We’re a quarter of the way through the 2019 NFL season and the Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated. The Chiefs are one of the teams with the fewest amount of rookies, with only six in total on the 53-man roster. Through the first quarter of the season, they’ve seen some significant contributions from their rookies as well as some not-so-significant contributions. Here’s a quick breakdown of each rookie through the first quarter of the season:
WR Mecole Hardman – Round 2, Pick 56
Season totals: Eight receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns.
Hardman has been the Chiefs’ most impactful rookie player by far. After losing Tyreek Hill to injury in Week 1 of the regular season, there were many concerned that the offense wouldn’t be able to handle losing their No. 1 receiver.
In consecutive weeks since Hill’s injury, the Chiefs had a new receiving leader, with Hardman leading the way for Kansas City in Week 3. During that game, he had two receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown. He also proved that he has the speed that can rival Hill.
Another place that Hardman has made an impact is special teams. He has 15 total snaps as a kick or punt returner. He fumbled on a return just this past week so he’ll obviously look to work on that moving forward.
It’ll be interesting to see how his role changes once Hill returns to the gameday lineup for the Chiefs. He could take a backseat or they could keep him in the gameplan and have a lot of speed on the field at once.
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DB Juan Thornhill – Round 2, Pick 63
Season totals: 15 total tackles and one pass defended.
Thornhill surprised everyone by being the Chiefs’ Week 1 starter at free safety over Daniel Sorensen who had seen the majority of the starting snaps during the preseason. This was a smart move in my opinion because it has allowed Thornhill to get meaningful game experience and it’s allowed Sorensen to get more comfortable playing that nickel role that he excels at.
So far, Thornhill has flashed moments of elite range and athleticism but hasn’t been able to capitalize on a turnover. His production has been solid so far, leading the Chiefs in tackles in Week 1 against the Jaguars. He’s not afraid to come up and make a tackle in the open field, however, he does have a few missed tackles.
Moving forward you want to see those ball skills come through a little bit more. He’s been pretty close along with some other members of the Chiefs’ secondary. Eventually, as Thornhill gets more comfortable those close moments will become turnovers.
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DT Khalen Saunders – Round 3, Pick 82
Season totals: N/A
Saunders has easily been the most disappointing draft pick thus far. Through the first quarter of the season, Saunders hasn’t been active for a single game. They’ve managed a strong defensive line rotation without him for the time being, but as the season goes on they might need to call on him in case of injury. I wouldn’t be so quick to call it a redshirt season for him.
After an unproductive preseason, the coaching staff wasn’t shy about letting us know that Saunders had hit a bit of a rookie wall. It’s to be expected with some players and it’s not exactly a bad thing. We can only hope that his preparation seriously and getting meaningful practice repetitions. If that’s the case he should be ready to go in the event of his number being called down the stretch.
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CB Rashad Fenton – Round 6, Pick 201
Season totals: N/A
Fenton has been active for all four games this season but he didn’t take a snap during Week 2 against the Raiders. All of his other snaps came on special teams for the Chiefs, however, Fenton has recorded no stats.
The Chiefs seemingly have a lot of trust in this player as he was the lone backup CB for all three positions through the first four weeks of the season. I don’t think any fans really expected that level of trust after what they saw from Fenton during the preseason. Now that Mo Claiborne is set to return from suspension, he’ll have some help there.
Don’t expect much out of Fenton moving forward unless the Chiefs suffer significant injuries at the CB position.
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RB Darwin Thompson – Round 6, Pick 214
Season totals: Four rushes for nine yards and one catch for three yards.
After a dominant showing during the preseason, Thompson has seen trouble trying to crack the Chiefs’ running back rotation. The addition of LeSean McCoy has made for limited contributions from Thompson during the 2019 season. Having the RB depth the Chiefs have isn’t exactly a bad thing and it’s allowing for Thompson to come along more slowly instead of being thrust into the thick of it.
Additionally, the Chiefs seem to have more confidence in their veteran players, specifically in the passing game. Why is that exactly? Well, Andy Reid spelled it out for us when talking about Darrel Williams, it has to do with the protection calls and how complicated those are. Even a veteran like McCoy has come in and needs some adjustment period to get used to those calls.
The good news is the Chiefs seem confident in Thompson’s abilities, there just aren’t enough snaps to go around. I’d expect them to continue to use him sparingly, but it’s a long season and injury can quickly change things at any position.
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OL Nick Allegretti – Round 7, Pick 217
Season totals: N/A
Allegretti has yet to be active for any of the Chiefs’ games in 2019. Right now, the Chiefs seem to be facing depth concerns at the tackle position with Eric Fisher out with injury. Allegretti plays the interior, as he’s listed on the depth chart as the backup center but played both center and guard during the preseason.
Having a player like Jeff Allen active over a player like Allegretti makes sense. Allen can play every position on the offensive line including center but most importantly he can step in and play tackle in the event of an injury.
I wouldn’t expect to see Allegretti active moving forward unless any of the Chiefs’ interior offensive linemen suffer injuries. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as he still has some learning to do, which is to be expected of a seventh-round draft pick.
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