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The Kansas City Chiefs made three selections on Friday night, taking Mississippi linebacker Breeland Speaks (No. 46 overall), Florida State defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (No. 75 overall) and Clemson LB Dorian O’Daniel (No. 100 overall).
Before we get into specific picks, NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter graded each team’s draft as a whole to this point, and the Chiefs have earned a B+ in Reuter’s eyes so far.
From Reuter:
The Chiefs had no first-round selection this year because they traded up 17 spots in 2017 to bring in Patrick Mahomes. The young gunslinger played well enough last season that the team unloaded veteran Alex Smith this off-season. The Chiefs wanted a versatile defender in the second round, and they gave up a third-round pick to go get Speaks, who fits the bill. Speaks has potential, and he’ll have to meet it to make the trade-up worthwhile. Nnadi will be a good nose tackle, but can he affect the passing game enough to justify the team’s decision to give up a fourth-round pick to move up 11 spots to get him? With the final pick in the third round, the Chiefs added O’Daniel, who will play a safety/linebacker hybrid role. The value was about right, and it will be an interesting fit.
Now, to the picks:
Ole Miss linebacker Breeland Speaks (No. 46 overall)
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Mike Mayock, NFL.com (link)
Good football player. Undervalued until tonight. Teams value his inside-out versatility. I think he can play base end but kick inside on interior sub-packages. He’s got some juice. He’s physical, he’s tough, he’s relentless.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (link)
Grade: C
This is a little high for him, but they do need pass-rush help. He had seven sacks last year and is an interesting prospect.
Kent Swanson, Arrowhead Pride
We made fun of the Raiders for trading back from 10 to 15 for pennies on the dollar. The Chiefs just significantly overpaid on the draft trade chart to move up for an athletic, but developmental interior defensive lineman. I’m not sure what scared the Chiefs into this decision. Maybe they were desperate to get rid of that third round selection that was scheduled to get free pizza for a year.
ARROWHEAD PRIDE FAN VOTE: C (35 PERCENT)
Florida State defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (No. 75 overall)
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Mike Mayock, NFL.com (link)
I think he’s one of the best run defenders in all of college football. He had great eyes.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (link)
Grade: C+
They take a run plugger to help up front. He will be a rotation player early.
Kent Swanson, Arrowhead Pride
I don’t hate this pick. If the Chiefs believe they need help stopping the run, Nnadi is a huge help. Did I like the value elsewhere? Absolutely. But this shouldn’t take away from the fact that the Chiefs run defense got significantly better.
ARROWHEAD PRIDE FAN VOTE: B (39 percent)
Clemson linebacker Dorian O’ Daniel (No. 100 overall)
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Mike Mayock, NFL.com (link)
Kind of looks and runs like a safety. Undersized linebacker goes sideline to sideline. This is a good football player.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (link)
Grade: B
O’Daniel is a smallish linebacker who will be a special-teams standout. Needs to get stronger.
Kent Swanson, Arrowhead Pride
I don’t completely understand what schematic adjustments might be happening in Kansas City based on these selection, but they do appear to be making some interesting adjustments to their personnel and perhaps what they’re trying to accomplish defensively. I don’t hate the pick, but also don’t completely understand the direction they’re going.
ARROWHEAD PRIDE FAN VOTE: C (35 percent)
My take:
Eh?
Thoughts on #Chiefs draft so far: It’s just..hard to feel *great* ..you know? Maybe it’s the lack of a 1st-rounder. Maybe it’s the feel that the Chiefs reached with 2nd-rd Speaks (Veach said 3rd-rd grade)..but can anyone really feel “great?" I feel like that is not a good thing.
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) April 28, 2018
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