Kansas City Chiefs: Is Cody Whitehair worth a first round pick?

Whitehair’s athleticism and body control definitely show up on film. He does a good job of getting himself into position. You don’t see him make many mental mistakes and even on plays where he may seem overmatched either by a player’s power or speed off the edge he finds a way to do just enough to occupy his man and allow the play to get off.

It doesn’t take long to see that he doesn’t look like an NFL left tackle. In fact, he barely looks big enough to play guard at the NFL level. He is not a big physical mauler (only 16 reps on the benchpress). While I love powerhouse guards that move the pile, that hasn’t been what KC has seemed to be looking for. They appear to prefer more athletic and technically sound guards for more of a zone blocking system. If that’s the case they may really like Cody Whitehair.

Here’s my only problem, Whitehair just doesn’t dominate the way I want a first round guard prospect to. Like I said, even when overmatched by power or speed he finds a way to get the job done and that’s great, but I want a first round guard prospect to be the one that is overmatching the defender not the other way around.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think he is a safe bet to be a long time quality starting NFL guard. If the Chiefs take him in the first round I won’t be disappointed. I’m just not sure I see him as an elite player in the NFL and if you draft a guard in the first round (even late first) I think you are hoping for elite. You can draft good starting NFL guards in rounds 2-4 most seasons.

So in an attempt to answer my own question on if Cody Whitehair is worth a first round pick I think I have to answer yes, but just barely. In other words, despite my hope that I would fall in love with Whitehair’s play on the field, I think I see him more as a good safety plan if the other players that the Chiefs really love are already off the board.

I would rather the Chiefs draft him than gamble on a high upside guy that has too many red flags or they see as a high bust possibility. However, if there is a player with higher upside that they really like I would have no problem whatsoever with KC passing on Whitehair and drafting a guard later on in the draft.

So what do you think Addicts? Would you like to see the Chiefs draft Cody Whitehair in the first round? Would you rather they wait to address the guard position later on in the draft? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!