro-day to workout Forsythe. So, we have to believe there is some interest there. According to The Beast, Forsythe has 34 3/8 inch arms, making him one of the few tackles in this class who meet Reid’s preferences.

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Forsythe scored an 8.77 on @MathBomb’s RAS system, ranking him 141 out of 1134 tackles since 1987 (seen below). He ran a 5.13, 40-yard dash, which is impressive given his size and shows off his athleticism. Another essential measurement, Forsythe ran a 7.47, 3-cone drill at his pro-day.

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His athletic ability is on display when he plays; his movement is smooth and natural against some of the best defenses in the country, playing in the SEC. Forsythe also has experience playing on both sides of the o-line, playing right tackle his first two seasons in Tallahassee.

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Like Little, most draft pundits rate Forsythe as a day two pick. If the Chiefs can get him with the 63^rd pick, it might add a developmental tackle behind Brown for the future. Veach sending a coach to work with Forsythe would lead most to believe there is a lot of interest from the team. The prospect of adding his athletic ability and adding Coach Heck’s training could make Forsythe a steal of this draft.

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The four options above are my favorites in this class, but a few other athletic tackles could fill the depth needs for the Chiefs.

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Notable Options

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Brown is a tackle from Northern Iowa, measuring 6’8 inches and weighing 311 pounds with 34 ¾ inch arms. Brown opted out of the 2020 season but played right tackle for three years, starting each game during his junior season. He scored a ten on @MathBomb’s RAS system, which ranked him as the #1 tackle since 1987. Brown’s athletic ability could entice a team to take a chance on giving him some NFL coaching and bringing out potentially elite talent.

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Eichenberg is a tackle from Notre Dame, measuring 6’6 and weighing in at 306 pounds with 32 3/8 inch arms. Eichenberg has started three straight seasons at left tackle and is viewed by most as an NFL-ready tackle. Most pundits believe he has already reached his ceiling. So, while you are drafting a tackle ready to step in and play, he may not develop much beyond his current ability.

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Other Options

Andy Reid said in his recent news conference, “I think we are okay there now, but I’ve said this before, Brett’s always keeping his eyes open so, we’ll see how it all ends up. We’ve got some good competition in there.” So, are there potential options for the left tackle position already on the roster? The Chiefs have Lucas Niang, their third-round pick in last year’s draft, but he opted out of the 2020 season. Niang has a lot of ability as he did not allow a sack in his college career at TCU. Kyle Long came out of retirement and signed with the team this off-season. He has played tackle before in the league at a high level.

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Brett Veach also picked up Prince Tega Wanogho in January, signing him to the team’s practice squad. Tega Wanogho was drafted in 2020 by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round due to injury concerns. His athletic ability was on display at Auburn, and he has a lot of experience. If Tega Wanogho can get his injuries under control and the team can coach him up, he could be a hidden gem for the Chiefs.

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Overall, there are a lot of options for the team to add depth to their O-line. Veach and Reid have made improving the line a huge priority this off-season. They have swung for big ticket free agents and stayed disciplined after missing on Williams. I think the offensive line of Brown, Thuney, Blythe (or draft pick), LDT, and Niang, will be improved and give depth for the 2021 season.

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Wesley Peel — ArrowheadOne

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