Kansas City Chiefs: Options For Replacing Dontari Poe

Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Tackle Options

Eddie Vanderdoes – UCLA

If the Kansas City Chiefs don’t pursue Brandon Williams in Free Agency, then I don’t see a nose tackle solution that doesn’t include a draft pick being involved. Without Dontari Poe, or a similarly talented player, in the mix the Chiefs will have to pursue a young guy to take on the bulk of the role. Enter Eddie Vanderdoes of UCLA.

If you’re looking for a guy who can eat up blockers in the middle of the defensive line, Eddie Vanderdoes is your man. Big and powerful, but also shows the savvy to avoid being moved out of a play. He’s not much of a pass rusher, but with the young talent the Chiefs have found at defensive end, that’s ok.

Eddie Vanderdoes wasn’t the same this past season as he returned from an ACL injury in 2015. However, I believe that is just the standard recovery year you see from players after a major injury. Prior to going down with a bad ACL, Vanderdoes was an absolute stud in the middle for UCLA. His draft projection currently has him as a day three pick, so the gamble is worth it.

As I said, this option needs to be paired with another player. There are very few guys in the NFL that can play the workload Poe did at his size. I think the Chiefs have some options there already on the roster. However, Eddie Vanderdoes should go a long way in helping the run defense get more stout at the point of attack.