The Kansas City Chiefs kick off their rookie minicamp on Saturday. While all eyes will be on their incoming draft picks, there are always a few tryout players who make their presence known.
The Chiefs always seem to add a few players to the 90-man roster who attended rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. Last year, the team signed Virginia OL Chris Glaser and Toledo OT Vitaliy Gurman after tryouts. In the past, they’ve added a veteran WR Daurice Fountain after having him in the building for a tryout during a rookie minicamp.
Here are six players from the latest crop of rookie minicamp tryouts to keep an eye on this weekend:
Harvard RB Aidan Borguet
This 22-year-old running back prospect could have a chance to make the Chiefs’ 90-man offseason roster. Listed at 5-foot-9 and 207 pounds, Borguet led the Ivy League in total yards (1241) last season, scoring 11 total touchdowns in the process. He wasn’t asked to do much pass-catching during his career with just 11 career receptions, but he was great in pass protection for the Crimson.
UNSELFISHNESS = Who you are WITHOUT the 🏈 @aidanborguet_ 💪🏽💪🏽 @HarvardFootball #GoCrimson #CrimCountry23 pic.twitter.com/prlnCqhAjA
— Saj Thakkar (@Coach_Thakkar) February 15, 2022
Cincinnati OL Jeremy Cooper
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds, Cooper was a starter at left guard for Cincinnati in each of the past two seasons. During the course of his five-year career with the Bearcats, he allowed just two sacks with nearly 1,000 repetitions in pass protection. For his size, he’s not too shabby in the run game, boasting impressive movement skills and the ability to land blocks in space.
Toledo TE Jamal Turner
This 6-foot-4 and 244-pound tight end prospect isn’t the most athletic at the position, but he was reliable as a red zone target and blocker for one of the most productive offenses in the MAC. Last season alone, he caught 29 passes for 377 yards and eight touchdowns. High touchdown production certainly won’t hurt his cause, but the fact that he’s also used as a blocker and special teams players has value as well.
Merrimack HB/FB Tyler Roberts
Andy Reid loves fullbacks and the Chiefs don’t currently have one on the 90-man offseason roster. Roberts is the closest to that designation, playing more of an H-Back role at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds. He was a two-time team captain for Merrimack and earned First-Team All-NEC honors a year ago. He was highly productive as a receiver in 2021 with 52 receptions for 535 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games played. His role in 2022 was more in line with a traditional wingback and blocking fullback.
Missouri Western DE Arnold "A.J." Crayton
At face value, it’s hard to find a lot of room on the roster for edge rushers, but Crayton would be a great story in Kansas City. At 6-foot-3 and 266 pounds, Crayton has good size for Steve Spagnuolo’s scheme. He had a productive career with the Griffons, recording 21.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in four seasons. The stat that intrigues me most about Crayton is that he had five blocked field goals in his career. That’s how you mack a roster in the NFL as a backup pass-rusher.
Northwest Missouri State DT Zach Howard
A Bolivar, Missouri native, Howard was a big-time standout at Northwest Missouri State. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds, the name of Howard’s game is stuffing the run, but he’s not bad at getting after the quarterback either. In 2022, he posted 52 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in 13 games started. The performance earned him First-Team All-MIAA honors for the second time in his career. He ranks third all-time for the Bearcats with 29.5 career sacks. He’s also tied for fourth all-time with 44.5 tackles for loss.
