Kansas City Chiefs: Pass Rush Not Getting Better
By Ben Almquist
Dadi Nicolas
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Dadi Nicolas in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. The intent was clearly to get some developmental depth to try and bring along. However, Nicolas flashed some talent in preseason that has a lot of fans itching to see him on the field. I’m not buying into Dadi Nicolas just yet though.
The simple truth here is that a sixth round rookie is very unlikely to have a full grasp on the playbook yet. Furthermore, it’s unlikely that Nicolas has gotten to be well-rounded enough to be on the field for extended snaps. He may very well offer a better pass rush, but if teams can attack his side of the field in other areas, that’s no better.
Ultimately though, it is hard to believe the Chiefs are going to be pulling both Tamba Hali and Dee Ford off the field for Dadi Nicolas. There is no way he has earned that kind of trust yet. All of his preseason success came against guys who are either currently unemployed, or barely on their respective rosters. Nicolas just hasn’t done enough against good enough competition.