Kansas City Chiefs: Regrading Each Pick Of The 2014 NFL Draft
By Brett Gering
Round 6, Pick No. 200: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, T/OG, McGill
Watching tape of Laurent Duvernay-Tardif for the first time is like popping the cork on an elegant, French, accent-marked bottle of wine and finding out it was spiked with Steel Reserve. (If you’re not familiar with the last term, consider yourself blessed.)
Before life in the NFL, Duvernay-Tardif was a bilingual left tackle who moonlighted as a doctor while playing in the CFL. So if you felt accomplished today, joke’s on you.
The sixth-rounder isn’t your average MD, though.
NFL Network’s Gil Brandt adds:
"At his pro day, Duvernay-Tardif ran the 40 in 4.94 and 5.08 seconds. He had a 31 1/2-inch vertical and a 9-6 broad jump. He ran the three-cone drill in 7.30 seconds and had 33 bench-press reps. Duvernay-Tardif was not at the combine, but those numbers were as good as any offensive linemen there, including Taylor Lewan."
Duvernay-Tardif is a long-term project who could pay handsome dividends down the road. However, being that he’s learning the ropes of a drastically different game (than that of the CFL), he has more obstacles to hurdle than the average newcomer.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Kansas City Chiefs. OVERALL GRADE. C. Duvernay-Tardif has a mountain of potential, but it may take another year or two before fans see glimpses of it on a regular basis. His play was encouraging throughout the preseason, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) No. 23 guard of 228.