Kansas City Chiefs Scouting Report: Paxton Lynch

Oct 31, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) during the first half against the Tulane Green Wave at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) during the first half against the Tulane Green Wave at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Kansas City Chiefs recently lost their backup quarterback in Chase Daniel. Could drafting one early on in the 2016 NFL Draft be in the cards for the Chiefs?

The KC Chiefs are set at the quarterback position with Alex Smith set to enter his fourth season as the team’s starter. The team did, however, lose Chase Daniel to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.

If the Chiefs decide that it’s time for them to plan for the future and draft a franchise quarterback, Paxton Lynch could be an option in the early rounds.

Lynch, a junior out of Memphis, was a three-year starter for the Tigers and threw for 8,865 yards and tossed 59 touchdowns. He is projected as the third best quarterback in this year’s draft class behind Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, and could go sometime in the first or second round.

Combine Results

  • 40-yard dash – 4.86 seconds
  • Vertical jump – 36.0 inch*
  • Broad jump – 118.0 inch*
  • 3-cone drill – 7.14 seconds

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*=Combine top performer

Combine results courtesy of NFL.com’s Draft Tracker

The Chiefs have Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray on their roster and they’ll likely compete for the backup job. If Lynch was drafted by Kansas City, however, he could be the potential guy under center after Smith departs.

Lynch is 6’7″ and can take hits from defenders. He has a hell of an arm and is a good scrambler. Lynch is good with the football and NFL.com compares him to last year’s second overall pick, Marcus Mariota.

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Some cons surrounding Paxton Lynch are that he relies on his arm strength more than football fundamentals, which is never a recipe for success in the NFL. He also takes sacks that he doesn’t need to, and he needs to work on his foot work.

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All of the analysts at CBS Sports have Lynch being drafted in the first round, and one has the Denver Broncos taking him with the 31st overall pick. The other two teams he’s linked with are the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Lynch go to either of those teams, as the Eagles have Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel, and the Rams likely will part ways with Nick Foles this offseason.

More than likely, the Kansas City Chiefs will pass on taking a quarterback early on. This year’s class isn’t the most impressive, and the team could opt to go for someone like Jake Coker or Cardale Jones later on in the draft. Guys like this would be better suited to sit the bench for a few seasons before seeing the spotlight.

Next: Who will the Chiefs take in this mock draft?

Would you want the KC Chiefs to draft a quarterback early on? If so, would you want the Chiefs to draft Paxton Lynch?