Chiefs finish 2022 with fourth-best rookie class
For two straight years now the Chiefs have been able to get production from deep in the draft, but this last draft class was special.
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off of a season that saw them win the Super Bowl as one of the youngest teams in the NFL. They played eight rookies all season long and played them in valuable snaps too. In other words, the Chiefs were in a re-tooling year and still won the Super Bowl.
Who does that?
Most teams don't do that if we are being honest. But, the Chiefs did, which is a huge reason why they have one of the best rookie classes in all of the NFL, just like they did last season. Brett Veach, the general manager, knows what he is doing, and his work is starting to get recognized.
NFL.com actually came out with a piece where they ranked every team's rookie class, and the Chiefs came in fourth, which is understandable. But, here is why they ranked Kansas City where they did:
"It's rare to see a Super Bowl champion be so rookie-dependent, but Kansas City identified its depth issues last offseason and showered the defense with draftees — especially in the secondary, with five selections, including four who contributed in major ways in Year 1. Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams and Bryan Cook all cracked the rotation this season, and each of them played at least 10 snaps on defense in Super Bowl LVII. They all endured some rough patches, but each contributed something significant along the way.
"Even with some potential veteran DB departures this offseason, the future of the Chiefs' secondary appears to be bright thanks to this crew. Defensive end George Karlaftis started all season, but really made his impact down the stretch, with 5.5 of his six sacks, seven of his eight tackles for loss and both of his fumble recoveries coming in the final seven regular-season games. Isiah Pacheco was one of the 2022 NFL Draft's great finds, coming off the board in the back end of the seventh round."
All of these guys made plays in the playoffs en route to making huge plays in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs consistently draft well, not only at the top of the draft but throughout the entire draft. They really only had two players who were drafted not play significant snaps this season.
Darrian Kinnard and Nazeeh Johnson, unfortunately, didn't pan out in their first season, but that's okay, because the other eight did, and some of them will end up being stars in this league, and some will end up being elite at whatever role they are given.
You honestly couldn't have asked for a better draft from the Chiefs with what was given to them.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Featured Image Via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
