The Kansas City Chiefs have some work to do thinning out their draft board ahead of the 2020 NFL draft following the combine. Brett Veach and his staff work to remove plenty of names in order to assemble their final draft board. Pro days, private workouts and top-30 visits will be the final chance players have to make an impression, however, several players have perhaps sealed their fate at with their performances at the combine.
In 2019, I selected Florida DL Jachai Polite, Texas WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Troy CB Blace Brown as players Kansas City should remove from their draft board. Two of those players, Brown and Humphrey, went undrafted. Polite was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets, but he didn’t make it past roster cuts. Both Polite and Humphrey are currently on NFL rosters, but none of the three players have yet to make an impact in the NFL.
Here are three players that I think the Chiefs should remove from their final draft board following the results of the 2020 NFL combine:
USF TE Mitchell Wilcox
Wilcox came in under threshold in his height (6-3), weight (247), hand size (9.25) and arm length (32.25). I’d look past those things if he didn’t have a poor performance the rest of the way.
The best measurable drill that Wilcox had at his combine was his short shuttle time (4.43). Every other measurable drill for Wilcox was an unmitigated disaster. Only two tight ends ran worse in the 40-yard dash (4.88). He had the second-worst vertical jump (31 inches) and the worst broad jump (112 inches) of any of the tight end group.
Did he make up for anything in bench press? Nope, instead, he was one of just four tight ends that participated in drills to not lift.
The gauntlet wasn’t a good look for Wilcox either.
It’s hard to draft Wilcox after his combine performance, but I know he’s an effort player on tape and if he interviewed well, perhaps NFL teams will view it differently. For me, it’s a pass.
LSU LB Michael Divinity Jr.
Divinity Jr had one of the most disappointing performances of the linebacker group at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. He weighed in at a solid 6-feet-2 and 244 pounds, but the problems came in his measurable drills. He posted second-worst 40-yard dash time (4.85), the second-worst bench press repetitions (14) and his vertical and broad jump numbers were equally uninspiring.
In addition to the bad measurable performance, Divinity Jr already had to answer for off-field issues after being suspended for six games during LSU’s championship season. While we don’t know how he interviewed with teams at the combine, there are simply too many red flags here. This is a player that I had circled as a potential SLB candidate for the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive scheme. He might be better suited for a 3-4 team looking for an outside linebacker, even so, proceed with caution on this one.
Mississippi State CB Cam Dantzler
I know there are some folks out there that won’t agree with me, but I wouldn’t draft Dantzler after his combine performance. He ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at and there’s plenty of data to suggest that he’d need to be an outlier to find success in the NFL with that mark. The only other measurable drill for Dantzler was the vertical jump, and he didn’t even hit the average mark. He didn’t compete in any of the other drills.
In addition to his poor measurable drills, I have concerns about his ability to put on weight and keep it on in the NFL. At 188 pounds, he’s about 10-pounds too light for the NFL. Unlike Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward, who also had some weight concerns coming into the NFL, Dantzler played at a major SEC school with a top of the line nutrition program. Why hasn’t he been able to put on weight at school and how much more weight can he put on his frame in the NFL? These are questions that NFL teams will be asking and concerned about.
If he improves on some of his numbers at his pro day, I could possibly be persuaded to place him back on the draft board. I’m still a fan of his tape and sometimes it’s best to go with your gut on that and let all the other stuff work itself out.
