Well, this week was very busy! Draft weeks always are. So let’s cut to the chase and see what the draft has brought to the Kansas City Chiefs this year.
After the Super Bowl chaos, the Chiefs had to obviously bring some help to protect their young quarterback Patrick Mahomes, so they strengthen their offensive line with no less than eight new offensive linemen this offseason including LDT and Lucas Niang who opted out last year because of Covid-19.
“It’s going to be an extremely competitive offensive line room, and there’s going to be a lot of depth there,” Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said. “We have a lot of talent there now.”
For sure, training camps will be very competitive.
The 2021 NFL draft was held April 29 through May 1. and here are the players picked by the Chiefs:
Round 2, No. 58 overall: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri
After losing Damien Wilson, Bolton is a good player to replace him. Bolton’s ability to hit will be useful for the Chiefs and he will join veteran linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Willie Gay, a second-round draft pick last season, as the main candidates to play.
Round 2, No. 63 overall: Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
Creed Humphrey is one of the star draftees. Humphrey played at a high level at Oklahoma. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid always praised Humphrey’s size, smarts, quick feet, and work ethic.
“With Creed coming in here, needless to say, now you feel good about leaving Thuney where he’s most comfortable, and that’s at that guard position,” Veach said. “And Creed now gives you a bigger center option, and we had been talking about that.”
Round 4, No. 144 overall: Joshua Kaindoh, DE, Florida State
The selection of Kaindoh fills one of the Chiefs’ positions in the defense. The potential for development is obvious, so the Chiefs can evaluate how to use him efficiently.
Round 5, No. 162 overall: Noah Gray, TE, Duke
Gray is the first tight end drafted by the Chiefs since 2015 to be a backup behind Travis Kelce. The Chiefs said they believed him to be versatile enough in the passing game so he could a great addition to the team after having brought back veteran backup Blake Bell.
Round 5, No. 181 overall: Cornell Powell, WR, Clemson
The Chiefs needed another wide receiver for the team after Watkins release. He is not as quick as Tyreek Hill or Mecole Hardman, but Powell is fast enough to help the Chiefs eventually.
Round 6, No. 226 overall: Trey Smith, OG, Tennessee
This was the last pick and the steal of the draft according to many observers. He was praised on social media by professional players and he could a starter in the future. He dropped in the draft because of blood clots, but he said he hasn’t had an issue with them in a while.
The 6-6, 335-pound Smith started 23 games during his last two seasons at Tennessee. The Chiefs’ doctors cleared him after a very thorough examination. Smith should add even more depth, which will be crucial as the NFL goes to a 17-game season for the first time in its history.
Furthermore, after day two during draft week, the Kansas City Chiefs chose to add a new Running Back to the team. As first reported by NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, the Chiefs are set to sign former Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers 28-year-old RB Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon is entering his eighth season in the league so his experience is obviously an asset.
He appeared in all 16 games in 2020 with four starts for San Francisco. He carried the ball 81 times for 319 yards and five touchdowns and also caught 41 passes for over 250 yards and a score. The veteran running back will create some competition during training camps for sure.
After the 2021 NFL Draft, the Chiefs moved to sign undrafted free agents to add some new potential threats. Note that many of these signings are not official until the Chiefs actually announce who they have signed. Some of these players will maybe try out for the team, but may not actually be given a contract after that. Here they are:
Zayne Anderson, LB, BYU: The Chiefs continue to strengthen the linebacker room after Nick Bolton’s pick.
Dicaprio Bootle, CB, Nebraska: The Nebraska corner was two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention.
Marlon Character, Jr., DB, Louisville: The Chiefs added the Louisville defensive back to the mix of undrafted players. Let’s see what happens.
Shane Buechele, QB, SMU: Buechele will receive a $15,000 signing bonus plus a $160,000 base guarantee as a priority free agent, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.
Riley Cole, LB, South Alabama: An experienced linebacker who will strive to show coaches he can excel on special teams and learn quickly enough to be a part of the team.
Malik Herring, DE, Georgia: Herring had 24 pressures for the Bulldogs last season, the 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds player was indeed a key piece in Georgia’s top-ranked run defense.
Devon Key, S, Western Kentucky: He played 48 games in the Conference USA including three Bowl games. NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero broke the news of Key’s signing with the Chiefs.
Additionally, another news hit the internet last week and it is regarding TE backup player Sean Culkin. If he makes the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster to begin this season, tight end Sean Culkin will be the first NFL player to convert all of his salary to Bitcoin. The tight end, who hopes to land the job of number two behind Pro Bowl player Travis Kelce had said he would convert his pay of $920,000 into Bitcoin. Culkin, 27 years old, joined the Chiefs this past February on a reserve/future contract.
“I’ve always had a lot of interest in and a passion for finance and economics from my days at Mizzou,” Culkin said. That will be a first in the NFL, that’s maybe the future of all players, who knows?
That’s all for this week folks, let’s see what will happen next week in Chiefs Kingdom!
