Three months from Super Bowl LV and Brett Veach has adamantly told Chiefs Kingdom, “Never again.” He witnessed the bloodbath the same way we did, perhaps more-so, given his ownership of the 53 players on the field. Veach set out on a path after the game, and I wonder if it started that night, because he knew right then what he wanted to accomplish. His plan had many steps, and sometimes his first choice didn’t happen, but Veach persevered. He did not panic by simply signing any available free agent to fill a void. He matriculated through the offseason and built an impressive offensive line to ultimately, protect Patrick Mahomes.
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Initial Plan
There hasn’t been enough discussion about the offensive line Veach was trying to assemble. Stop and think for a moment, Veach drafted Lucas Niang in the 3rd round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Niang opted out of the 2020 NFL season for health concerns, which allowed his hip injury to heal completely, we hope. Veach then went out and signed LG, Joe Thuney, arguably the best interior lineman available in free agency.
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Condensed from The Hook Cam:
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Next, Veach set his sights on Trent Williams, an eight-time 1st Team All-Pro at Left Tackle, and almost signed him to a six-year deal. Kyle Long came out of retirement, stopped by Vegas, to visit the Raiders (probably out of respect for his father Howie Long), then came to One Arrowhead Drive and said, “Sitting in Coach Reid’s office, I just knew this is where I wanted to be.” So, Mahomes could have had Williams at LT, Thuney at LG, Long or LDT at RG, and Niang at RT at that point. As if that line would not have been enough, Jon Gruden, in his infinite wisdom, decided to get rid of Rodney Hudson. A reunion with their 2011 2nd round pick seemed destined before the Raiders decided not to release him and traded him to Arizona. Think for a few moments about how much time Patrick would have had behind that offensive line: Williams, Thuney, Hudson, Long/LDT, Niang. This o-line would have been very formidable for Mahomes to work behind.
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The Left Tackles Left
With the offensive line as the top priority for the offseason, Veach sought after several priority targets. Thuney being the first target, which should secure the left guard position for 3-to-5 years. Thuney has not missed a game in his career and has been playing at a very high level. Some are questioning the amount of money Veach gave to Thuney for this contract, but it is clear the line’s interior was a point of emphasis. Missing on Trent Williams still left a void at LT, as the options on the roster would then be Niang, Yasir Durant, Martinas Rankin, and Prince Tega Wanogho.
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Draft Possibilities
So, Veach and his staff did their homework on draft prospects. K.C. also sent an o-line coach to the University of Florida to work out their linemen. LT prospects like Teven Jenkins, Walker Little, Liam Eichenberg, Stone Forsythe, and Spencer Brown were rumored options for the Chiefs vacancy at the LT position. Each of these players had pluses and minuses in their games and medicals. Jenkins played RT for the Oklahoma State Cowboys with a punishing style that many believed would be a good fit for the Chiefs offense. He was considered a first-round pick by many draft pundits, and some thought he might not be available when the Chiefs picked at 31. Little was a talented 6-foot-7 tackle from Stanford University. He was injured during the 2019 season and opted out of the 2020 season. The tape was limited on Little, but many evaluators believed he has a lot of promise and would be worth a high pick. Eichenberg was thought by many to be the most NFL-ready of the entire tackle class. His talent was noticeable, but his ceiling many felt was capped as a serviceable tackle mostly because he has “short arms.” Forsythe and Brown were both enormous athletic tackles who measured 6-foot-8 at their Pro Days events and each would provide a lot of upside to a team willing to take a chance.
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A Real Solution
Veach decided after the evaluations of draft talent, and available free agents, that he did not see a viable option. So, he was able to work out a trade with the Baltimore Ravens for Orlando Brown Jr.. Brown stands 6-foot-8, 345 lbs. and has 35″ arms, a pre-requisite for an Andy Reid tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, filling in for the injured Ronnie Stanley, Brown played 389 pass-blocking snaps for the Ravens in 2020 and did not allow a sack.
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Many in the NFL media circles did not believe the Ravens would trade with the Chiefs, a team they are trying to surpass in the AFC and QB Lamar Jackson had referred to the Chiefs as, “The Ravens’ Kryptonite” in an interview. If this is true and the Chiefs had a glaring weakness at LT, why would the Ravens send a 24-year-old, two-time Pro Bowl tackle to the Chiefs? This move gives the team a younger left side of their o-line for the next two years and even longer if Brown can prove worthy of an extension.
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Moving on to OC
Veach next signed Austin Blythe, a Center for the Los Angeles Rams last year. Blythe played guard for the Rams in 2018 and 2019 as well. He signed a contract worth only $990,000, leaving the team a lot of flexibility and providing a veteran for cheap.
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An OC in the Draft
Veach also wanted to find competition for Blythe at Center and did so with the 63rd pick in the draft, selecting Creed Humphrey, Center from the University of Oklahoma. Humphrey redshirted his first year and then played 39 games over the next three years. He was selected First-Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 Offensive Linemen of the Year for 2018 and 2019 when he was also a team captain. At Oklahoma’s Pro Day, Humphrey measured 6-foot-4, 302 lbs., and is highly athletic with a wrestling background in high school. According to @MathBomb’s Relative Athletic Score (RAS), Humphrey rated a perfect score of 10, rating as the number one center out of 496 scored since 1987. Drafting Humphrey provides a young talented center for Mahomes to grow with and provide consistency the team has needed for a few years. In his career at Oklahoma, Humphrey was not credited with surrendering a sack, a stat line that must make Mahomes excited.
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Gaining Ground at OG
In the sixth round, Veach found possibly, the steal of the whole draft, selecting Guard Trey Smith from the University of Tennessee. Smith was the number one recruit, according to ESPN, coming out of high school in 2017. The K.C. Draft Guide rated him as a 4th round pick, and Dane Brugler’s, The Beast, rated him as a 3rd round pick. Some draft evaluators rated Smith as highly as a first-round prospect, and watching a few clips of his play in the SEC will tell you why. His talent and athletic ability are undeniable as he was a monster for the Vols offensive line. @MathBomb RAS measured Smith at a 9.91, which means he’s the 11th guard out of 1,152 measured since 1987 (in their system). Smith has a substantial medical concern, in February 2018 he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, which took him off the field. While this, was a considerable concern, he got treatment and was able to return to the starting lineup for the Vols in 2019. Smith is talented enough to play tackle, which he was doing before being diagnosed, and has been exceptional at Guard, earning First Team All-SEC the last two years.
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The Veach Remedies
So, three months after the embarrassment that was the Chiefs performance in Super Bowl LV, K.C. now has 16 offensive linemen to compete, seven of which were not on this team for that game. Another four of those linemen didn’t play a snap during the 2020 season. Consequently, they have fresh legs.
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The competition for the 2021 starting o-line is going to be fun to watch. The only two starting positions we can say are secure are: LT Brown and LG Thuney. Center is going to be a battle of Blythe versus Humphrey. Blythe has the experience and was rated 70.3 overall by PFF as a center in 2020, ranking 9th of the 36 graded. Humphrey has the upside potential with crazy athletic ability. Depending on how quickly he can learn the offense and protection calls, he may stand out as one of the five best linemen in training camp. Some writers believe Nick Allegretti can play Center, and the team also has Darryl Williams, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
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Andy Reid has a lot of talent to work with at Right Guard and the Chiefs have said they expect to get Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (LDT) back after spending the year in Canada helping those with COVID-19 during the pandemic. While LDT didn’t play well his last time on the field, he did play well as recently as 2017, when he posted a 71.5 grade from PFF. Veach signed Kyle Long who worked hard during his year off, after retiring following the 2019 season, which saw his lowest PFF grade of 38 overall. Long has posted videos on social media of his workouts and his determination to make it back to the NFL. One would assume Long did not work this hard to sit on the bench and cheer others on. When healthy he provided a Pro Bowl level RG and RT for the Chicago Bears. Competition breeds excellence, and Long versus LDT would be enough of a battle for most teams. However, rookie Trey Smith should provide another talented challenger at RG. Smith’s tape against the SEC shows a mauler who finishes his blocks with tenacity and a killer instinct. He is consistently looking for work throughout a play and has the athletic ability to reach the second level. Andrew Wylie has been re-signed and he’s shown moments while playing guard. He also plays tackle in times of need.
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At Right Tackle, Veach re-signed Mike Remmers back to a one-year deal after playing well for the team when RT Mitchell Schwartz went down with a back injury. Remmers is a good backup and swing tackle and played okay in relief, but his ceiling is lower than most would hope. Lucas Niang will get an opportunity to compete with Remmers for the starting RT position. Niang opted out of the 2020 season for health reasons, and this also provided his hip a chance to heal thoroughly after a surgery he had prior to the 2020 draft. Niang stands at 6-foot-7, 328 lbs., and he played RT for Texas Christian University, where he did not allow a sack during his career. Chase Young, a standout defensive end for the Washington Football Team, and the 2nd player taken in the 2020 NFL Draft, described Niang as, “The toughest tackle he faced in college,” while at Ohio State University. Niang is talented and has spent the year working with a trainer to be ready for this year. Yasir Durant got a chance to play in 2020 and could fight for playing time at RT. The team also has Martinas Rankin, who they traded RB Carlos Hyde for in 2018 with the Houston Texans. Rankin got some playing time at guard for the Chiefs before suffering an injury and is trying to get back into the rotation. A late signing to a future contract in 2020 was Prince Tega Wanogho, a highly talented tackle from Auburn University. His talent is evident, and his movement and length are his strengths. If he can figure out how to stay healthy, he could be another option for a tackle.
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The OL Outlook
My outlook for the Offensive Line is the starting five will be from left to right:
Brown – Thuney – Humphrey – Long – Niang
Backups would be: Remmers/Tackle, Smith/Guard, Blythe/Guard & Center. Other potential backups could be LDT and Rankin. Practice squad members in Prince Tega Wanogho, Yasir Durant, and Daryl Williams. I am most excited for Mahomes to have a talented and aggressive o-line to protect him.
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Wesley Peel — ArrowheadOne
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