In each of the past two seasons, Brett Veach has taken a defensive lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs within the top-100 picks of the NFL Draft. Both Derrick Nnadi and Khalen Saunders have shown the ability to get on the field early in their careers. The team also already has a star in Chris Jones and re-signed an important free agent in Mike Pennel.
The sheer depth the Chiefs have at the position would make you think that the team is done adding there, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo might have other plans, though. He likes a strong rotation in the trenches and with both Jones and Pennel scheduled to become free agents again in a year, they could look to add another player with an eye toward the future. Here is a look at some of the defensive tackle prospects Kansas City could consider in each round of the 2020 NFL Draft:
Round 1: Texas A&M DT Justin Maduibuike
Madubuike is a bit undersized at 6-3 and 293 pounds, and some have him falling outside of the first round, but he’s been a stud at every level of football along the way to the NFL. He was a five-star recruit out of high school, choosing Texas A&M to develop his talents. As a Sophomore with the Aggies, he earned the defensive MVP award with a team-leading three forced fumbles, 40 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks. He followed it up leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss in 2019.
Pad level, strength and get-off are how Madubuike makes up for his lack of size. He’s versatile with the ability to play up and down the defensive line. He’s not one dimensional either, as he makes a big impact in the run game. That’s important because if you’re taking a defensive lineman this high you want him to be able to play for all three downs.
Round 2: Nebraska DT Neville Gallimore
In the past two seasons at Oklahoma, Gallimore has accounted for 79 tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, and 11.5 tackles for loss. He has tremendous athleticism, running a 4.79 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. That was the second-best number by a defensive lineman that weighed over 300 pounds. One thing that jumps out to me is his effort on the field. He’s relentless in his pursuit of the football and coaches are going to absolutely love that.
If you look at the pre-draft scouting reports out there it feels like Gallimore is a clone of Chris Jones. They talk about flashes on tape and poor pad level. If the Chiefs chose to move on from Jones at any point, this would be a player they could target to replace him.
Round 3: Ohio State DT DaVon Hamilton
Hamilton was a bit of a late-bloomer at Ohio State because he was playing behind some good players. He didn’t draw his first start until his junior year. In his final season for the Buckeyes, he saw career highs in tackles (28), tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (6.5).
The 6-4, 320-pounder has great size and length for the NFL. He displays some serious power in his game and uses his hands well given his lack of time as a starter. The single year of production will likely scare some teams away, but most teams will want to bet on his athleticism and upside as a pass rusher.
Round 4: Nebraska DT Khalil Davis
A native of Blue Springs, Missouri, Davis was one of the biggest winners at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. The former track & field athlete posted the fastest 40-yard dash (4.75) among defensive linemen weighing over 300 pounds. His athleticism jumps off the tape and is really quite impressive given his size.
In each of his four seasons at Nebraska, Davis has improved his play, culminating in a great senior season. He had career highs in total tackles (44), tackles for loss (11) and sacks (8) in 2019. He has a very quick first step and plays with great pad level. The one area that he’ll always face struggles in is length, with 31.5-inch arms.
Davis and his twin brother Carlos likely would have been invited to the Chiefs’ local pro day. That was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but you can rest assured the team is aware of the talent from their own backyard.
Round 5: Ole Miss DT Benito Jones
At the combine, Jones told me a story about how in youth football when he was a kid he had a game where he got every single tackle for his team. He said the center was afraid to snap the ball by the end of the game. He’d go on to become a five-star recruit out of high school.
During his career with the Rebels, Jones accumulated 132 total tackles, 31 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, one forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and an interception. In each of the past two seasons, he showed significant improvement too.
Jones is one of the most underrated defensive linemen in this draft class. If he’s available in the fifth round, Kansas City should feel comfortable pulling the trigger to reinforce the depth of their defensive line.
Round 6: Michigan State DT Raequan Williams
In his four-years at Michigan State, Williams accumulated 157 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He also had a knack for batting down the football, with eight of those during his career.
At 6-4 and 308 pounds, Williams has good size and length for the NFL game. He’s played a lot of snaps for the Spartans with 42 consecutive starts at the defensive tackle position. The problem is that he doesn’t have a whole lot of growth to show for in that time. He’s not the quickest player off the ball, but he plays with good strength. NFL teams will want to work with him because of his size, but he needs a lot of work if he wants to be great in the league.
Round 7: Texas Tech DT Broderick Washington Jr.
Voted team captain for the Red Raiders in back-to-back seasons, Washington is the type of player you look for late in the draft. He’s a little undersized and doesn’t have the greatest length, but you can’t measure the heart and technical precision this kid plays with.
He’s really good with his footwork and controlling offensive linemen down the line of scrimmage. He sheds blockers with relative ease, which makes for some serious disruption in the run game. He also has great closing burst when finishing off tackles and sacks.
Washington had an informal meeting with the Chiefs at the combine and was a teammate of QB Patrick Mahomes.
