A very Merry Draftmas to you!
We continue our tradition of profiling an NFL Draft prospect every day in April, leading up to the NFL Draft on April 29th. Every day, you’ll get a prospect profile that includes how they would fit with the Kansas City Chiefs.
With Patrick Mahomes at quarterback for the foreseeable future, the Chiefs will want to keep a steady pipeline of wide receivers going. Here’s a Day 3 prospect who could eventually fill the “X” wide receiver role previously held by Sammy Watkins.
Simi Fehoko, wide receiver
6’4” | 222 lbs | Stanford
Bossier City, LA
Expected draft range: Day three
Pro Day: 4.43 40-yard dash, 34.5” vertical jump, 120” broad jump, 4.26 short-shuttle, 6.78 three-cone, 16 bench reps.
One-sentence bio: Following a two-year mission trip to South Korea, Fehoko returned to Stanford, becoming one of the better vertical threats in the country.
One-sentence scouting report: After finishing second in the country in yards per catch as a redshirt freshman, Fehoko used his dynamic size and speed combination to take over as Stanford’s starting “X” wide receiver.
One [two] plays:
Okay, 6'4" 227lb WR that runs in the 4.3s..?
— Matt Lane (@ChiefinCarolina) February 27, 2021
Semi Fehoko has my attention pic.twitter.com/ad7r5nmgJ2
How he fits in Kansas City: It’s often suggested that NFL wide receiver rooms should be built like a basketball team. But over the last few years, Kansas City’s wide receiver group has been built like a high school or smaller-school college program: all guards. Not only has the team failed to roster receivers with any size — like basketball power forwards or centers — but with the Watkins loss to free agency, they are also missing the NFL version of a “slashing small forward” — someone who can work over the middle of the field and is physical.
I know: this isn’t an article about basketball. But what I’m getting at is that while the Chiefs have plenty of finesse wide receivers, they are lacking those with size, physicality and the ability to win at the catch point.
Enter Simi Fehoko, who fits perfectly into this basketball analogy as a stretch power forward. He has the size the team is desperately missing — but still has the ability to stretch the field vertically. Once in the NFL — and despite his speed and quality change-of-direction ability — he will likely still have to make the majority of his living winning at the catch point. He’s not elite in terms of creating separation, but Fehoko does a great job winning small leverage battles and stacking defenders on his back. His exceptional size, body control and ability to high-point the football should lead to success as a red zone and possession target.
But what makes Fehoko an excellent fit for the Chiefs is that he does possess the speed to stretch the field vertically — just like Andy Reid likes to do. When you combine his size with his vertical speed, he’s always going to be a threat to make a big play down the field. As a rookie, he won’t be a technical, chain-moving “X” wideout. But with the technical refinement he gained during his year as a starter, he should fill a few of the other holes among Kansas City’s wide receivers.
KC Draft Guide
The 2021 version of the KC Draft Guide is now available!
It provides a one-stop shop that shows how the top college prospects fit with your Kansas City Chiefs. This digital download includes detailed analysis and profiles for hundreds of prospects, player comps, scheme-fit analysis, a Chiefs draft pick trade chart, features, a mock draft and more!