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Chiefs News: Three things to know about Mike Danna

By Leigh Oleszczak

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 30: Justin Fields #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes tries to get around the tackle of Michael Danna #4 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ohio State won the game 56-27. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 30: Justin Fields #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes tries to get around the tackle of Michael Danna #4 of the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ohio State won the game 56-27. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Chiefs news surrounds the newest members of the Kansas City Chiefs, one of them being defensive end Mike Danna out of Michigan.

While some might have thought the Kansas City Chiefs drafting Mike Danna in the fifth round (177th overall) was a reach, Brett Veach and Andy Reid obviously saw something in the Michigan defender.

Adding on defense is always important for the Chiefs, but after winning a Super Bowl because of their defensive improvements, it was critical that the team continued to add playmakers on that side of the ball. Mike Danna might not jump right in, but he’ll hopefully be a key factor in the defense in the future.

What should fans know about the newest Chiefs defensive end?

PLAYED AT TWO DIFFERENT COLLEGES

Initially when Danna was drafted and I wrote up my reaction piece, the only Mike Danna I could find played at Central Michigan. I thought maybe the television graphic made a mistake, but no – It turns out Danna played at both Central Michigan and Michigan.

Danna spent the first four years of collegiate career with the Chippewas of Central Michigan before playing as a grad transfer at Michigan. He played well for both schools and was used in rotations while at Michigan.

DID NOT GET A COMBINE INVITE

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The Combine is a chance for draft prospects to show their skills in front of scouts so that they can jump up draft boards. Unfortunately for Danna, he didn’t get a chance to show off those skills because he didn’t receive an invite to the Combine.

Typically the Combine is reserved for the top talents in college football and Danna wasn’t really a big time prospect, so this wasn’t surprising. Hopefully he has a chance to look back and “stick it” to those who didn’t give him a chance to prove himself.

PASS RUSH ABILITY IS THERE

Playing in the MAC isn’t always a great indicator for talent, as it’s against “lesser” competition, but Danna was an electric pass rusher at Central Michigan. Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus highlighted him when the news broke that he was transferring to Michigan and had this to say,

"Danna’s 91.3 pass-rushing grade last season was the highest of any returning player in the country and outpaced both Winovich (89.1) and Gary (71.5).The obvious caveat is level of competition. A 91.3 pass-rushing in the MAC isn’t directly translatable to the offensive lines in the Big 10."

Danna had three sacks in his lone season at Michigan, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can bring that pass rushing ability to Kansas City.

Mike Danna might not be a big name prospect, but no one knows how any of these players’ careers will turn out. Danna could end up being a huge steal in the draft.

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