Kansas City Chiefs: Predicting the third-year players

Oct 26, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Knile Davis (34) runs for a touchdown during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In 2015, Kelce will show everyone who wasn’t aware what a great talent he is. If he stays injury free, Kelce could look towards the 1,000-yard mark for the season. He did admit that he was not sharp at times last season, so a fully fit Kelce would be a nightmare mismatch for any defensive coordinator. With improved talent acquired around him in Jeremy Maclin, and the progression of Albert Wilson and De’Anthony Thomas, expect Kelce to thrive in head coach Andy Reid’s west coast offense. Reid and Dorsey have clearly expressed their confidence in Kelce by releasing former starter Anthony Fasano, and I share that confidence in the young tight end. Expect big things.

Dorsey then proceeded to pick Knile Davis at the end of the third round. This again looks set to be a great pick. The one-two punch of Davis and Jamaal Charles was especially effective last season, and Davis was more than capable of stepping in for an often banged up Charles (see Week 3 vs Dolphins). Davis is more of a thumper-type runner than Charles, and the two in tandem work well and is something that I expect to see more of next season.

Another positive to Davis’ game is on special teams where he excels on kick returns. He is the fourth-rated kick returner per PFF with an average gain of 28.8 yards.

For 2015, expect a lot of the same from Davis. Since Charles is one of the best backs in the NFL right now, Davis will always play second fiddle to him. However, Davis will spell Charles and  continue performing well as a returner. The biggest question is whether Davis is the long-term replacement for Charles. This will be a defining season in terms of his future with Kansas City.

In the fourth round, Dorsey took Nico Johnson out of Alabama. Not many were particularly impressed with the pick when it was made, and even less now since Johnson is now plying his trade for the Bengals. Therefore, I can’t really provide a prediction for his impact on the Chiefs’ 2015 season, but this will certainly be remembered as one of Dorsey’s worse selections.

Next: The plight of Commings, Kush and Catapano