Kansas City Chiefs: Reviewing the 2017 rookies

Kansas City Chiefs: 2017 Rookie Breakdown

Linebacker: Ukeme Eligwe

A four-star high school recruit, Ukeme Eligwe was my projected “steal of the draft” for the Kansas City Chiefs. He did not quite do as much as I predicted. However, Eligwe still saw the field some, mostly on Special Teams.

After transferring away from the Florida State Seminoles, Eligwe ended up in Georgia, and played for the Georgia Southern Eagles to finish up his college career. His downhill speed, strength, and athleticism was something I was very excited for. I do think with the right amount of development, he will eventually find himself in the rotation for the Kansas City Chiefs.

This was the only prospect I hadn’t heard of that the Chiefs drafted last season. When I watched his highlights, I was instantly impressed. He may lack some fundamentals, but I do think Eligwe will eventually develop into something special.

As a rookie, Eligwe was a presence primarily on special teams. With the addition of linebackers Reggie Ragland and Kevin Pierre-Lewis, Eligwe slipped a spot on the depth chart. He may have not seen a ton of time playing defense, Eligwe stilled worked hard when his number was called.

Through the first 16 weeks of the sesaon, Ukeme Eligwe had two combined tackles on special teams, both of which were pretty hard hits. However, in the week 17 game against the Broncos, Eligwe had a total of three tackles alone. He was able to find the football when flying down the field, and fill the lanes, just as a linebacker should.

Eligwe was drafted in the fifth round, pick number 40 in the NFL draft. He may be a late pick, but he will eventually become a solid player in Kansas City. The timing was not right his rookie season, but year number two could be completely different.