Earlier today, CBS Sports draft analyst Dane Brugler posted a mock in which he thinks the Kansas City Chiefs would take inside linebacker Zach Cunningham out of Vanderbilt. Brugler states,
“With Derrick Johnson’s career in question due to injuries, inside linebacker is a position the Chiefs will look to address this offseason. Cunningham plays with the take-on strength and reaction quickness to fill and cover ground.”
I wrote in early February in a piece called, “Chiefs Should Trade Up For Zach Cunningham” that the ILB was worth trading up for but — as with all draft picks in the months before the draft — his position has adjusted somewhat. Many Chiefs fans recognize the value of a great ILB and his central impact on making a defense dominant.
With Derrick Johnson not only showing signs of age — you have to admit he missed his fair share of tackles in 2016 — but his body is not holding up like it used to, having missed 18 out of the last 48 regular season games due to multiple injuries. I’m a huge Derrick Johnson fan. He went to the same university that my father went to, the city of my birth. However, even if DJ returns to form — which we’re all hoping for — the next-gen ILB must be secured. Enter Zach Cunningham. If John Dorsey can draft Zach Cunningham with the 27th pick in the draft… all the better.
Zach Cunningham’s list of honors is as long as Anthony Davis’ right arm:
- 2016 Unanimous All-American honors
- 2016 Butkus Award Finalist
- 2016 Chuck Bednarik Award Semifinalist
- 2015-16 Coaches First Team All-SEC
- 2015-16 Associated Press First Team All-SEC
- 2016 Midseason All-America (SI.com, FOXSports.com, Sporting News, CBSSports.com)
- 2015 Phil Steele Third Team All-American
- 2015 Phil Steele First Team All-SEC
- 2015 First Team All-America (FWAA, AP, AFCA, Walter Camp, ESPN, SI.com & more)
Zach Cunningham is the first Vanderbilt players to become a first team all-American. From a piece by Jesse Johnson:
“Cunningham registered a SEC-best 119 total tackles, which ranked him 11th nationally. He also registered 16.5 tackles for loss, finishing second in the SEC and 22nd nationally while his four fumble recoveries tied for second and just one behind the national leader. Cunningham also played his best ball against league opponents as he posted 89 total tackles, 51 solo stops with 12 tackles for loss.
Cunningham has been named first team All-American by over a dozen national foundations and publications including CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Phil Steele and SBNation with more All-American teams….”
I guess you can guess by now… I’d be thrilled if Dane Brugler’s mock got it right. Anyone else on this boat?