The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the teams with the fewest amount of rookies, with only six on the 53-man roster. Through eight games, each of the rookies has seen playing time for the team, making significant contributions to the Chiefs’ 5-3 record. Four of them have started amid the injuries Kansas City has suffered this season. The other two have contributed in a limited capacity but have had flashes of brilliance.
Here’s a quick breakdown of each rookie through the first half of the season:
WR Mecole Hardman – Round 2, Pick No. 56
Season totals: 20 receptions for 374 yards and four touchdowns
Hardman has more than doubled his quarter-season stat totals. Even with players like Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill returning to the field he’s still looking like one of the better offensive weapons that the Chiefs have. His speed rivals that of Hill’s, and if defenses don’t account for it they can get burned.
Getting limited touches (only nine snaps against the Packers in Week 8) doesn’t seem to stop Hardman. He is taking complete advantage of his opportunity every time he sets foot on the field. He’s even got really close on a few of these punt returns the past couple of weeks. It feels like he’ll only continue to get better as the season progresses.
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DB Juan Thornhill – Round 2, Pick No. 63
Season totals: 30 total tackles, two passes defensed, one interception
Thornhill looks like the best safety to come out of the 2019 NFL draft. He’s been very productive and has helped to shore up a position group that was the bane of the defense last season. His production expands beyond the normal box score too. He’s been one of the most impressive NFL players in coverage this season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Those are some seriously impressive statistics. He recently told the media that the game feels like it’s starting to slow down for him, so don’t expect him to ease up during the second half of the season.
With Hardman and Thornhill, it feels like the Chiefs got the two best players selected in the second round of the 2019 draft.
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DT Khalen Saunders – Round 3, Pick No. 82
Season totals: Eight tackles, one sack, one quarterback hit
After not being active through the first four games to start the season, Saunders has seen opportunities lately. They said that he hit a bit of a wall during the preseason but he’s broken through and is looking good. He’s a hard man to move in the trenches but he can also get after quarterbacks and ball carriers.
Saunders started the past three games in place of the injured Chris Jones. During the time he’s accumulated some good numbers, including a big-time hustle play for his first NFL sack, which came against Aaron Rodgers. For a kid who was playing for Western Illinois a season ago, that had to be a dream.
Expect Saunders to be a bigger part of the defense during the second half of the season even when Jones returns to action.
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CB Rashad Fenton – Round 6, Pick No. 201
Season totals: Five tackles, one pass defensed
Fenton has appeared in seven games, and while most of his snaps have come on special teams, he’s recently begun to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball. Slot corner Kendall Fuller broke his thumb and required surgery, so that has opened up the opportunity for Fenton to fill in.
He’s played in 64 defensive snaps over the course of three games and he’s done a nice job. He hasn’t made anything easy in coverage and he’s very willing in run support. The defensive staff put him in 1-on-1 coverage against the Packers’ Jimmy Graham in Week 8. That makes me believe that he’s earned some goodwill over the past several weeks and could continue starting in the slot even when Fuller is healthy.
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RB Darwin Thompson – Round 6, Pick No. 214
Season totals: Four rushes for nine yards; two catches for two yards
If you told me before the start of the regular season that Thompson would be the most disappointing rookie for the Chiefs, I probably would have scoffed at you. It’s not because he isn’t a good player — he just hasn’t seen much in the way of opportunities.
The Chiefs work him in on a few gadget plays and he’s even returning kicks now with one return against the Packers in Week 8. He’s flashed at times; in Week 8 against the Packers, he had a really nice block after motioning. The block helped WR Sammy Watkins get a first down.
Right now he’s buried on the RB depth chart behind LeSean McCoy, Damien Williams and Darrel Williams. He’s just not getting the snaps to build any sort of success or momentum. Perhaps we’ll see a bit more of Thompson during the second half of the season.
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OL Nick Allegretti – Round 7, Pick No. 217
Season totals: One pancake block
Allegretti has seen most of his action on special teams. They are starting to use him as an extra blocker in short-yardage situations, though. The Chiefs did this during the 2018 season with Austin Reiter back when he wasn’t the starter. Now, Allegretti seems to have stepped into that role and he’s taking advantage of the opportunity when he gets on the field. Check it out:
Here he gets a pancake block on the Broncos nose tackle, effectively walling off the entire left side of the defensive line. You can see how pumped he was for making that play as he trots off the field. If anything, moments like this warrant more playing time for Allegretti, especially if Kansas City wants to run the ball downhill.
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