Kansas City Chiefs: Predicting rookie playing time for 2018
By Chris Taylor
The Kansas City Chiefs spent the entire draft addressing a defense that needed help. How much will we see these rookies on the field? Read on.
The 2018 season is getting closer with every passing day. As one of the most anticipated seasons in Kansas City Chiefs history arrives, the fans will be eager to see the newest batch of players to wear the red and gold.
The Kansas City Chiefs went all defense, becoming the first team in history to focus on only one side of the ball in the NFL Draft. The general manager for the Chiefs, Brett Veach, answered the request of the fans. With the departures of multiple defensive players during the offseason, there were holes that needed to be filed.
Some of the Chiefs draft picks have the potential to be starting material right out of the gate. Others are looking at situational playing time or possibly landing on the practice squad. A lot rides on the eventual success or failure of this seasons draft picks. If they are unable to step in and contribute right away, the pressure on Patrick Mahomes to be great becomes even larger.
The defense still has the veteran leadership of Eric Berry to lean on, as well as veteran linebacker Justin Houston and defensive lineman Chris Jones. Beyond those three players, question marks arise.
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Gathering information from sports-reference.com and profootballfocus.com, we will carefully and perhaps optimistically predict how much help each of the Chiefs’ draft picks will be in 2018. First up, the Chiefs 2018 2nd round pick.
Breeland Speaks
With the 46th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Breeland Speaks out of Ole Miss. Speaks has been a hard specimen to figure out when it comes to how the Chiefs are going to use him this upcoming season.
At 285 pounds, he won’t be strong enough to battle in the trenches as a defensive lineman. He spent his college career putting pressure on the quarterback by beating guys to the outside, generally from an interior lineman position.
He does give the Kansas City Chiefs some flexibility to move him around in certain situations. Perhaps the best way for Speaks to see the field right away is to use him as an edge rusher. The health and productivity of Dee Ford are very much up in the air, as well as the developmental progress of Tanoh Kpassgnoh. Speaks could jump in right away as the Chiefs outside linebacker opposite of Houston.
The Kansas City Chiefs will more than likely use Speaks the same way they used Tamba Hali for years. Speaks won’t be much help when it comes to coverage, so his job will primarily be putting pressure on the quarterback.
A starting role may not be immediate, but playing time should be abundant. I expect him to see no fewer than 15 snaps a game to start the season. By the time the bye week gets here he should have established himself as a near every-down type of player.