How many of the Chiefs’ 2018 draft picks will make the Week 1 roster?

The latest edition of the Arrowhead Pride Laboratory opens up our Kansas City Chiefs’ mailbag.

Over or under? 2.5 draft picks from 2018 make the Chiefs’ Week 1 roster

This is a great question.

The players still available are defensive end Breeland Speaks (second round), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (third round), linebacker Dorian O’Daniel (third round) and safety Armani Watts (fourth round). We had hosts on both sides of the line.

The absolute lock to make the roster is Nnadi — a starter from the Super Bowl team and a great early-down defensive lineman.

After that, it gets a lot murkier.

Speaks, O’Daniel and Watts all have a chance to make the roster but it’s difficult for me to pinpoint who on that list will stick. The 2018 draft class is halfway through their rookie deals and no one but Nnadi has contributed much. Time is running out and this is critical offseason for the entire class.

O’Daniel and Watts have established themselves as special teams players, but have been unable to gain footing in any capacity on defense. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub’s influence over the roster gives them the best chance to stick. There are cheaper options, and perhaps players with more value on the defensive side of the ball that could push them. Their roles seem confined to the “hidden third” and only that.

Speaks is facing an uphill battle after missing his second season in the league and incurring a four-game suspension while rehabbing. He struggled his rookie year, had to switch defenses in year two, got hurt and now enters a fierce competition with players like Taco Charlton, Demone Harris, Tim Ward and rookie draft pick Mike Danna. He’ll have to make a big jump with limited on-field experience and coming off an injury.

My choice: over

I took the over on 2.5 draft picks from 2018 making the roster, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.

Outside of Nnadi, this draft class looks to be made up of fringe, rosterable players that are now halfway through their rookie deals. Players like O’Daniel and Watts have a leg up on the competition to make the final 53 with their system experience and contributions on special teams. Hopefully, they can become more than that, but the clock is ticking for this group.

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