Wide receiver Maurice Ffrench may be making his way into the Chiefs lineup this season. Ffrench could be used on routes, or Jet Sweeps, as a Punt returner, or as a Kick off returner. He had success in college performing each of those tasks. The more I look at him, the question as to why he wasn’t a drafted player is
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one big mystery. Let’s take a look-see.
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Wide receiver Maurice Ffrench, 5-foot-11, 200 lbs., was a 2020 UDFA with the Chiefs and spent all of last year on their Practice Squad. Although it’s a rare occurrence for a Practice Squad player, one year, to make it to the 53 man roster the next season, that’s what I can see happening with Ffrench, because of his versatility. In Kansas City it’s been tough to make that leap, but if anyone can do it, Ffrench appears to have an inside track. Here are the number of players who made up the Chiefs practice squad each year in the Andy Reid era (who were there not because the were injured):
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In this Reid era, the players who were at one time on the practice squad and then made the jump to the regular 53 man squad include: WR, Frankie Hammond, OG, Jarrod Pughsley, OG, Jordan Devey, WR, Gehrig Dieter, OT, Andrew Wylie, TE, Nick Keizer, OT, and Jackson Barton (Colts PS). I may have missed a couple, but the ones I did find averages out to about 1.0 Practice Squad players per season being promoted to the Chiefs 53 man roster. One aspect of these players who have already made that jump with K.C. is: they’re either Offensive Linemen or Wide Receivers.
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This year, there are a boatload of 2020 PS candidates ready to make the leap including: LB, Omari Cobb, WR, Gehrig Dieter, WR, Jody Fortson, DE, Demone Harris, RB, Elijah McGuire, and OL, Darryl Williams. It’s an even bigger uphill climb at wide receiver with Marcus Kemp, Jody Fortson and Gehrig Dieter perennially waiting in the wings… 3rd year men, Chad Williams, Daurice Fountain, and Antonio Callaway hoping to get a shot… add in Dalton Schoen, and Chris Finke… plus the usual suspects: Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson, and rookie draft pick Cornell Powell. With all this wideout talent overflowing at Chiefs One Arrowhead Way, it’s seems a bit of a long shot for Maurice Ffrench. A lot may depend on how many WRs the Chiefs keep on the 53-man roster.
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While Ffrench may have his work cut out for him to make an impact with the Chiefs in 2021, he has something that many other WRs don’t: Special Teams specialness. Take a look at two of his returns while at Pittsburgh.
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I like the way Ffrench holds the ball high and tight, and so will Dave Toub. If you think Maurice Ffrench looks fast, he is. He runs a 4.4 – 40-yard dash. The Chiefs could have another track star in Ffrench and here’s a look at him running the 100 in High School:
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He’s not as fast as Tyreek Hill — and nobody is — but Ffrench is fast enough to be of interest to Special Team coach, Dave Toub. If Ffrench can make the roster as a STs player, he could end up getting game snaps on offense, as he was often utilized in a similar way at Pittsburgh: running the Jet Sweep and passes in the flat. Here are his career highlights while at the University of Pittsburgh:
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- Ffrench was 5th in the nation (FBS) in Kickoff Return Yardage Per Return in 2018, also 1st in the ACC
- in 2019 he broke Larry Fitzgerald’s Pitt record with 96 receptions in a season, also 1st in the ACC
- he led nation in 2019 with 8.7 catches per game
- Ffrench had 2,016 yards from scrimmage (rushing yards & receiving yards) including 49 carries for a 7.7 YPC average.
- he was 1st in the ACC in Punt Returns in 2018, with 27 (a 6.1 YPPR)
- Ffrench had 2,832 all-purpose yards during his four years, with 16 TDs
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While Ffrench couldn’t crack the draft, it’s worth noting that a record 13 WRs were taken in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL draft. The Chiefs attempt to improve team speed every year and Maurice Ffrench can help accomplish that goal. Ffrench checks off all the boxes the Chiefs are looking for in a player, especially a WR. I’m also impressed by what he had to say when he came to the Chiefs:
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Modeling yourself after Tyreek Hill is one thing, performing like him is a completely different animal (a Cheetah – 😁). However, when I watch Ffrench’s tape, I often see the parallel, so let’s take a look.
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One more play to share. This next one reminds me a lot of Tyreek because Ffrench not only slows down a bit, hesitates, to fake the DB out, but then turns on the after-burners to get past the first DB, then makes a nice cutback, and beats three defenders down the field for a long score.
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With Sammy Watkins gone and the possibility that Mecole Hardman may be asked to take more offensive reps, and consequently fewer Special Teams reps, that may be the open door Ffrench is looking for. He would also make a good gunner on Punting downs. I know the Chiefs are loaded at the wide receiver position, but anyone who can better a Larry Fitzgerald record, even if it is only a college record, has to be given a second look. What do you think?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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