Kansas City Chiefs Scouting Report: T.J. Green

The Kansas City Chiefs need to add to the secondary and they can do so through the 2016 NFL Draft. Will T.J. Green out of Clemson be one of their early round picks?

With Sean Smith on his way out of Kansas City and Husain Abdullah retiring at the young age of 30, the KC Chiefs are in a tough spot when it comes to their secondary.

Eric Berry should be playing at least on the franchise tag next season and eventually will be locked up to a long-term contract, but who else is out there? Ron Parker has done well in the transition from cornerback to safety, but should the Chiefs be looking for a younger option at safety for the future?

If the KC Chiefs decide to go with a young safety through the draft, T.J. Green out of Clemson might be hearing his name called by Kansas City come draft day.

Combine Results

40-yard dash – 4.34 seconds*
Bench press – 13 reps
Vertical jump – 35.5 inch
Broad jump – 129.0 inch*

*= Combine top performer

Combine results courtesy of NFL.com’s Draft Tracker

Green was originally a wide receiver with the Clemson Tigers, but officially made the change to safety during his sophomore year in 2014. He had 118 tackles, three defended passes, one sack, and one interception in three years at Clemson.

Being a former wide receiver has been huge for Green, as he has the blazing speed to keep up with the receivers he matches up against. His speed was showcased in the combine, running a 4.34 40-yard dash, one of the best in the safety group.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com says that Green has “exciting range” for defenses and is a “lightning-fast blitzer”. Zierlein also notes that Green models his game after Kansas City’s own Eric Berry, which would be an even better reason to bring the former Tiger to Arrowhead.

More from KC Kingdom

Zierlein does, however, have some negatives on T.J. Green. He states that he had 17 missed/broken tackles during the 2015 season and was only a starter for that one season.

"“There is a buzz going around about him from some people I talk to on a regular basis but I’m not sure where it is coming from. He’s fast, but what else?” — NFC executive, per NFL.com’s Draft Tracker"

While T.J. Green is an intriguing prospect, people might just be impressed with his speed and not his actual secondary skills. The Chiefs desperately need to upgrade in the secondary or else they could get picked apart by some of the tougher quarterbacks in the NFL.

Next: Beefing up the Secondary in Mock Draft

While safety is a need for the Kansas City Chiefs, the team is more likely to go after someone like Vonn Bell. We’ll see in less than a week how everything turns out!

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