Tershawn Wharton: Diamond in the Rough – The 2020 NFL season and the 2020 calendar year have thus far had much in common; namely, they’re both an utter mess – a global pandemic, an absurdly unusual occurrence of football injuries, deadly riots, sloppy play, wildfires run amuck, no fans in stands, some crazy killer wasps, and complete uncertainty regarding what level of performance to expect from basically the entire NFL. However, there are some bright spots. Notably, our Kansas City Chiefs are still reigning Super Bowl champions; and at least by current appearances, there is a pleasant new surprise on the Chiefs’ defensive line who is already making a name for himself: Tershawn Wharton.
In two regular season games, Wharton has accumulated seven total tackles — five solo, two assists — and one stuff, but before we dive into his NFL stat-line, let’s go back and look at where he came from. A 2020 rookie and undrafted free agent, the 22-year-old Wharton played his college ball at a relatively small college, unknown Missouri S&T in Rolla, MO… and to be clear, the “S&T” stands for “science and technology,” not “football excellence.” However, his college football career was indeed excellent, and his ascension to the ranks of the reigning World Champion Chiefs was not really a surprise, according to John Kean, Sports Information Director at Missouri S&T:
“During his four-year career with the Miners, Wharton established new Missouri S&T career records for quarterback sacks with 35.5… tackles for a loss with 58, and was named honorable mention All-America on Don Hansen’s squad following the 2018 campaign. In 2019, Wharton recorded 59 tackles with 7.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss, despite facing double- and triple-team scenarios throughout the season…. In 2017, Wharton set a school record with 21 tackles for a loss… and 13.5 sacks, which ranked third in NCAA Division II that season.”
One year later, Wharton had 18 tackles for a loss and posted 9 sacks, then following that season up by being named the Defensive MVP of the Mineral Water Bowl. That was an easy call because in that Bowl Game as he had 8 tackles including 4.5 for a loss plus 2.0 sacks. Oh yeah, he also returned a fumble for a 53 yard TD and his Missouri S&T team went on to trounce Minnesota State Moorhead, 51-to-16.
Wharton also had another fumble recovery run for a TD, that one was for 81-yards. His decorated collegiate career included 3 All-Conference Selections in the Greater Lakes Valley Conference. Wharton is also a home grown product — so to speak — as he is from the University City, Mo. area, just west of St. Louis, MO.
Going into the 2020 NFL Draft, there were many unknowns as the COVID-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on teams’ abilities to do their due diligence in scouting players, most significantly in regards to meeting with potential draftees, conducting medical examinations, conducting interviews, and working players out. This seemed to make most general managers, head coaches and organizations noticeably hesitant toward drafting players who had any question marks, and especially in early rounds. However, Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach and company were somehow able to take advantage and pick up many players who were viewed as risky, but also showed great potential. One of those additions was UDFA Tershawn Wharton.
Of course, most of us in Chiefs Kingdom were unable to gain much clarity on the promise of Wharton in the months between the draft and opening night of the regular season… and for obvious reasons. The league did all it could to keep the remainder of the offseason as “normal” as possible, but the realities of COVID-19 led to the complete exclusion of rookie mini-camps and all in-person football activities leading up to training camp, replaced by Zoom meetings and virtual workouts. Training camp happened, but there was virtually zero access for media this year, and as we all know, we didn’t get to see any live action of preseason games, because they were canceled. For many Chiefs fans, even those of us who claim to pay attention to what’s going on in the organization, it may have been fair when the 53-man roster came out to have asked yourself, “Who in Hades is Tershawn Wharton?!” That’s fair… but while we might not have had the inside scoop on this kid from Missouri S&T, the coaching staff did, and there was good reason for Wharton to be on that roster. GM Brett Veach had some insight on this, as well:
“Fortunately for us after the draft was over we were able to sign him. Really the first day… he just kind of stood out. He was really twitchy, athletic, and worked his tail off. So then the next question is, ‘OK, wait until we put the pads on.’ And he kind of carried that over and was able to make plays. Then it was like, ‘Alright, let’s see how he does against better competition.’ You know, he’s doing this against the threes so let’s put him up there vs. the twos and the ones. I mean the kid just found a way to make plays and continued to get better… he just kind of answered the bell and flashed at every step of the way.”
This naturally set the stage for Wharton’s coming out party, as he burst onto the NFL scene in his first appearance at the pro level. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Wharton so far ranks 14th out of all 109 interior defensive lineman (not just rookies, this 109 includes All-Pro veterans like Chris Jones and Aaron Donald) who have accumulated at least 30 snaps this season, with an overall grade of 74.5. He particularly shown like a diamond in the rough during the Chiefs’ Week 1 matchup on Thursday Night Football against the Houston Texans, where he logged 14 snaps and very nearly chased down the mobile Deshaun Watson in the open field on a scramble toward the sideline. There is also a claim out there that comes from his trainer that he can run a 4.7-second 40-yard-dash (take that for what it’s worth). Additionally, he has shown a quick ability to utilize quality footwork, win his “hand fights,” and exploit gaps.
Possibly the most shocking of attributes shown so far by Wharton have been his athleticism, football intellect and instincts for a big man UDFA from a Division 2 school. He not only has picked up early snaps and has found success in the famously complex Steve Spagnuolo defense, but he is also a defensive tackle who is listed at 6’4″ and 255 pounds (light for the position, though word on the street is that he is actually somewhere around 280-285), and his combination of speed, strength and agility has been eye-popping in a what is admittedly a small sample size. Now, if he can continue to develop and prove himself as a productive addition to the Chiefs’ overall defensive scheme, he could certainly prove to be a true diamond in the rough player and just one more brilliant find for Veach. Combine his early performance with that of fellow Chiefs rookie standouts: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, L’Jarius Sneed, Mike Danna, Willie Gay Jr. and Tommy Townsend; and there is already much to be pleasantly surprised by, and excited for, in Chiefs Kingdom in 2020.
James McGregor — ArrowheadOne
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