Dontari Poe Showing Flashes Early

The Kansas City Chiefs took one of the biggest risks in the entire draft when they selected Memphis DT Dontari Poe with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

The early returns on their investment are showing promise.

Poe has had a lot to learn since the Chiefs began OTA practices a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s a different technique,” Poe said via KCChiefs.com. “But once you learn it, you can be dominant with it. They’ve been playing (the 3-4) way longer than I have, so anything I can get from my teammates is the best thing for me.”

Even though the players are just in shorts and helmets, if Poe can learn the defense pretty well in OTAs, he should be able to hit the ground running come training camp. If his practice on Friday was any indication, Poe could be heading in the right direction. Here are some highlights from KCChiefs.com:

"The first play exhibited Poe’s block-shedding ability. Lined up with the first team players, he shot between left guard Ryan Lilja and center Rodney Hudson to force running back Peyton Hillis to bounce outside.On the next snap, Poe was one of the players that met Hillis on the edge after another running play. He correctly diagnosed the play as an outside zone run, shuffled down the defensive line, and was the first player to meet Hillis in the hole he was supposed to run through."

Sure, it is only practice but the fact that Poe is flashing his instincts so early is a good sign.

Poe and the rest of the Chiefs start their mandatory three-day mini-camp tomorrow. It will be the last set of practices before training camp kicks off in late July.