Kansas City Chiefs: Third quarter rookie report card for 2020 rookies
C. . LB. Kansas City Chiefs. WILLIE GAY
I promise there will be other grades than just C’s (though C’s do get degrees for what it’s worth), but after looking at Willie Gay’s stats from Weeks 9-13, I couldn’t really think of a better grade to give him here. On the one hand, he’s made plays, but on the other, nothing really stands out that wows anyone.
Here are his stats:
- Week 9 – Tackle
- Week 11 – 5 tackles
- Week 12 – Tackle
- Week 13 – 2 tackles
It’s a little concerning that Gay isn’t seeing more playing time as the season progresses, especially considering how poorly the linebackers (sans Anthony Hitchens) have played. That being said, Gay is a rookie and it’s been a weird season, so I’ll let his odd snap count slide and give him an average grade for this report card.
CB. Kansas City Chiefs. L'JARIUS SNEED. B+.
After being excluded from the last report card, L’Jarius Sneed is back and has been since he returned to action after the Chiefs’ Week 10 bye. Sneed is easily one of the biggest surprises of the season considering he was a fourth-round pick earlier this year and was thrust into action right off the bat.
Since returning, Sneed has slowly increased his snap counts going from 22% in Week 11 to 54% in Week 12 and playing in 73% of the defensive snaps in Sunday night’s win over Denver while also playing a bit on special teams since his return. He’s been a really nice selection for the Chiefs and could end up being the biggest steal of the 2020 NFL Draft.
- Week 11 – 3 tackles
- Week 12 – 3 tackles
- Week 13 – 6 tackles
Sneed started the season off with two interceptions and while it’d be nice to see him force some turnovers in the final four games (and in the playoffs), for now, I’m just happy to have him back on the field for the Chiefs.