Kansas City Chiefs: Six prospects to avoid in the 2021 NFL Draft
By John McCarty
Draft Prospects for KC Chiefs to Avoid – Jalen Mayfield, OT (Michigan)
Much of what was said about Leatherwood can be said about Mayfield as well but even more amplified.
While Leatherwood started multiple seasons at left tackle at Alabama, Mayfield mostly played right tackle during his time at Michigan. Also, while Leatherwood graded out very well athletically, Mayfield’s lack of athleticism creates worries that he may need to move inside to guard, which isn’t a position the Chiefs really need to address early on in the draft.
Draft history is littered with the carcasses of offensive tackles teams believed they could move to left tackle after having played on the right side in college. So, while Mayfield has a strong, nasty play style, the Chiefs don’t need a right tackle and he certainly doesn’t appear to be the athlete the Chiefs need to play on the line.
This is a continuing theme that will go with our next prospect. While on Madden it may not be an issue, moving from the right side to the left while also making the jump from the college to the professional level, Mayfield certainly isn’t the guy to draft early.
Mayfield is the second of four offensive linemen on this list and the one we’re about to discuss definitely has his fair share of concerns.