Rebuilding the OL

[onejayhawk]

In a not unexpected announcement, the team cut OT Eric Fisher and OT Mitchell Schwartz. It also appears that they will lose C Austin Reiter in free agency. That's 3/5 of the starters and both of the highest rated linemen.

The good news starts with C/OG Nick Allegretti, how played well at OG and the return of OG Laurant Duvernay-Tardiff (LDT) and OT Lucas Niang. LDT is an MD who took a year to treat COVID cases. Niang is a highly regarded 2020 pick, who optioned out of the season, essentially redshirting a season. Still on the roster are OG/OT Andrew Wylie and OG/OT Martinas Rankin. Of the free agents, the Chiefs have shown interest in re-signing OG/OT Mike Remmers. Also available are OG/OT Yasir Durant, C/OG Darryl Williams, and OT Prince Tega Wanogho. 

Obviously, the situation is not ideal. Mitchell Schwartz was routinely considered the team's best OL and one of the elite RT in the NFL. Reiter had very good chemistry with QB Patrick Mahomes II, widely regarded as the NFL's most valuable asset. However, if significant change must be made, it is best to do it all at once. It is worth noting that the Chiefs can put out a respectable OL with only Remmers and the rostered players.

LT Niang
LG Wylie or Durant
C Allegretti
RG LDT
RT Remmers

That's possible, but not ideal. Allegretti played C in college, but so far the team has preferred him at OG. LDT is 30 years old and coming off a year of non-football activity. Wylie is best as a backup, while Durant and Niang are unproven. Remmers is still unsigned. However, it demonstrates that the situation is not desperate, merely problematic.

Now comes free agency and then the draft. Either may produce a useful, hopefully starting, player. 

J
 

[Jakuvious]

My hope in the end, is to wind up with something like:

LT 1st round pick
LG Allegretti
C FA/mid round pick
RG LDT
RT Niang/Remmers

I like enough of what Remmers did at RT and Allegretti at LG to stick with those two in those spots next year. If Niang outplays, I'd still welcome Remmers back as the versatile backup. But I don't like the value in free agency right now at LT. I think anyone I'd trust to start will be too expensive. So unless the market really cuts a guy like Williams or Villanueva short, I don't think we can find our LT answer there. Supposedly it's a deep draft for that spot, though. C has far more passable vet guys in free agency right now. 

 

[Chiefs_5627]

24 minutes ago, Jakuvious said:

My hope in the end, is to wind up with something like:

LT 1st round pick
LG Allegretti
C FA/mid round pick
RG LDT
RT Niang/Remmers

I like enough of what Remmers did at RT and Allegretti at LG to stick with those two in those spots next year. If Niang outplays, I'd still welcome Remmers back as the versatile backup. But I don't like the value in free agency right now at LT. I think anyone I'd trust to start will be too expensive. So unless the market really cuts a guy like Williams or Villanueva short, I don't think we can find our LT answer there. Supposedly it's a deep draft for that spot, though. C has far more passable vet guys in free agency right now. 

 

Only real change id make is I would really like to see Allegretti tried at C. If so Rankin back to G would be solid I think. I'm just starting to wonder if Veach is envisioning Niang at LT and keep Remmers at RT? Unless with recent money moves he's thinking trade but idk.. it's Veach.

Sorry for the ramble lol

[Jakuvious]

17 minutes ago, Chiefs_5627 said:

Only real change id make is I would really like to see Allegretti tried at C. If so Rankin back to G would be solid I think. I'm just starting to wonder if Veach is envisioning Niang at LT and keep Remmers at RT? Unless with recent money moves he's thinking trade but idk.. it's Veach.

Sorry for the ramble lol

Agreed, on Allegretti, that's just one of those things where part of me feels like there must be a reason Reid hasn't tried him there yet. Maybe they just liked Reiter that much, I dunno.

I'm very skeptical about penciling Niang in at LT, though. Was a RT in college, has been on a long recovery period, basically will be a rookie, so asking him to step right in at the most demanding spot on the line is pretty tough.

[mayanfootball]

I just posted a "simulated draft" under that heading. In that entry, I drafted Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame, 1st. rd.. I also drafted Walker Little, OT, Stanford, 3rd. rd.. I'd let L.Niang, Eichenberg, and Little jostle for both tackle positions in training camp. Loser falls to backup.

Chiefs really have more OG candidates than OT. LDT is penciled in at RG. I'd leave Allegretti at LG if he wants. I think he was found to be quite favorable there last season.

Do we still have Kilgore? He's at Center. Or KC can bring in another. Or Allegretti can play Center if that's how it falls. Or D.Williams.

All the other guys can backup. I'm not too impressed with anyone else. Remmers is fine. Wylie is dreadful. Rankin I don't know much about but he hasn't played much has he? Maybe for a reason? Durant is fine. Wisniewski is a numbers casualty.

[onejayhawk]

I suspect Little will go in the 1st round. 

While he played RT at TCU, I think Niang is training for the LT spot. Remmers is OK at RT. We can draft someone for the future, but getting a starter from this draft is chancy at best. However, drafting a player to play swing backup is doable. Deeper on the depth chart is Prince Tega Wanogho, who is physically talented, but as green as LDT once was.

I really hope Allegretti can play C, because it simplifies things considerably. I am not sure the team like Reiter at C so much as Mahomes did. They are evidently very tight. If not, signing a FA for a year or two is not a big deal. Darryl Williams can probably be seen as the fallback, 

If Allegretti has to stay at OG, that makes at least four reasonable players for two spots. Wylie is a returning starter and he may be the weakest of the four. The others are LDT and Durant. The wildcard is Rankin. Who knows where he fits in? So, potentially five names for two positions before we get to free agency or the draft.

J

[mayanfootball]

24 minutes ago, onejayhawk said:

While he played RT at TCU, I think Niang is training for the LT spot. Remmers is OK at RT. We can draft someone for the future, but getting a starter from this draft is chancy at best. However, drafting a player to play swing backup is doable. Deeper on the depth chart is Prince Tega Wanogho, who is physically talented, but as green as LDT once was.

Liam Eichenberg is NFL ready. Depending on where staff wants Niang, he can play the other. Remmers is like you say, OK. He can backup. We could still get Little in the 3rd.rd.. Wanogho can play when staff thinks he's ready. I wouldn't force the fit.

[onejayhawk]

Eichenburg is ready, but he may be the only one past the Big Three of Sewell, Slater and Darrishaw. Maybe Little, who is a medical enigma.

The player I would like a shot at, Mayfield, is probably not ready. Others of interest--Radunz, Jenkins, Cosmi, Carman, maybe Leatherwood-- are more in the 50-75 range because they will need significant work to be ready. Fortunately, the draft is deep. You can get interesting OT well into day #3. 

The key is that with Remmers and Niang, we don't need to draft a starter. Niang is as good or better than anyone we will have a chance to draft.

J

 

[RedGold]

I will gladly eat my words,  but I don’t think Niang is a LT at all.   I, personally, wouldn’t be putting any hopes on that one.   I think he can be a really good RT though 

[mayanfootball]

5 minutes ago, onejayhawk said:

 

The key is that with Remmers and Niang, we don't need to draft a starter. Niang is as good or better than anyone we will have a chance to draft.

Neither is as capable as Eichenberg, at LT. That makes Niang a RT. Remmers probably isn't better than either of these two, but we don't know do we?? Niang hasn't played a down yet of NFL ball.

[onejayhawk]

I don't consider Eichenberg to be that impressive, particularly in our system. He's better suited to a run heavy system, like Dallas or Tennessee. He did play LT in college, which is nice, but his mobility is limited and his athleticism ordinary for this level. Niang is all about athleticism and mobility. If I had both, Niang would be LT and Eicheberg RT, even though that is the reverse of what they played in college.

This is the bullet points from TDN last year

• Pass Sets - Hips appeared more restrictive in 2019, could be a byproduct of hip injury he played with this season. 
• Length/Extension - Plenty of reach to make an impact at first contact.
• Balance - Thought he got caught in some instances of overextending himself but he flashes a dynamic base
• Hand Technique - Placement has shown notable improvement over final season and a half. 
• Power at POA - Awesome ability to push people around and create space for his rushers in the run game.
• Football IQ - Active/effective in passing off twists, stunts and blitzes — doesn't typically get busted having to bail out
• Functional Athleticism - Pretty stunning to see how well he moves.
• Anchor Ability - Really dense torso and lower half, he provides a good deal of natural strength and the body control to sit down and recover when he's put on his heels.
• Flexibility - Natural mobility is very good and he's got good ability to hinge hips in angular sets (when healthy) and shows dynamic lower half to bend and play low/with power. 
• Competitive Toughness - Tenacity is notable and you'll see him up in a defender's grill through the end of the whistle. 
• Summary - Lucas Niang is a high-upside starter in the NFL. Niang's mobility would make him a great fit in a zone style system and his length and range as a pass blocker make him an attractive option for teams with deeper passing concepts. There is some refinement needed in Niang's footwork but he shows all the requisite physical skills to be a plus starter in the pros. Should find the field early and improve through first few seasons. Should be healthy for the 2020 season. 

Again, the point is that starting OT not a hole which must be fixed. Niang is inexperienced and Remmers, if we re-sign him, is just adequate, but it will do for a while.  We have the flexibility to bring someone along slowly. 

J

 

[mayanfootball]

Liam Eichenberg is an NFL-ready starting left tackle who should find assimilating to the pro game fairly easy. Eichenberg isn’t the most fleet of foot and speed rushers with wide angles can test him off the edge, but sound fundamentals and footwork should have him positioned to contest such challenges with a fair amount of success.

He’s more impactful in the run game than he is in pass protection, but he was rather smooth protecting one of college football’s most unpredictable quarterbacks this past season, too. 

Ideal Role: Starting left tackle (plug-and-play starter).

https://thedraftnetwork.com/mock-draft-machine

[RedGold]

Most those reports are based off Eichenberg playing LT, and Niang playing RT.   They’re both pretty equal in terms of mobility and athleticism,  honestly Eichenberg may be graded higher in that regard.    Niang is nice,  he’ll struggle with speed around the edge, but once he locks on it’s over. 
Might be why I’m not that high on Eichenberg,  he’s pretty similar to Niang from a positional standpoint.   

[onejayhawk]

No, they are not nearly equal in mobility or athleticism. Far from it. Niang is much better in both.

What Eichenberg has is better footwork and technique. It's why he's considered NFL ready. If he also had Niang's physical traits, he would be in the same group with Slater and Darrishaw. Sewell is a level above and compares with the best of last year's epic class. 

One word about need versus value. Even if we desperately needed an OT, I would pass over the position and take Vera-Tucker if he's there.

J

[RedGold]

They’re mobility is not that much different.  Neither should be playing LT in the NFL.  I’m not going to move from that, but I’m willing to eat my words if it happens.   
 

Put Eichenberg at RT and he’s getting praised for his athleticism also,  is all I’m saying.   Just seems like we’re overrating what Niang is because it’s a need and he was a decently high draft pick.