Kansas City Chiefs: What Mike Danna can provide in 2020

The Kansas City Chiefs selected Mike Danna in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. What should fans expect from the fifth rounder throughout the course of his rookie year?

When the fifth round rolled around, the Kansas City Chiefs were initially armed with just one more pick. They shocked a lot of people when they went with Mike Danna out of Michigan, a player who didn’t get much analysis during the draft process. Danna probably would have been available when the draft concluded, so it felt like a reach.

Danna spent time at both Michigan and Central Michigan during his college career, with his final year spent with the Wolverines. He was a nice player in Ann Arbor, but again, the consensus seemed to be that he’d still be available when the draft was over and could have been signed as an undrafted free agent.

The Chiefs defense improved significantly in 2019, which helped pave the way for their Super Bowl victory. The hope was that they’d draft more immediate impact playmakers that could come in and help out right away. Danna isn’t going to be that.

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To be perfectly honest, Danna probably won’t have much of a role for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. He’s a developmental player and it’d be shocking to see him as anything more than a depth piece/reserve player. The practice squad is a good landing spot for Danna, but he could get a promotion if injury occurs.

The Chiefs obviously saw something they liked in Danna and there’s hope that he can blossom into something, but that won’t come during his rookie season. Something that does stand out about Danna is his pass rushing ability, which BJ Kissel pointed out in his column after the team selected Danna.

While this is obviously good to read about, a lot of this damage came during Danna’s time at Central Michigan, who play in the MAC. The level of competition between the MAC and the NFL is very drastic, so that level of play isn’t necessarily going to translate to the pros.

The Chiefs are going to remain patient with Danna. He won’t be a big time name during his rookie season and he probably won’t see the field much at all. If he does, it’ll be on special teams.

What do you think Mike Danna will provide the Kansas City Chiefs as a rookie in 2020?