Undrafted rookie receiver could follow path of Chiefs great
A Kansas City Chiefs undrafted rookie could end up following the path of an all-time great and in more ways than one. Fresno State's Nikko Remigio signed a standard three-year contract with the Chiefs after he went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft. He joins a 12-man wide receiver room on the Chiefs' 90-man offseason roster […]
A Kansas City Chiefs undrafted rookie could end up following the path of an all-time great and in more ways than one.
Fresno State's Nikko Remigio signed a standard three-year contract with the Chiefs after he went undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft. He joins a 12-man wide receiver room on the Chiefs' 90-man offseason roster that is steeped in competition. It's a tough path to the 53-man roster of any NFL team for an undrafted free agent, but it wouldn't be the first time a wide receiver from Bulldogs beat the odds in Kansas City.
Flashback to the summer of 1983 when an undrafted receiver out of Fresno State by the name of Stephone Paige first arrived as a bright-eyed rookie in a crowded receiver room. After a successful training camp and preseason, Paige made the team outright. Despite playing a reserve role as a rookie and not starting a single game, Paige finished the season with over 500 yards receiving and six touchdown grabs.
Paige eventually leap-frogged former first-round draft pick Anthony Hancock on the Chiefs' depth chart, playing alongside Henry Marshall and Carlos Carson under head coach John Mackovic. He would spend practically all of his decade-long NFL career in Kansas City, finishing his tenure with 377 receptions for 6,341 yards, currently good for the eighth-most receiving yards in franchise history.
Paige became known for making the most improbable, acrobatic, highlight-reel catches during his career. Now, Remigio is gaining attention by making some acrobatic catches during Chiefs training camp practice:
Remigio would need to overcome a logjam at the receiver position to make the 53-man roster in Kansas City this season. An undrafted free agent from 2022, Clemson's Justyn Ross, is already positioned to make the active roster. However, as we've already learned this offseason with Kadarius Toney's injury, depth can be tested.
Should Remigio stay the course, he could have a similar trajectory to Paige. He's probably well aware of that fact, given that he had a chance to chop it up with Paige during Alumni Day at Chiefs training camp on Monday.
Perhaps Remigio has an easier path to the 53-man roster than Paige ever had. He boasts Second-Team All-Conference honors as a return specialist and receiver just a season ago. Even if the rookie takes a slight detour to the practice squad before landing an opportunity to be on the active roster, it certainly can't hurt to have a player of Paige's pedigree in his ear.
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Featured image via Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
