Kansas City Chiefs Should Draft Mackensie Alexander
By Charles Lam
The Kansas City Chiefs are going to need a cornerback in tandem with Marcus Peters in 2016. Is Mackensie Alexander the answer?
After losing Sean Smith to the hated rival, Oakland Raiders, the Chiefs are left with a major need at corner back.
John Dorsey and company made the right decision last year when they took corner, Marcus Peters. Peters had off the field issues that, so far, haven’t shown up in Kansas City. In fact, Peters became Defensive Rookie of the Year during the Chiefs successful 2015 campaign.
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Should the Chiefs take a corner with this year’s 37th overall pick? Can Dorsey and the Chiefs hit on another corner in back to back years? I think so.
His name is Mackensie Alexander and he’s coming out of Clemson. Alexander showed up big at his pro day. He displayed his speed and jumping ability. He might not be the biggest guy on the field but his measurables aren’t terrible.
Pro Day Results
- 40-yard dash: 4.47 seconds
- Vertical: 37.5 inches
- Broad jump: 121 inches
- Short shuttle: 4.21 seconds
- 3-cone: 7.18 seconds
I’m not saying Alexander is going to be the next Defensive Rookie of the Year, but I think he will be a starter for Kansas City.
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Alexander isn’t Dorsey’s prototypical corner. He’s a bit shorter than the Chiefs might like at 5’10” but he plays with passion (maybe too much). Some analysts say he’s a bit cocky.
"Alexander’s confidence may border on cockiness at times, but that also seems to feed his competitive fire."
I think that cockiness is needed at the corner back position, especially for a short corner. Alexander did, after all, shutdown wide receivers such as Notre Dame’s Will Fuller and Oklahoma’s Sterling Shepard.
His numbers don’t look great. During his short career at Clemson, Alexander accumulated ZERO interceptions. This stat is an illusion. Alexander only played two full seasons at Clemson.
During his time there, Quarterbacks didn’t throw his way too often. Alexander allowed 29.6 percent completions and zero touchdowns scaring opposing quarterbacks. Since the quarterback didn’t throw his way too often, Alexander’s numbers took a hit.
His tape shows why some believe he should have been drafted in the first round.
When I watched Alexander’s film, I saw a guy willing to go at bigger more physical wide receivers. He got off the line well and stayed with most receivers he covered. He also hit hard.
His tackling ability surprised me a bit. I thought because of his size he might have a hard time wrapping up. The tape proved me wrong. Alexander tackles players extremely well. He goes after the runners legs and takes them out.
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After the play he tends to trash talk. Some NFL.com analysts say he might need to tone that down in the NFL. The NFL humbles guys pretty quickly. I think after his first taste of the NFL’s speed he will tone down the trash talking.
What do you think about the Chiefs going after Alexander? Do you think he can replace Sean Smith well enough to not hurt the Chiefs chances at a long playoff run? Leave a comment below.