Kansas City Chiefs 2018 Draft Class Review

With the 2018 NFL Draft behind us, it’s time to begin the review process on how each team stacks up with the selections they’ve made. It was apparent from last season when defensive leader Eric Berry was lost for the season to injury the defense was exposed week after week. Though Berry is one player removed from the defense, the entire unit took a step back and showed it was time to retool and reset for the upcoming season. The Chiefs held no first round pick in the 2018 NFL draft as they shipped that away for now starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It’s not often we witness a team spend all their draft capital on one side of the ball, but indeed that’s what Kansas City did, let’s review… 

Kansas City Chiefs 2018 Draft Class Review:

Round 2 – Pick 14 (46)

Breeland Speaks (DT)

While the Kansas City faithful patiently awaited the first selection in this year’s draft, it came with the 46^th pick and they chose to beef up their defensive front selecting Breeland Speaks from Mississippi. From jump Speaks looks more like a hybrid defensive tackle rather than the traditional heavy stout hole plugger type of player. Coming in at 280 pounds allows Breeland to maintain his good level of speed and athletic ability to finesse his way through offensive linemen as he looks to make plays. Breeland found his stride in his final season generating career highs in nearly every statistical department including tackles, sacks, and tackles for loss.

Speaks does have great appeal and versatility to play across the defensive line which should help him develop quicker. At first glance at the Chiefs depth chart and reviewing how Breeland is being used in OTA’s, it’s not a surprise given the athlete he is to witness Coach Andy Reid placing Sparks as an outside line backer ready to rush off the edge. The NFL has become geared in finding multifaceted players that can handle different roles creating the same success. Breeland should be on the field quite a bit in rotational and sub packages this season.   

ADF Prediction: Moderate potential.

Round 3 – Pick 11 (75)

Derrick Nnadi (DT)

Former Florida State defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi is one of the most interesting players that we’ve come across in quite some time. The book from scouts is all over the map with some praising his ability while others feel he’s too small in stature to become a viable NFL force. ADF is somewhat on the fence with Nnadi as his testing doesn’t suggest an all-around dominating player that will grow into his craft. Not showing to be very fast or explosive, lacking agile movements to at least take notice of, and strength for a man weighing over 315 pounds is quite average. However, looking back at the statistical categories and the game film Derrick put on display, it’s difficult to not be intrigued by some margin.

For a man whose job was to clog up the middle and disrupt offensive production, Nnadi definitely hit those marks. In his four-year career with the Seminoles, Derrick racked up 165 tackles, 24.5 of those going for loss, 12 sacks of opposing quarterbacks, and adding 3 forced fumbles is a rather decent resume. While ADF would be in the camp to overlook Nnadi in the draft if we held a position of general manager, Andy Reid surly has plans for him in his defense.       

ADF Prediction: Low potential, low floor.

Round 3 – Pick 36 (100)

Dorian O’Daniel (LB)

In reviewing former Clemson Tiger Dorian O’Daniel, ADF’s thought process continues to grow into the positive about the potential for production he could provide in the NFL. While some may question his stature suggesting that will limit him on the field, we see nothing but a playmaker with fantastic athletic ability. While his 40 time looks to be subpar, Dorian absolutely plays faster then what he showed in the sprint. Testing extremely well in the cone drills at the combine proves his agility which complements what his tape also shows. O’Daniel without question saw his best season as a senior but posted very solid numbers over his four years in Clemson. Dorian racked up 205 tackles, 28 of which went for losses behind the line of scrimmage while posting 8.5 sacks in his career. Showing his versatility as well, Dorian was able to muster 3 interceptions two of which went back for defensive touchdowns while adding 2 fumble recoveries, he is a baller.

Perhaps what’s more impressive than his work on the defense is his production as a tackler on special teams. Every scout we’ve seen whose spoken about O’Daniel echo’s that very sentiment that he should be a top notch NFL special team master. Andy Reid and company look to have hit the nail on the head with this selection as Dorian should provide great value while producing high end numbers.    

ADF Prediction: Good potential, good upside.

Round 4 – Pick 24 (124)

Armani Watts (DB)

Continuing the trend to shore up a defensive unit in desperate need of play making ability, the Chiefs may have scored again with safety Armani Watts. We realize athletic ability is plastered all over our reviews, but realistically what’s more important of an evaluation tool then showing what you can do on the field. Watts fits the mold of a shifty, loose hipped moving safety that should be able to make plays in the NFL. He is a very good athlete showing great movement with his quick change of direction which is fluid as water.

There are a few concerns to his game that could be an issue if not corrected at the pro level and could be exposed in camp early. Watts tries to play the part of a ball hawk which doesn’t quite equate to success in his situation. While he does possess very good awareness to the ball, his anticipation lacks which places him in uneven circumstances. Playing with all-star Eric Berry should only do wonders for Armani’s game as we like this pick if not only for the depth purposes alone.  

ADF Prediction: Moderate potential, requires coaching.

Round 6 – Pick 22 (196)

Tremon Smith (DB)

After shipping Marcus Peters to the Rams early in the offseason, there’s an obvious need for the Chiefs to gain more talent at the defensive back position. It didn’t take much to find many scouts who really liked what they saw form Central Arkansas standout Tremon Smith. Posting good size and weight and testing very well at his pro day, Smith made teams take notice very quickly. Running a blistering 4.33 40 time and crushing the cone drills showed his agile movements with world class speed.

With all things confirmed with his intangibles, Smith showed fantastic production in his college career. Smith racked up 146 tackles, 53 pass breakups (phenomenal), and 15 interceptions in his four year stint with the Central Arkansas Bears. Playing for a smaller program didn’t allow for much national attention but did let interested teams do more homework on the young man. ADF really liked what we saw from his film as we found only minor issues in his game. Tremon could find a role on this Kansas City squad sooner rather than later if he shows out in camp, which is what we expect him to do.  

Round 6 – Pick 24 (198)

Kahlil Mckenzie (DT)

With their last pick in the draft the Chiefs once again selected a defensive tackle to assist in recreating the depth for an unimpressive line. McKenzie is simply a very big man who can eat up a lot of room in hopes to stop the run game. His combine results showed he was good in most categories but not flying off the charts in any specific one. The statistical aspect in his game from Tennessee will definitely underwhelm making it clear to us that one more year of college would’ve done Kahili a bigger favor than sitting on the bench in Kansas City. It’s clear Andy Reid likes the size and above average talent level making McKenzie a project player that will need to show something on the field to see any playing time.  

2018 Undrafted Free Agent Signings

Byron Pringle, WR, Kansas State

Dee Liner, DT Arkansas State

Ryan Hunter, OL, Bowling Green

Blake Mack, TE, Arkansas State

Ben Niemann, LB Iowa

Elijah Marks, WR, Northern Arizona

JD Moore, FB, Chiefs

Devondre Seymour, OL, Southern Illinois

Dante Sawyer, DL, South Carolina