Since Brett Veach took over as general manager of the Chiefs in 2017, he has done a tremendous job of filling out the roster with undrafted free agents. Devon Key is another UDFA that Veach has found and he is already making a big splash in training camp.
Before we get to more on Key, let’s take a look at some of the UDFA that Veach has found since his tenure started in KC.
In 2017, he brought a pair of wide receivers in that are still on the roster and vying to make the 53 man roster this year. Those players are Gherig Dieter and Marcus Kemp.
Dieter is notably one of Patrick Mahomes best friends, but he is also a good football player. He provides good depth at WR and is a great special teams player. He is a player that can be on all four of the special teams units and has shown just that in live competition for the Chiefs. He is going to have his hands full making the 53 this year, however. A lot of that is because of his UDFA partner Marcus Kemp.
Kemp has also provided good special teams play throughout the years for the Chiefs, but he has been showing his development at WR this year during camp. He has caught the eye of basically every reporter that has been at Chiefs camp and seems like a lock to make the roster at WR this year.
2018 saw Veach find three UDFA’s that are currently still on the roster. Two of them have had major roles on the team already and one of them is looking to make a big splash this year. Ben Niemann, Darrel Williams, and Byron Pringle are those three players. Niemann and Williams have seen starting roles in the past and Pringle looks to increase his role at WR this year.
Tim Ward and Darrius Harris were the big names to come out of the 2019 class. Both of these guys are battling to make the roster once again in 2021. It is going to be a tall task for them, and especially Harris. The Chiefs invested draft picks the last two years at the linebacker position. Ward is still developing, but he has shown some flashes of athleticism on the edge.
Daryl Williams, Maurice Ffrench, and Yasir Durant are players from the 2020 class that are still competing in the 2021 camp and have a chance to find themselves on the practice squad. Durant has seen some time in actual play last year.
Tommy Townsend and Tershawn Wharton are players from the 2020 class that play significant roles on the team. Townsend is the starting punter and Wharton is well in the mix along the front and is having a great camp so far in 2021.
Veach’s ability to find UDFA’s gives the Chiefs a massive advantage over the rest of the NFL. It also allows them to be more liberal with their draft picks and use them to trade for already proven players in the NFL, which we have seen Veach do in almost every draft.
Key could be the next UDFA to find himself on the Chiefs roster. He comes out of Western Kentucky where he played four years.
In those four years, his lowest tackle number was 71. Two years there he had over 90 tackles. His biggest knock coming out of the college was a lack of fluidity in coverage, but he did test well at his pro day. He ran a 4.53 40 yard dash and had a 38 inch vertical.
Key has a great group of veterans to learn under in Tyrann Mathieu, Daniel Sorenson, and Juan Thornhill. By all accounts, he is very smart and picking up the scheme quickly. He is running with the 1s in a lot of situations and getting run on the first group specs units as well.
It seems like once again Brett Veach has found a diamond in the UDFA class.
