Kansas City Chiefs: Impact players from 2017 NFL Draft
By Andrew Jones
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted mostly for depth this year, but there may be a few key roles to fill for 2017’s draft class.
The Kansas City Chiefs are about as satisfied with their current roster as they can be. By trading up several times and grabbing guys that they wanted rather than settling, Kansas City may have not drafted a single starter.
With their first-round pick, the Chiefs selected quarterback Patrick Mahomes to sit behind Alex Smith for at least a year. Coaches and executives have already stated that he needs a lot of development before he can take the reins. Barring injury to Smith, it is safe to say that Mahomes will not be an impact player in 2017.
When looking at the Chiefs’ five other draft picks, there may be a few who get significant playing time. It starts with second-round pick Tanoh Kpassagnon. This guy is an incredible athlete with a lot of raw ability. His biggest issues appear to be technique based, which is something the Chiefs have experience coaching.
Learning from Justin Houston, Tamba Hali, and Dee Ford will give him every opportunity to learn and succeed. Kansas City will likely let him loose on third downs as an extra pass rusher. If he can see that kind of time on the field, then it’s reasonable to think he could get a few sacks.
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Kansas City’s third-round pick Kareem Hunt will see plenty of time of the field. His style fits the system of Andy Reid much like Jamaal Charles once did. Hunt doesn’t have the straight-line speed of Charles, but his shiftiness and vision should give the Chiefs some big runs.
There are two backs ahead of Hunt in the depth chart. In 2016 neither Charcandrick West nor Spencer Ware found consistency from game to game. Hunt will get his opportunities if that inconsistency continues. his 2017 will be around 35 carries for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Among the remaining picks, there may be just one that sees time on the field. Leon McQuay has shown during rookie camps that he can play both safety and corner. The Chiefs expect to use him in sub-packages for man coverage and on special teams. His experience in the Pac-12 and his coverage ability will allow him to show his ability in camp. The Chiefs are always plug and play with their corners so his opportunities will come early and often.
Next: NFL 2017: JJ Watt, each team's potential action star
The remaining picks have solid starters ahead of them. They will get their opportunities to develop, but likely won’t see much of the field.