The Kansas City Chiefs already have Day 1 of their rookie minicamp in the books. Brett Veach and company brought in 41 tryout players, who all have a shot to make an impression this weekend. If they succeed, they’ll end up with a spot on the 90-man offseason roster.
There are several intriguing options that have already caught my attention and a good showing could land them on team.
University Alabama-Birmingham S Broderick Thomas
Thomas is the nephew of former Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame corner, and defensive backs coach, Emmitt Thomas. Pedigree isn’t super important, but having an uncle with that type of record of success with the Chiefs can’t hurt. He’s not going to be able to ride on the coattails of his uncle, though. He’ll need to show up on his own during minicamp.
Thomas is known as a hard-hitting safety who has a penchant for performing in the biggest games for his team. At 6-1 and 200 pounds, Thomas has prototypical NFL size. He’s not a ball hawk out there, like Chiefs second-round pick Juan Thornhill, with only two career interceptions at UAB. He’s better suited for making plays in run support.
The Chiefs could certainly use some developmental safety depth. Thomas figures in as a box safety at the next level.
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Southwestern Oklahoma State WR Joel Blumenthal
Blumenthal is one of the most intriguing players on the field, regardless of his tryout status.
He played at Northwestern State and Southwestern Oklahoma State as a quarterback. He dealt with two significant injuries as a QB, and eventually made the switch to receiver. He started making noise in scouting circles following his performance at the Oklahoma pro day, where he caught every single pass that No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray threw to him. In a single day he went from a virtual unknown to an intriguing commodity.
At that same pro day, by some accounts, Blumenthal also ran a sub 4.4 40-yard dash. The Chiefs obviously have a huge need for speed in their offense, and they could be lacking one of their speediest players for a significant amount of time. If Blumenthal has a weekend that is remotely similar to his showing at the Oklahoma pro day, he’ll be a shoo-in to make the 90-man offseason roster.
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Clemson LB Kendall Joseph
Joseph is probably the biggest name on the list of the Chiefs’ tryout players at rookie minicamp. He’s won two national titles with the Clemson Tigers. Many folks had a draftable grade on Joseph and were surprised to see him go undrafted.
Size concerns (6-foot) and a lack of discernible athleticism seem to have scared teams away on Joseph. In my eyes he projects as a guy who can only play middle linebacker in a 4-3 scheme.
The big thing I love about Joseph is the fact that he plays the linebacker position with no fear. One of the biggest problems with the Chiefs’ linebacker group in 2018 is they played on their heels. They didn’t attack the football. You won’t find that problem with Joseph.
The Chiefs obviously have needs at the linebacker position after failing to address it in the 2019 NFL draft. The question is whether they think they can work around Joseph’s limitations.
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Iowa LB Parker Hesse
Hesse was a defensive end in Iowa’s scheme and he spent a lot of time rushing the passer. He’s shown strong tackle, tackle for loss and sack production during his college career. His play style didn’t always fill up the stat sheet, but it’s clear he’s a very smart player that can impact the play in multiple ways.
In high school, Hesse played off the ball linebacker. The Chiefs listed him as a linebacker on their rookie minicamp roster, so I’d imagine they have plans for him to go back to his old high school position.
At Hesse’s 6-3 and 260 pound size, he’s a perfect match for what the Chiefs are looking for at the strong side linebacker position. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him make the team after a flashy performance during rookie minicamp.
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Florida State CB Tarvarus McFadden
One often overlooked fact of rookie minicamp is that any player without an accrued NFL season is allowed to participate. The Chiefs invited former San Francisco 49ers and Florida State CB Tarvarus McFadden to tryout at their minicamp this weekend.
During McFadden’s sophomore season at Florida State he tied for the NCAA lead in interceptions with eight, and put up a tremendous season. McFadden left school early following his junior season, which contributed to him going undrafted.
He is a long corner at 6-2 and 200 pounds. He fits the mold for what the Chiefs are currently lacking in the corner department. If he’s learned from his time on the 49ers practice squad, it’s possible that he could usurp a spot from one of these new additions.
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