There are less than 70 days until the Kansas City Chiefs’ season opener is scheduled to take place. There are even fewer days until the 2020 college football season is scheduled to begin. With football rapidly approaching, it’s time to take a way-too-early look at some of our favorite college football players who might declare for the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Chiefs have a first-round draft pick in 2021. They are also projected to receive a pair of compensatory picks on Day 3, so they’ll have some extra draft capital to play with. That’ll make this draft a bit more impactful for the team and potentially exciting for fans.
Kansas City needs to nail the next few draft classes with a mega-contract coming up for star QB Patrick Mahomes. They need to do a good job acquiring cheap talent on rookie deals for the foreseeable future.
Take a look down below to find out five of the college football players we’ll be keeping an eye on for the Chiefs this season:
UCF OG Parker Boudreaux
Boudreaux is a redshirt senior who transferred to UCF from Notre Dame. Boudreaux was phenomenal at the right guard during 2019, playing in over 400 pass-blocking snaps, allowing just five pressures and no sacks per Pro Football Focus. He boasts a strong anchor in pass protection, bringing energy, punch and active hands every snap.
Boudreaux is very strong at the point of attack, dominating players in the ground game. He gets great movement off the line of scrimmage, and when he gets to the second level, linebackers have a tough time getting away from him. Ultimately, this is the type of guy you want protecting Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and clearing rushing lanes for RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
USC DT Jay Tufele
Tufele was a top high school recruit and had offers from basically all the best Power 5 schools. He ended up choosing USC and redshirted in 2017. In his first two seasons playing he hasn’t disappointed, recording 64 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a ball batted and an interception. He’s also blocked a field goal, which is always a good sign.
At 6-3 and 305 pounds, Tufele has a unique blend of strength, athleticism and quickness. He brings effort on every play, but what really stands out is his patience. He’s able to bait offensive linemen into putting themselves in compromising situations. He’s very good at tracking the ball and using his hands to disengage blockers when the time is right. If Chris Jones is on his way out of Kansas City in 2021, Tufele could be the right guy to succeed him.
Virginia Tech CB Caleb Farley
Virginia Tech is one of the many schools that claim the title of “DBU” because they have a strong history of putting out NFL talent in the defensive secondary. Farley looks to be the next player from the Hokies to be an impact player in the NFL. He’s coming off a highly productive season, with four interceptions and 12 passes defended, on a team that wasn’t very good.
Farley allowed a 26.8 passer rating into his coverage in 2019 according to Pro Football Focus. He also had the highest coverage grade of any cornerback in the country last year. His playmaking ability and ball production would be a welcomed addition to the Chiefs’ secondary. It’d pair well with the talented group of players they already have.
North Carolina LB Chazz Surratt
A quarterback-turned-linebacker, Surratt is one of the most interesting players in the 2021 draft class. Surratt spent his first two seasons as a quarterback for the Tar Heels. In 2019, the 6-3 230-pound athlete chose to make the switch to linebacker. His first season playing the position was filled with splash plays, so much so that he was the runner-up for the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award.
Surratt put his knowledge of defenses from playing quarterback to the test. He recorded 115 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and three passes defended. It’s clear that Surratt is an excellent athlete, but NFL teams are going to want to see if he was just a one-year wonder or if he can reproduce this type of performance in 2020.
Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth
The 6-foot-5 and 260-pound Freiermuth will be a junior during the 2020 college football season, but he’s easily one of the top prospects at the position in the upcoming draft class. His size and athleticism already has people drawing comparisons to Rob Gronkowski. Over the past two seasons, Freiermuth has nearly 1,000 yards and 15 total touchdowns on 69 receptions.
Freiermuth has the versatility to line up in-line, on the wing, isolated out wide, or even as a fullback. He has the physicality to bully weaker defenders once he has the ball in his hands and he doesn’t go down after first contact. He’s also a monster at the catch point, consistently boxing out defenders and making some tough catches. If Freiermuth declares, I anticipate the Chiefs could target him late in the first round of the draft.
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