The Draft Class

[onejayhawk]

A little something on last year's crop
https://www.nfl.com/news/2020-nfl-rookie-grades-afc-west-chiefs-chargers-snag-studs

Class of 2021

Round2·Pick 26 (58) Nick Bolton LB Missouri 
Round2·Pick 31 (63) Creed Humphrey  C Oklahoma
Round4·Pick 39 (144) Joshua Kaindoh DE Florida State
Round5·Pick 18 (162)  Noah Gray TE Duke
Round5· Pick 37 (181) Cornell Powell WR Clemson
Round6·Pick 42 (226) Trey Smith G Tennessee

The Trade

Chiefs

Orlando Brown (last year of rookie contract)
#58 - Nick Bolton
2022 6th

Ravens

#31 - Odafe Oweh Edge Penn State
#94 - Ben Cleveland G Georgia
#136 - traded again
2022 5th

Edited May 3, 2021 by onejayhawk

[onejayhawk]

#58 - Nick Bolton LB Missouri
5'11", 237lb

He's not you prototype LB. He's slightly undersized and neither fast nor quick. However, he hits, tackles, plays smart instinctive ball. NFL.com rating 6.33
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/nick-bolton/3200424f-4c67-8301-cd66-2b7e4543922a

#63 Creed Humphrey C Oklahoma
6'4", 302lb

Humphrey is almost the C from Central Casting, with prototypical size and athleticism. A wrestler, he's quick, powerful, has great balance and excellent hands. The issues are quibbles--arms are a bit short, susceptible to certain pass rush moves, left handed. NFL.com grade 6.26
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/creed-humphrey/32004855-4d47-3083-2500-dde1ebaa729d

#144 - Joshua Kaindoh DE Florida St 
6'6", 260lb

Kaindoh is one of the top high school recruits in the last decade. The pluses are all the physical things. The minuses everything else. The production has never matched the prep school promise, partly due to injury. He started only 10 games. Coaching is suspect. The engine and chassis are there, but this is a full rebuild. NFL.com grade 5.65
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/joshua-kaindoh/32004b41-4942-0988-6feb-dbb26b7d659f

#162 - Noah Gray TE Duke
6'3", 240lb

Gray is what is now called a move TE. He's undersized as an in-line blocker, but capable as a slot blocker and in pass-pro. Good route runner, has a nice spin move for separation. Should be a receiving asset and a quality lead blocker from motion. NFL.com grade 5.87
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/noah-gray/32004752-4175-7316-bcb6-64b110cf2e59

#181 - Cornell Powell WR Clemson
6'0", 204lb

Powell was an elite recruit to an elite program. He never played until his 5th year, but played very well then. Good size, great hands but does not have the extra burst. He will still have work to do, since the route tree was minimal, but comes across as very coachable. NFL.com grade 6.21

#226 - Trey Smith G Tennessee
6'5", 321lb

Smith is a massive drive blocker without a lot of finesse. He needs to learn technique, but the tools are there. The big red flag is a history of blood clots in his lungs. Many rated him 2nd or 3rd round, not bottom of the 6th. NFL.com grade 6.25
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/trey-smith/3200534d-4976-4701-9935-2cd0c0d35dd1

 

[chiefs82]

Overall, I think it’s Veach’s best draft, top to bottom. 

[Chiefer]

Nick Bolton LB - Has some nice physicality, blitzing ability and has played as a Mike. I think hes a solid Hitchens replacement. Ive heard he’s underrated in the pass game which is good. B

Creed Humphrey C/G - hes got everything you want out of a center prospect(besides being left handed). Very well known as a technician, but also cerebral, good strength and a great athlete. I think i finally got my great center to pair with Mahomes for years to come. A

Joshua Kaindoh DE - great athlete who lacks experience because of injuries. Could be worth a flier here. C

Noah Gray TE - He looks like a mini-Kelce, and should be solid on Special Teams. I just hope we actually use these “move-TEs” instead of letting him gather dust on the bench C

Cornell Powell WR - a guy ive regularly mocked to us late, he knows how to bide his time and make the most of an opportunity. His route-running is great, and hes got solid ability to move the chains. B

Trey Smith G - Steal here if the blood clots are behind him, which they seem to be. Hes a monster mauler who should take over at RG in the future.A

 

  

 

 

[onejayhawk]

2 hours ago, chiefs82 said:

Overall, I think it’s Veach’s best draft, top to bottom. 

it's got a ways to go to beat last year. Check the link in OP. 

[onejayhawk]

Notes from an article on the draft and draft process.
https://www.nfl.com/news/2020-nfl-rookie-grades-afc-west-chiefs-chargers-snag-studs

Teams were operating in the dark — and with a reduced talent pool
That problem (inability to do medicals) remained for the 2021 draft — and then there was an additional issue: a large number of prospects had either opted out of last season or were with schools whose seasons had been reduced or cancelled. As noted when we reported on Chiefs general manager Brett Veach’s draft strategy less than a week before the draft, this resulted in a prospect pool that was roughly one-third as large as normal.

It’s possible that when we look back on this draft, we’ll see that it’s one of the worst in NFL history — that a great number of players just didn’t pan out. Or we’ll see that all of these trades helped players land with the teams where they could be successful. 

The Chiefs will be able to sign their rookies very inexpensively
Per Spotrac, the Chiefs will need just over $5 million in cap space for the six players they drafted over the weekend. But they will only need that $5 million when the season begins in September. It’s likely that the cap hits of a few veteran players who won’t make the final roster — or who are released before then — will make up for the lion’s share of that figure.

But what’s more important right now is what cap space will be needed to sign these players — and it’s a stupidly-low amount. When drafted (or signed as UDFAs), rookies go on the roster at the current NFL minimum salary: $660,000. But under salary-cap rules in place until the season begins, only the top 51 salaries count against the cap. Right now, the team’s 51st-highest salary is $850,000 — meaning that the salaries for all rookies don’t currently count against the cap.

That will change when the drafted rookies sign their deals. But only two of them — Nick Bolton and Creed Humphrey — will sign contracts with first-year cap hits of over $850,000; the rest will be under the top 51 threshold. Both of their deals will have cap hits just over $1 million. These will replace two $850,000 salaries now among the top 51. So when they sign their deals this summer, their contracts will reduce the Chiefs’ cap space by just over $300,000. Peanuts.

 

[onejayhawk]

The odd pick for many of us is Joshua Kaindoh. Here's why.

“I think anytime you get to the mid-rounds, you’re looking for traits. That length, the explosion and as I mentioned with Coach (Brendan) Daly being such a good coach when you put that together, you hope you can get him (Joshua Kaindoh) to reach his ceiling. That’s what we saw with him. Obviously, we know, the injuries have been documented, but we believe we can get the best out of him. We’ve got a great training staff and obviously again to go back to our process, we went through it with our medical staff and they felt comfortable that we could get this guy to optimal performance level.”
Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Ryan Poles

https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/2021/05/03/kansas-city-chiefs-2021-nfl-draft-david-hinson-ryan-poles-on-picking-florida-state-de-joshua-kaindoh/

[onejayhawk]

Noah Gray is a divisive pick. With Kelce in house, a lot of pundits are panning this pick. However #87 is 31 years old and the Chiefs have not had luck finding a backup. Blake Bell and Nick Keizer are purely blockers, though Bell will catch an occasional pass. Gray is not a good hand in the dirt blocker, but he is very experienced blocking on the move. As a receiver, he offers dimensions the others don't have. This article discusses some of those.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/gray_area_how_will_chiefs_rookie_tight_end_noah_gray_fit_in_kcs_offense/s1_16631_34818194

We just saw him as a really unique inside slot receiver, H-back, fullback. He’s a little undersized for being an in-line player, but it’s so hard to replace Travis when he’s not in the game because he has such a unique skill set, and Noah has a similar — again, don’t compare anyone to Travis Kelce — but Noah has a unique skill set as a slot, bigger tight end receiver.
GM Veach

[Chiefer]

Looks like a player, that route-running is so slick. And he does just enough as a blocker. He honestly reminds me of a mini-Kelce. I think i saw a comment  that said “Great Value Kelce” 😂he was at FB a lot so he likely crosstrains there behind Burton.

Just Gotta hope Reid will utilize a “move TE” besides Kelce. Everytime weve got one it seems like they rode the bench the whole season for the “better blocker” (Keizer cough)

 

[mayanfootball]

On 5/2/2021 at 10:52 PM, Chiefer said:

Noah Gray TE - He looks like a mini-Kelce, and should be solid on Special Teams. I just hope we actually use these “move-TEs” instead of letting him gather dust on the bench C

I think Andy will want to try out his new toys ASAP

[Lonnie Bush]

I thought they got great value with their 2 second round picks. Hit a homerun in free agency.

Brown will help take a week o line and turn it into one of the best. Along with Thuney, Creed, Long and Tardiff.

Also Reed beside Jones on the D line

[onejayhawk]

15 hours ago, Chiefer said:

Looks like a player, that route-running is so slick. And he does just enough as a blocker. He honestly reminds me of a mini-Kelce. I think i saw a comment  that said “Great Value Kelce” 😂he was at FB a lot so he likely crosstrains there behind Burton.

Just Gotta hope Reid will utilize a “move TE” besides Kelce. Everytime weve got one it seems like they rode the bench the whole season for the “better blocker” (Keizer cough)

He is very good at getting separation, which is also Kelce's strength as a receiver. 

I don't get the "just enough as a blocker" bit. He looks very good blocking on the move. Everyone is acknowledging that he is not a good hand on the ground blocker, but that does not mean he is not a good backfield blocker. Think of what Kelce would do when he lined up in the backfield. Line Gray up as a FB, split, H-back or in motion and he can handle the blocking assignments fine. That's what they mean by move-TE, a TE that is typically in motion rather than in line. it would not surprise me if we did not carry a tradition FB at all. 

One thing interesting about Gray is that he was the second priority on day #3. The first was Kaindoh. 

J

[kingseanjohn]

I was wanting to put some time into my draft review but I just haven't found the time or motivation to do it. So I'll keep it fairly short.

58. Nick Bolton, LB Missouri - I didn't have him listed in my top 5 choices at LB for us prior to the draft, but he was easily number 6. In hindsight, I would have him rated as 3rd behind Zaven and Micah. I wanted to include mid-late round guys (Johnson & Miller) so I excluded him. But I really liked this pick. I give it an A.

63. Creed Humphrey, C Oklahoma - I wasn't a big fan of this pick. I was fully on board with getting a C and hated that Josh Myers went right before our pick. Things I dislike about Creed: I wasn't a fan of his outside the A gaps. I thought he was good in his little box, but once outside of it, I wasn't a huge fan. Hopefully coaching fixes it or we just don't ask him to pull or move around a lot. I give it a B- because I really like it positionally and the issues I see may be coachable.

144. Joshua Kaindoh, DE Florida State -  I love it positionally. But who is Joshua Kaindoh? I didn't do any scouting on him pre-draft so I spent 10 minutes quickly looking at tape and a few scouting reports. From what I saw he was solid but unspectacular. That's ok. What I liked: He was relentless and I didn't see him giving up, he did a good job reading the plays in front of him even if he didn't make the play, he used a variety of pass rush moves, he does a good job of wrapping up when tackling, and he just seemed to remain in the scheme from what I could see. Overall he has potential, but that's all it is. I think he's in the mold to potentially replace Clark next year but I really don't think he keeps us from going DE early next draft to play opposite him. I give this pick a B.

162. Noah Gray, TE Duke - What I said pre-draft: "Upgrade at #2. He's my favorite TE in this draft so far outside of Pitts and Freiermuth, especially as a mid-late pick(January)" and "A cheap upgrade to the #2/3 TE slot. Not the future #1, but an upgrade at depth(February)". Some of the concerns I've seen are his size. At his pro day he was listed at 6'3 240lbs. Kelce at the combine was 6'5 255lbs. So Gray must suck because he's smaller then? How about Jordan Reed who was 6'2 236, George Kittle at 6'4 247lbs, Evan Engram at 6'3 234lbs, etc. Gray has things to work on for sure. Kelce wasn't the best blocker coming out either. I'm not saying Gray will be Kelce, Reed, Kittle, Engram, etc. just that he has the size to play the position and it looks like the desire as well. And he's for sure in an offensive system that can showcase his skillset. I give this pick an A.

181. Cornell Powell, WR Clemson - I liked him pre-draft but I didn't love him; definitely got buried in a deep class. He didn't really get time to shine until Lawrence went out. I see him as a better Demarcus Robinson. He'll do his job and shine a few games a year. I think he could be a solid contributor and is definitely an upgrade to the depth chart. I do worry that his age could be an issue for the long term. He'll be 27-28 when his first contract is up. I give this pick an A with the next four years in mind.

226. Trey Smith, G Tennessee - What I said pre-draft: "Where he's taken will come down to medical. He has 1st round talent...(December)". If not for the blood clot, he's a potential 1st rounder. Prior to this issue in 2017 he was rated second by some, only behind OG, Quenton Nelson. His season ended early in 2018 and he came back and played in 2019 and 2020. He has been compared to Kelechi Osemele and I like the comparison. Like Humphrey, I don't think we'll see him pulling a whole lot. But he is a monster in his box. I give this pick an A+.

 

Overall I would say this is, on paper, Veach's best draft yet. Each position was a position of need without reaching too much. Someone else mentioned that we may be going towards more power concepts in blocking. With who we've added at OL throughout the offseason, I would tend to agree. My initial valuing of Humphrey was putting him into our zone scheme, which drops him down my rankings. I'm less of a fan of our undrafted FA class. There are at least 7 WR that I would have loved to bring in for camp plus several guys in other positions.

 

Edit: Powell will be turning 24 this year, not Humphrey. Comments modified to reflect that.

Edited May 8, 2021 by kingseanjohn

[onejayhawk]

4 hours ago, kingseanjohn said:

58. Nick Bolton, LB Missouri - A.
63. Creed Humphrey, C Oklahoma -  B-
144. Joshua Kaindoh, DE Florida State - B.
162. Noah Gray, TE Duke - A.
181. Cornell Powell, WR Clemson - A.
226. Trey Smith, G Tennessee -  A+.

58. Nick Bolton, LB Missouri - B+
63. Creed Humphrey, C Oklahoma - A-
144. Joshua Kaindoh, DE Florida State - B
162. Noah Gray, TE Duke - A-
181. Cornell Powell, WR Clemson - A
226. Trey Smith, G Tennessee -  A+

• Bolton may or may not be a top-5 off-ball LB. Part of that depends on position definitions. However, he appears to be generally regarded as 50-ish. So he's a solid value and fills a need. It will be nice having a card carrying tough guy in the front seven. 
• Humprey I like a lot more than you do. He's a C, so we will not ask for a lot of mobility and he's strong in his area. Like Bolton, an attitude and physicality upgrade. 
• Kaindoh I know almost exclusively after the draft. I'll go with the general consensus. It does seem clear he would not have lasted another round. 
• Gray is a bit of luck. I hate drafting for need and we needed a second receiving TE. Clearly it was not Seals-Jones. Fortunately, the value was good enough. 
• Powell I like a lot more now than I did before the draft. People blow him off saying that he couldn't manage to excel in college, how can he excel in the NFL? That line of thinking is off base. It took Powell a while to figure out how to excel in the deep talent pool that is Clemson, but now he knows. Powell figured out how to refine his game to fit his skills and attributes. As one scout put it, the lights came on. He will be an impact rookie and may pick up a lot of Sammie's toolbox.
• Smith - What to say about a steal that everyone acknowledges is a steal? What will be interesting is how well he learns from Kyle Long, who is the same basic body type and tool set. 

Edited May 8, 2021 by onejayhawk

[Chiefs_5627]

3 hours ago, kingseanjohn said:

Creed: He's older, which I understand isn't as big of a deal for OL to an extent.

He's gonna turn 22 at the end of June.