The Kansas City Chiefs no longer have a first-round draft pick, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be interested in selecting an offensive tackle. They could even potentially trade up to select one.
The Chiefs need to be cognizant of their future needs at the offensive tackle position. Eric Fisher has an out year in his contract coming up soon. Eventually Mitchell Schwartz will be seeking an extension. It might be wise to get some young talent at the bookends for the future.
Here are players the Chiefs could look at in each round of the draft:
Round 1: Dalton Risner, Kansas State
I list Risner as an offensive tackle, but really this a player where positional versatility is driving the bus. You can only dress so many guys on Sunday, and Risner is the only guy in this class that I think can play any offensive line position.
At 6-5 and 300 pounds, Risner is powerful and punishing. He’s not the longest guy in this class, which is why he’ll get consideration at multiple spots. However, he makes up for his lack of length in a handful of different ways when he’s playing tackle.
In both pass protection and the run game he fights power with power. He packs a pair of strong mitts that he uses extremely well. He has great technical precision and understanding of leverage. His football smarts jump off the tape. I truly find a hard time poking holes in Risner’s game.
If the Chiefs decided to move up for Risner, you won’t find me, or many others complaining. He’ll protect their investment in Patrick Mahomes, and can do it from any spot along the line.
Continue…
Round 2: Tytus Howard, Alabama State
Howard has one of my favorite stories of the 2019 NFL draft. His journey from being a high school quarterback, to becoming one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the draft is just brilliant.
Here’s the abridged version: During the recruiting process, Howard received interest from a single school as a quarterback. He walked on at Alabama State as tight end, and an injury thrust him into starting at the right tackle spot weighing just 240 pounds. The rest is history.
Howard is admittedly still raw and learning the offensive tackle position, but he has some great tools to work with. At 6-5 and over 330 pounds, Howard has great size and length. He knows how to use both of those to his advantage in his pass sets, and in the run game. He’s also quite athletic, moving well in space, and executing blocks at the second-level.
During the Senior Bowl, he handled some of the top edge rushers in this draft class with ease. He’s proved that he belongs in the NFL, and playing the tackle position. I wouldn’t be shocked if Howard caught the eyes of the Chiefs down in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. Thus far, if they have any interest they’ve been quiet with it.
Continue…
Round 3: Chuma Edoga, USC
In other years you’d probably see Edoga pushed up into the first round of the draft. It just shows you how deep the tackle position is this year, that a guy like Edoga is currently considered a Day 2 pick.
There’s a lot to like about Edoga’s game, he moves extremely well for his 6-4 and 310 pound frame. He plays with a bit of a nasty streak at times, but he doesn’t consistently play through the whistle on a snap-to-snap basis.
Edoga has the quickness and foot speed to handle speed rushes. However, he does at times struggle to anchor and win leverage battles against power rushers. Lunging is something that I think coaches will want to address with him at the next level.
It’d serve Edoga well to learn behind an established veteran for a few seasons. The Chiefs have a few of those guys who that he could potentially work with.
Continue…
Round 4: Oli Udoh, Elon
Udoh has been one of the bigger surprises during the pre-draft process at the tackle position. When he’s drafted, he’ll join a very exclusive club. Udoh will become the 12th player from Elon to ever be drafted into the NFL.
At 6-5 and 320 pounds, Udoh is a massive human being. He’s the definition of a mauler, and has plenty of tape where he bruises over the competition in both the run game and the pass game. He’s got an extremely good anchor, and he’s very hard to move from his spot.
During the Senior Bowl, Udoh showed the type of fight that you need to see from a prospect that plays for a lesser conference. The one thing Udoh doesn’t have going for him is that he’s not a strong athlete, and can struggle defending quicker players.
Still, if the Chief are in the market for a developmental tackle prospect, they could do a whole lot worse than Udoh.
Continue…
Round 5: Isaiah Prince, Ohio State
As a three-year starter at right tackle for Ohio State, Prince has sharpened his skills by facing Nick Bosa and Chase Young in practice. He’s a strong athlete with good movement ability in space, especially given his 6-6 and 305 pound size.
Prince does have some wrinkles to his game that he’ll have to iron out at the next level.You can even tell from the picture above that Prince is a player who struggles to bend. He has a hard time getting low in his stance, which can lead to a loss of leverage from the snap.
Coaches are going to want to work with him on fine-tuning the technical aspects of his game. The Chiefs have had some success developing late round guys that need technical work, which puts Prince right in their wheelhouse.
Continue…
Round 6: Tyler Roemer, San Diego State
Roemer is probably the closest we’re getting to Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in this draft class.
Listed at nearly 6-7 and 320 pounds, he’s one of the taller and longer tackles in this draft class. He was part of an offensive line that helped lead current Seahawks running back Rashad Penny to the NCAA rushing title in 2017. He’s good at using his length to his advantage in the run game, but struggles to push them around the arc.
Roemer left for the draft early because he was suspended indefinitely from the team. So the Chiefs will likely have some homework to do there. Still, there’s a lot to like about this prospect from an athletic development standpoint.
Continue…
Round 7: Paul Adams, Missouri
Another prospect from right down I-70, Adams was a two-year team captain for the Missouri Tigers while playing mostly right tackle.
Some believe that Adams is a better fit for the offensive interior than he is at tackle for the next level, but I think the Chiefs would see him as guy who could play four spots.
At the tackle spots he’s shown struggles anchoring against speed-to-power rushers. He needs to work on his anchor and his functional strength at the next level in order to find more success at that position. He’s likely a candidate for the practice squad or a redshirt season right out of the gate.
Paul Adams is on the Chiefs’ radar as he took a pre-draft visit with the team.
Honorable mention late-rounders/UDFAs: Brandon Knight (Indiana), Cody Conway (Syracuse) and Ethan Greenidge (Villanova)
Potential Chiefs prospects
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive tackles
Guards (Coming soon)
Centers
Defensive tackles
Defensive ends
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties
Go back…
