The Big Picture: Summing Up Chiefs Draft Season Acquisitions

The Big Picture: Summing Up

Chiefs Draft Season Acquisitions

by Ransom Hawthorne | May 4, 2019

Weeks and weeks of writing, guessing and hoping boil down to a whirlwind four days. Four days in which the Chiefs got substantially better. From Frank Clark, to Cody Thompson, we go through the impact additions to Chiefs roster, their path to play time, and what their selection (or signing) says about Chiefs’ strategy, for this off-season.

Chiefs First Round Trade

Frank Clark: By now, you’re probably well familiar with KC’s $105M dollar man. He’s an elite DE, in the mold Steve Spagnuolo covets. He hasn’t shied away from answering questions about his past, and seems to be a genuinely reformed individual. Time will tell. Ultimately, he’s a perfect fit, at a position of need. Some may balk at the cost, but players with Clark’s physical ability, and current level of polish go top 3. If you consider the difference in trade value between the 3^rd overall pick, and Chiefs 29^th and future 2^nd (future picks drop a round in value), you’re left with 1432 points of value or, basically, the 8^th overall pick. $105M, for top 10 first round value, isn’t too shabby. This should end speculation that Chiefs aren’t going to invest in the pass rush. They did, in a big way.

Chiefs Draft Picks

Mecole Hardman: What’s the use in having the strongest arm, in the NFL, if you’re not going to use it? Hardman makes a ton of sense as a Tyreek Hill replacement, but he would have made sense for the Chiefs, anyway, with Mahomes at QB. Veach was able to outmaneuver a couple teams to get him, ultimately trading one spot ahead of where the Jets were planning to go up. Personally, I had a slight preference for Paris Campbell, as he’s built more like a traditional WR. Ultimately, though, Hardman is faster, and more advanced, in his understanding of coverage. To see the field, he’ll need to continue to work on his route running, but he’s a smart player who should quickly grasp the playbook, and give Chiefs a threat on STs, which they haven’t had since Hill was scoring TDs on kickoff returns.

Juan Thornhill: Chiefs missed out on Earl Thomas, by a whisker, and went out and got one of the most athletic free safeties in the draft. Beyond that, though, Thornhill is a ball hawk, and a versatile player. That kinda hurt him, in college, as he wasn’t able to settle at one spot, which left him thinking too much, at times. I expect Chiefs to install him as the deep FS, and just let him play there. I think Spags likes his versatility, but K.C. drafted him with a specific job in mind and I don’t think he plays a whole lot outside of that role. That’s his quickest path to the field, if the Chiefs try to drop too much on him, out the gate, it’ll slow him down.

Khalen Saunders: Fans are going to love this kid. Did I say kid? I meant dancing bear. Chiefs haven’t had a guy this freaky, on the DL, since Dontari Poe. Absolute steal in the 3^rd round. He’ll have to get used to the jump in competition, but I think he can still be an absolute wrecking ball, sooner than later. Saunders is big enough to play the Nose, explosive enough to play 3-tech, and fast enough to take the occasional edge rep. The Chiefs shouldn’t get too hung up on where to put him, whenever an interior player comes off the field, Saunders should be coming in. Don’t be surprised if he ends up giving Nnadi, a good player in his own right, a run for his money, especially on 3^rd and long.

Rashad Fenton: I didn’t love the Fenton pick, but I get it. The Chiefs probably passed on a 3^rd round CB, to take a prospect like Saunders, who they didn’t expect to fall that far. For a team with three CBs, on the last year of their deals, securing depth was important. Fenton is a competitive SEC corner with experience in a wide variety of coverages, which puts him ahead of Tremon Smith, development-wise. He can get a little grabby and doesn’t always see the route develop, like he should, but he’s better and faster than his combine performance would have you believe. Ceiling might be the 4^th CB on your roster, but he’s got enough tools, including some ball hawking ability, to have a shot at making the roster, and he can play STs, as a gunner and kick returner.

Darwin Thompson: You never know how a 5’ 8” RB is going to transition to the NFL, which why Thompson went late, but he absolutely flashes game changing ability. He’s so tough to bring down, like a pint-sized Kareem Hunt. He’s super explosive, and reasonably fast. Thompson might not be the most natural fit, at RB, but Reid will absolutely get the most out of him. Provided he can digest the playbook, Thompson will be starting, and contributing, as a third down back. If he can continue to improve, as a route runner, there’s absolutely a path to him being, not just a starter, but one of the Chiefs top four weapons, in a year or two. Fantastic get, this late in the draft.

Nick Allegretti: If you’re looking for info, on Nick Allegretti, you won’t find a ton out there, he’s really flown under the radar. The more snippets I read though, the more I start to get a feeling this guy could be a steal. He’s very much in the mold that they like, on the inside. Plays with the necessary nasty, and has a big ol’ brain. He’ll have an uphill battle to win a starting job, this year, but I think he can make the roster, and start at C, as soon as next year.

Chiefs Undrafted Free Agents

WR Cody Thompson: If Chiefs had drafted Cody Thompson, he would have been my 2^nd favorite pick, behind Saunders. To get him as an UDFA… I’m ecstatic. Teams might have been worried about Thompson’s 2017 leg break, but his combine performance showed you a guy who’s still got it. Cody isn’t a burner, but he’s quick, smart, and runs some savage routes. Add excellent hands and a superb work ethic to the mix, and you’ve got a player any coach would be glad to have on their team. Chiefs have a log jam at WR, but barring injury, I can’t see a way that Thompson doesn’t force his way on to the depth chart, and maybe even push for some snaps, here and there, on offense.

LB Gary Johnson: Miscast as a MIKE, LB, in college, Johnson is a stellar athlete, but a block magnet. A shift to a coverage Linebacker, or WILL, lets him to take advantage of his speed, and not be taken advantage of, due to his size. Johnson has the inside track to back up O’Daniel. Big time ceiling, but a lot of work to do.

CB Mark Fields: Fields is small, and might have some attitude issues, but his talent, in coverage, is undeniable. Chiefs get a fluid nickel defender who’s likely better, in that role, than anyone on the roster, not named Kendall Fuller. Great pick up, at a position of need.

WR Jamal Custis: For those still wishing for the big possession receiver, there’s hope. Custis is tall, long, and has hands like catchers gloves. Like most big receivers, he’s going to have to learn to beat press coverage, but size gives him a chance of sticking around, as a Red Zone threat.

SLB Darius Harris: Chiefs gave a fairly substantial contract to Harris, so you know they like him. He’s coming off an injury, but he’s a bigger LB, with the athleticism to cover TEs and some juice coming off the edge. He’s the type of guy Steve Spagnuolo likes in the SAM spot, but could potentially play the MIKE, as well.

What the____? How Many QBs Does One Team Need? Chiefs have signed TJ Linta and Kyle Shurmur. Add those two guys to list that already included 4 QBs. What does it mean? To me, it says that Chiefs are planning on carrying just two QBs again, this season. With that in mind, they want enough guys, brought through their system, to get one they like, on the practice squad. By bringing in EJ Manuel, they also get a veteran QB, who’d probably still be available, late in the season, if they need him.

H-Back Attack John Lovett: Position switches are tough, but a QB who’s switching to a FB/TE hybrid drew some comments from Brett Veach. After breaking his wrist, during the season, Lovett went out, at his pro day, and caught passes with one hand. Veach noted he didn’t drop many of them. Lovett is a long shot, but he’s super high football character guy, and he did some damage, on QB runs. I’ll be curious to see how Chiefs use him, in training camp. Any time Chiefs go out of their prototypical mold, for a given position, you know it’s for a player they like.

Overall, Chiefs have come away with a really solid group. You’d like to see a little more at CB, but sometimes things don’t fall your way. Veach used the right balance of aggression, and patience, this year, to come up with an excellent class. As far as prototypes go, you don’t see a whole lot of doubling up. Rather than getting a bunch of similar players, and hoping one works out, Chiefs seem to be trusting their evaluations, and trying to spend their roster spots on guys who have, at least, some chance, of making the final 53. Going forward, I’ll be watching the WRs carefully, to see who can step up, and the defense, to see how large of a leap they can take. With the additions of Clark, Thornhill, and Saunders, I feel really good about their chances. Good job Veach, and Go Chiefs.

Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne

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