Arrowheadlines: Felix Anudike-Uzomah visits Kansas City children’s hospital

The latest

Running on 3 hours of sleep, newest Chief visits patients at Children’s Mercy | KCTV 5

Anudike-Uzomah was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs with the last pick Thursday, but despite a short night, was already out in the community the following morning.

He, along with K-State teammate Deuce Vaughn, visited Children’s Mercy Hospital, spoke with patients and staff, took some photos and even signed some autographs.

“It’s a surreal experience,” Anudike-Uzomah said of being drafted by the Chiefs.

And on three hours of sleep, he was already hoping to brighten some kid’s day.

“If I just go here and make a smile on a kid’s face, it’ll bring joy to me all the time,” he said, reflecting on his time once being a patient at Children’s Mercy.

Kansas City businesses share disappointment at lack of customers during NFL Draft | KSHB

Cafe Cà Phê, Kansas City’s first Vietnamese coffee shop, said despite being located just over four miles away from the draft, its had its slowest ever weekend in sales since opening in August.

“As much as we loved seeing NFL fun, our shop was empty,” the shop posted on Instagram. “Putting Kansas City ‘on the map’ is important for sure, but at what cost?”

Cafe Cà Phê said it heard from dozens of other small businesses that suffered, some over-preparing, expecting meet a wave of tourists. It said it is thrilled for the artists and vendors who were highlighted by the event, but wished other businesses were better prioritized.

TU tailback Deneric Prince signing with Kansas City Chiefs as undrafted free agent | Tulsa World

“He has the speed to rip of chunks of yards when he gets a seam,” ESPN’s Steve Muench writes. “Prince caught just 16 passes over the past two seasons but has some upside as a receiver. His ball security needs to be better.”

After being projected as a late-round pick by draft experts, Prince wasn’t one of the 259 draft selections in Kansas City, instead resorting to signing as an undrafted free agent.

Travis Kelce chugs beer off Lombardi Trophy then spikes it | NBC Sports

The Chiefs tight end hosted a music festival in Kansas City on Friday night called “Kelce Jam.” Kelce appeared on stage and began using the trophy like an ice luge to drink a beer. He then spiked the trophy as if it were the football from a touchdown pass he had just caught from Patrick Mahomes.

Only difference is it’s made of silver instead of leather. Fear not, Chiefs front office executives. The Kansas City Star did report that the trophy was a replica.

Kelce later took the mic, singing “Fight for Your Right” by the Beastie Boys.

2023 NFL Betting: Analyzing Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds | The 33rd Team

Felix Anudike-Uzomah +2000

There’s a path to early playing time in Kansas City for Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who will rarely draw extra attention from opponents given the presence of star DT Chris Jones. Ryan would prefer to bet on Murphy as a mid-range longshot at this juncture.

10 NFL Free Agents Who Can Fill Remaining Holes After 2023 Draft | Bleacher Report

Edge Frank Clark

If there’s a team looking to add a veteran who knows how to win in the playoffs, there’s no better fit than Frank Clark.

Clark’s regular season numbers don’t jump off the page. He’s certainly not been as productive as Leonard Floyd, another free agent who is still available. But Clark has shown up when it counts for Kansas City over the last four years.

Clark had 10.5 sacks in 12 playoff games with Kansas and was instrumental in two Super Bowl runs.

The defensive end will be 30 years old when the season starts and he had just five sacks last year. For the majority of his career, his snap share has been around 70 percent.

At this point, it might be best for him to take on a smaller role given his dwindling production. However, he still holds up as a good power rusher who can also defend the run and brings a track record of raising his game in the playoffs.

Jason McCourty Ruthlessly Trolled Chiefs Fans at NFL Draft in Kansas City | Sports Illustrated

After plugging his NFL Network show, Good Morning Football, McCourty launched into reminding Kansas City fans who was boss in 2018.

“I have to say congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs. I saw (Patrick) Mahomes and (Travis) Kelce out here. I’ve had some fond memories here. I remember being at Arrowhead Stadium in 2018, when we won the AFC championship game and we went to the Super Bowl,” McCourty exclaimed to a smattering of boos.

Around the NFL

Deion Sanders ‘ashamed’ of NFL after just one HBCU player picked | ESPN

Former Jackson State coach Deion Sanders tweeted Saturday that he is “ashamed” of 31 NFL teams after Isaiah Bolden was the lone HBCU player drafted this year.

Bolden, a cornerback and returner for Jackson State, was selected by the New England Patriots in the seventh round (245th overall) on Saturday.

Sanders, now the coach at Colorado, took to Twitter to congratulate his former player and to admonish the NFL for passing on other HBCU players.

Cowboys select RB Deuce Vaughn and his emotional father gets to make the call from team’s draft room | CBS Sports

The Cowboys waited and waited, and on Saturday evening they finally added a running back in the draft. With the No. 212 overall pick, the Cowboys selected former Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn.

Ordinarily, a late sixth-round pick wouldn’t be all that notable. But this pick was special. Vaughn’s father, Chris, is Cowboys’ assistant director of college scouting, and he is in the draft room helping the team make its picks. The selection of his son brought Vaughn to tears, and he went around the room hugging everyone he could find. The team then put Vaughn on the phone to make the call to his son, informing him that they would now be members of the same organization.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

Projecting rookie roles for the Chiefs’ 2023 draft class

Round 2, pick 55: wide receiver Rashee Rice

While Rice’s precise role is difficult to project, we know that in head coach Andy Reid’s offense, his snaps are likely to be limited; as rookies, second-round picks Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman didn’t have substantial roles. The Chiefs probably won’t ask Rice to absorb the entire playbook; it’s likely that Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Moore will get the majority of the snaps.

Rice’s main route to the field will probably be as Valdes-Scantling’s backup — similar to how the Chiefs used Justin Watson last year. With his size and athleticism, I’m confident that Rice can get some of the 494 snaps Watson played last year. If Rice can get a significant portion of those snaps, it will be a big win for him.

At times, we should expect Rice will be playing in the slot — where he can use his size and contested-catch ability against slot defenders in a change-up look for the Chiefs. We might also see Kansas City immediately build a red-zone package for him.

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