Breaking down each of the Chiefs’ undrafted free agentsThe Kansas City Chiefs added 18 undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL Draft.
This team has always given the best players the opportunity to shine whether they’re top overall draft picks or undrafted free agents. Several players who contributed to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning season started out their career as undrafted free agents. Guys like Damien Williams, Daniel Sorensen, Charvarius Ward and so on.
Here’s a closer look at the newest group of undrafted players who will have the chance to make an impact in Kansas City:
Missouri OL Yasir Durant
Height: 6-6
Weight: 331
Career stats: 37 games played with 748 snaps at left tackle.
Info: Durant allowed just 29 pressures, 4 sacks in his career per PFF. For his size, Durant is very light on his feet. He does really well blocking in space and his feet are quick with the ability to mirror his opponents. Brett Veach envisions Durant as a player with the positional flexibility to play both tackle and guard. This is a player that I’d watch out for as a sleeper to earn the starting job at left guard.
Mississippi State OL Daryl Williams
Height: 6-2
Weight: 304
Career stats: 45 games played with 38 starts.
Info: A team captain and two-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week in 2019. Williams is a powerful run-blocker and perhaps underrated as a pass-blocker. Allowed only two sacks in his career according to Pro Football Focus. Brett Veach views Williams as a player with the positional flexibility to play both guard and center. He played both positions during his time at Mississippi State as well. The Chiefs dished out a lot of guaranteed money for Williams to come and compete in Kansas City.
Vanderbilt WR Kalija Lipscomb
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 207
Career stats: 198 receptions for 2,356 yards and 22 touchdowns. 24 carries for 149 yards and one touchdown. 24 kick returns for 232 yards. 46 games played.
Info: Lipscomb is probably considered to be quicker rather than fast. His route running is advanced and he only needs a little breathing room to win his routes. He has a really nice hesitation move that will break some ankles in the NFL. The Chiefs paid Lipscomb a lot of guaranteed money to sign with the team. Gil Brandt had him listed as the top-ranked undrafted free agent receiver available.
Michigan CB Lavert Hill
Height: 5-10
Weight: 190
Career stats: 56 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, six interceptions, 20 passes defended, one fumble recovery and two touchdowns in 36 games played.
Info: Hill has a good understanding of both man and zone coverage responsibilities. He likes to get his hand on receivers in press coverage. He has very good footwork in transition, rarely losing a step when he gets himself flipped around. When he gets the football, he is a threat to score, with two interceptions returned for touchdowns in his career. A lack of length may force him into the slot in the NFL.
Auburn CB Javaris Davis
Height: 5-8
Weight: 183
Career stats: 150 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, eight interceptions, 27 passes defended, one touchdown and one forced fumble. All done in 44 games.
Info: Davis was a really consistent player for the Auburn Tigers. His lack of size and length will probably limit him to the slot in the NFL, but he played outside for Auburn as well. He plays surprisingly big for his size and definitely has a nose for the football. At the combine, Davis ran one of the top 40-yard dash times at 4.39. He also had a top broad jump score of 124 inches.
Cincinnati LB Bryan Wright
Height: 6-3
Weight: 238
Career stats: 153 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five passes defended, two fumbles recoveries and two forced fumbles in 27 games played at linebacker.
Info: New to the position, Wright has only played off-ball linebacker for the past two seasons. He was recruited as a defensive end and made the position switch in 2018. He has a unique blend of size and speed at the position. He has really good instincts and does a good job sifting through the trash to find the ball carrier. Cincinnati liked to use him as a Blitzer and I think that’ll happen at the next level too. He’s also really impressive in coverage with 0.38 yards per coverage snap in his career per PFF. Probably has the versatility to play either OLB position in Steve Spagnuolo’s system.
Marshall LB Omari Cobb
Height: 6-4
Weight: 223
Career stats: 248 total tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, two interceptions, one touchdown, three passes defended, one fumble recovery, two forced fumbles in 47 games played.
Info: One of the defensive MVPs for the Thundering Herd in the 2019 season, Cobb is an experienced and hardened linebacker prospect. He is built more like a big safety than a linebacker. He reminds me a little of Oregon LB Troy Dye. While he doesn’t have the same ball production, he’s a similar body type and athlete. He’ll play WLB in the Chiefs’ system.
BYU WR Aleva Hifo
Height: 5-10
Weight: 187
Career stats: 118 receptions for 1,336 yards and seven touchdowns. 23 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns. 29 kick returns for 598 yards. 15 punt returns for 232 yards. All done in 51 games played.
Info: Hifo excels with the ball in his hands. He’s great on quick passes, screen passes and gadget plays like jet sweeps. He is also an electrifying return specialist with a great feel for changing gears and finding a lane. While he didn’t get an invite to the combine, Hifo ran a 4.41 at his virtual pro day. In the NFL he’s going to have to earn his keep on special teams as a returner man and a gunner.
Florida P Tommy Townsend
Height: 6-2
Weight: 176
Career stats: 93 punts for 4,162 yards. 44 of those 93 punts landed inside the 20-yard line.
Info: Townsend is known for his aggressive mindset with the punting game. He’s always trying to pin teams deep and make things more difficult on the opponent. He already brings a unique element to his game with his athleticism and ability to run fake punts. The Chiefs had a lot of competition trying to sign Townsend following the draft. He’s envisioned as the future at the punter position in Kansas City. It appears as if the Chiefs released Dustin Colquitt as leverage in getting him to sign here over other teams. That alone should tell you how much they value Townsend. This could be the guy who is here for the next 15 years.
Missouri S&T DE Tershawn Wharton
Height: 6-4
Weight: 255
Career stats: 169 tackles, 46 tackles for loss, 28.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 32 games.
Info: Wharton was a D2 football and Great Lakes Valley Conference star. In 2017 he earned first-team All-GLVC honors. This signing really stands to reason with Brett Veach’s previous comments about not letting elite talent out of your own backyard. Wharton was a standout at the East-West Shrine Bowl and looks to be a solid developmental prospect at the defensive end position.
SMU DB Rodney Clemons
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 209
Career stats: 272 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, seven interceptions, 27 passes defended, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. A blocked field goal for a touchdown and a blocked PAT. All done in 50 career games at SMU.
Info: One of the biggest hitters in this draft class, Clemons made a career out of punishing hits at SMU. He’ll make his money on special teams early in his NFL career. He’s not the fastest safety, which likely limits his role to the box or two-high safety looks. He was a surprisingly impressive player in coverage in 2017 and in 2019.
WVU CB Hakeem Bailey
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 188
Career stats: 135 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and 16 passes defended in 35 games.
Info: Bailey is a cornerback with good instincts. He’s fearless when coming up to make a tackle, which will be a big benefit if he has to earn his keep on special teams. His speed is an underrated part of his game, keeping up with some of the fastest receivers in the Big 12. Bailey played mostly outside CB for West Virginia, but his lack of length will probably require a move to the slot in the NFL.
Michigan State WR Cody White
Height: 6-3
Weight: 217
Career stats: 143 receptions for 1,967 yards and 12 touchdowns. 11 carries for 63 yards and one touchdown. 19 punt returns for 85 yards. All done in 35 career games played.
Info: White flew under-the-radar at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, but had really nice on-field workouts. White stands out as a receiver that does his best work when the play breaks down. He finds soft spots in coverage, he makes amazing adjustments to poorly thrown balls and he has really good hands. His lack of speed and quickness could be a problem for the NFL game. Another big problem that I’ve noticed is he doesn’t always play to his size.
Pittsburgh WR Maurice Ffrench
Height: 5-11
Weight: 200
Career stats: 156 receptions for 1,637 yards and 10 touchdowns. 49 rushes for 379 yards and four touchdowns. 27 kick returns for 652 yards and two touchdowns. All in 43 games played.
Info: Ffrench is a versatile playmaker, with production as a receiver, rusher and kick returner. He’s a dynamic deep threat and it doesn’t shock me knowing that he signed with the Chiefs. In 2019, Ffrench broke the single-season receptions record at Pittsburgh with 96 catches. It was previously held by Pittsburgh great and current Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald. The fact that he creates points in every facet of his game is truly valuable and gives him an advantage over some other players in this undrafted free agent class.
Vanderbilt WR Justice Shelton-Mosley
Height: 5-10
Weight: 196
Career stats:
- Harvard: 148 receptions for 1,921 yards and seven touchdowns in 32 games. 30 kickoff returns for 739 yards. 44 punt returns for 634 yards and three touchdowns.
- Vanderbilt: 14 receptions for 97 yards. Five carries for 47 yards. 17 kickoff returns for 307 yards. 16 punt returns for 145 yards.
Info: An FCS All-American and All-Ivy League selection in 2017. Graduate transferred from Harvard to Vanderbilt in 2019. Put a very fruitful career with Goldman Sachs on hold to join the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. His ability and production as a return specialist pops off the tape and is clearly something that the Chiefs are interested in.
Washington WR Andre Baccellia
Height: 5-10
Weight: 175
Career stats: 107 receptions for 1,183 yards and five touchdowns. 10 carries for 119 yards one touchdown. All done in 39 games played.
Info: Baccellia didn’t have the strongest production during his career, but his 4.27 speed is apparent on film. While he didn’t play as a return man on special teams, I anticipate the Chiefs trying him out there because of his speed and vision. You can find out more about how Baccellia ended up signing with the Chiefs here.
Temple OG Jovahn Fair
Height: 6-2
Weight: 315
Career stats: Started 43 games at left guard over the course of four seasons.
Info: One of the few players at Temple to be awarded a single-digit number in 2019, worn on his helmet, representative of exemplary leadership and toughness. Fair had a strong week of practice and a good game at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He’s a smart player with better quickness and technique than he’ll get credit for. According to Pro Football Focus, his pass-blocking grade in 2019 (87.0) ranked sixth among all guards in the FBS. Given his size, I wonder if a switch to the center position might be in order?
Ole Miss DB Jalen Julius
Height: 5-10
Weight: 192
Career stats: 138 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 13 passes defended and two forced fumbles in 45 games played
Info: Julius was a four-star prospect coming out of high school. Versatility was the name of his game at Ole Miss. In 2017 and 2018 he played cornerback, in 2019 he played quite a bit of safety in the wake of injuries. Julius even lined up in the slot on occasion. His lack of ball production is a bit concerning, but he has seen a lot of snaps in the SEC. In the NFL I think he will be forced to play a bit closer to the line of scrimmage because he isn’t the rangiest athlete when he lines up center-field.
