Sounds like the Kansas City Chiefs like their fifth round pick, LB Ukeme Eligwe. I didn’t know much about him when the Chiefs picked him a few months ago so I was curious if he had a future or he was just a guy.
As it turns out, a pair of coaches think he has a future - a bright future.
“Eligwe is a linebacker,” Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said via quotes from the Chiefs. “No question. I have already got him started on punting, so that says a lot about him. I really see a bright future for him. He may not be with me for a long time because he may be on defense because he is that good.”
That perked my ears up. Later, Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said something very similar.
“I think he is going to be a really good player,” Sutton said. “Since he has been in here, he’s worked really hard at it, diligently. He studies hard. He loves to play. I think he has a physical presence in there. He studies. He knows the game. He is just going to get better and better. I think he has a bright future.”
The Chiefs have a ton of inside linebackers so it’s not a quantity problem there. They haven’t found the right mix quite yet. Or maybe they have as Ramik Wilson showed up big last year. He has a bright future, too.
As for Eligwe, all you can ask for out of a fifth round pick is that he ends up being a contributor. It sounds like Eligwe has that shot. He’ll have a bunch of players he needs to pass up on the depth chart, however.