2017 NFL Draft KC Chiefs Scouting Report: Taco Charlton

Now that the Combine has taken place for the 2017 NFL Draft, it’s easier to get a better prospective on the potential players the KC Chiefs could land in the first round. Perhaps Taco Charlton out of Michigan could be that guy.

The Kansas City Chiefs showed some interest in a young defensive end named Taco Charlton at the Combine this past weekend. According to B.J. Kissel’s Twitter, the two sides met and discussed hand drills that Tamba Hali and Justin Houston used.

While the Chiefs interview a plethora of guys every year, it’d be tough not to be excited about Kansas City landing Charlton.

For one, Charlton was always stepping his game up year after year during his time at Michigan. His senior season saw him earn All-Big Ten honors as well as racking up nine and a half sacks in action. All of this information courtesy of Charlton’s draft profile at NFL.com.

Michigan's Taco Charlton said his college coaches met w/ Chiefs coaches & they passed along hand drills used by Tamba Hali & Justin Houston.
— Chiefs Reporter (@ChiefsReporter) March 4, 2017

COMBINE RESULTS

40-yard dash – 4.92 seconds
Bench Press – 25 Reps

While Charlton was labeled as “inconsistent” during his early seasons as a Wolverine, he appeared to have rid himself of that label after a stellar 2016 campaign. NFL.com compares him to Chandler Jones of the Arizona Cardinals, which would be a nice addition to a defensive heavy team like the KC Chiefs.

The most recent mock draft from Bleacher Report has Charlton being on the board when the Chiefs go to pick, but them passing on him for a cornerback out of Ohio State (Gareon Conley, in case you’re wondering). That same mock has Charlton landing with the Falcons at pick 31.

CBS Sports summed up Taco Charlton well, writing,

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"He has all the ingredients of a future NFL starter with the desired size, long levers and blend of power and quickness to be effective vs. both the pass and the run. He isn’t yet the sum of his parts and needs more seasoning, but the flashes and potential are what will land Charlton in the first round."

The Chiefs have a lot of depth surrounding their defensive end position, so this could be a nice pairing for both sides. With Dontari Poe likely gone next season, the Chiefs will have Allen Bailey, Jaye Howard, Chris Jones, and Rakeem Nunez-Roches all as options to man that front-three.

If Charlton needs some work, what better group to have him sit and learn behind than those guys?

At the end of the day, I doubt I see these two ending up together, but Taco Charlton will be a nice selection for whatever team drafts him. It’d be funny to see the Chiefs have a guy named Taco and a guy nicknamed Nacho (Nunez-Roches) though, but that wouldn’t be the reason the team would draft him.

Next: Quarterback Combine Review

The Chiefs would draft Charlton because he’s going to be a great fit at the defensive end spot in the pros. It’d be a very “Chiefs-like” selection.

Would you want to see the Chiefs draft Taco Charlton with the 27th overall pick?

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