It’s Week 5 in college football and we have even more exciting prospects to watch.
I have identified over 200 prospects for the 2020 draft that I believe could be potential fits for the Kansas City Chiefs. I’ll be releasing mini scouting reports on these prospects in random groups of four up until the draft.
Check out the latest group of prospects down below:
Arizona DB Jace Whittaker
The Kansas City Chiefs will be doing a lot of research on the upcoming cornerback class in 2020. They wanted to address the position in the 2019 NFL draft, but the cards didn’t fall in a way where they could sufficiently address it. Luckily for the Chiefs, this is shaping up to be a good crop of corners.
Whittaker has been a bit of a do-everything player for Arizona, with snaps coming at boundary corner, in the slot and even playing some safety this season. Versatility is something that the Chiefs like in a lot of positions, and it’s valuable to have a defensive back that can play multiple spots. He’s the type of player that can really change the entire composition of a secondary and give the coaches coverage options to confuse offenses.
Whittaker is among the NCAA’s interception leaders this season with three interceptions in four games. His ball skills have been evident throughout his career with seven interceptions and 31 passes defended in Arizona. In addition to the ball skills, he boasts great athleticism, recovery speed and can find success in different types of coverages.
WATCH: UCLA at Arizona, Saturday, Sept. 28 at 9:30 p.m CT
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South Carolina DL Javon Kinlaw
The Kansas City Chiefs could potentially be in the market for a defensive lineman if they don’t sign Chris Jones to a long-term extension. He’s a candidate for free agency or the franchise tag for the Chiefs. There’s also a possibility that he could be tagged and traded as Dee Ford was last season.
This is a decent class to need a defensive lineman. There was some thought that Kinlaw could have declared as a junior in 2018, but he stayed in school hoping to build on his junior season. Kinlaw’s decision to return to school was a smart one, as he currently leads the SEC in sacks and looks like a player that will be rising up draft boards throughout the process.
At 6-feet-6 and 305 pounds, Kinlaw has astounding physical traits. His long arms are perfect for creating leverage mismatches and getting into quarterback throwing lanes. To go with that impressive size and length, he shows off his brute strength and quick get-off on a consistent basis.
Similar to Jones coming out of college, Kinlaw is susceptible to getting too high out of his stance at times. It’s a correctable issue with coaching and playing experience, one that I’m confident Brendan Daly can work out of him.
WATCH: Kentucky at South Carolina, Saturday, Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. CT
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Ohio State LB Malik Harrison
The Kansas City Chiefs could potentially be in the market to add some linebackers to the mix in the 2020 NFL draft. Darron Lee and Reggie Ragland are both set to become free agents following the 2019 season. The team could opt to keep them or they could potentially opt for changes.
Listed at 6-feet-3 and 240 pounds, Harrison has a great blend of size and speed. He’s one of those unique athletes that can explode to the football on a moment’s notice. He makes an impact at Ohio State in the run game, getting after the quarterback and in zone coverage drops.
Harrison plays with his eyes in the backfield and he rarely misses tackles. He’s very good at wrapping up and bringing down running backs on first contact, which NFL coaches will love about him. He also handles blockers well, displaying power and the ability to play through the blocker. He can struggle to disengage at times
In the Chiefs’ scheme, Harrison can fill at any of the MLB, SLB, or WLB spots. He’s played all three for the Buckeyes and at a high level too. That’d give the Chiefs some versatility in the event of injuries or different sub-packages.
WATCH: Ohio State at Nebraska, Saturday, Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m. CT
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SMU RB Xavier Jones
Jones has found a lot of success running the ball throughout his career at SMU. At 5-feet-10 and 210 pounds, he has a compact frame built for withstanding contact. He runs with good pad level and has some explosion to his game when he hits the open field.
The 2019 season has been good to Jones with over 400 yards of total offense and nine touchdowns through just four games played. He has been extremely impressive during his career at SMU and is on his way to passing SMU legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Doak Walker in nearly every statistical category. He needs 17 more rushing touchdowns this season to catch former SMU stars, Eric Dickerson and Zach Line.
SMU is the alma mater of the Hunt family and I expect them to be familiar with this player. This is a strong RB class and we’ve seen how the Chiefs and the NFL value RBs in the past. It’s possible that this player isn’t drafted despite his success. Regardless, I’m certain this player will be on the Chiefs’ radar come April.
WATCH: SMU at South Florida, Saturday, Sept. 28 at 3:00 p.m. CT
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