Chiefs’ Mack Lee Hill award winner in 2016?
Parker Ehinger
The offensive coaching staff has already taken a liking to the draftee out of Cincinnati. Ehinger spent a significant amount of time running with the ones at left guard several weeks ago. He has the technique to contribute as a pass protector, but he currently lacks the functional strength to be a factor in the run game.
Time with strength and conditioning coach Barry Rubin will help him become more of a force at the point-of-attack, but I suspect he won’t be able to hold off veteran Jah Reid when the real bullets start flying later this month.
Tyreek Hill
Which brings us to the final name on our short list, the oft-maligned fifth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016 — Tyreek Hill. Allow me to preface the rest of my rationale with a disclaimer. Nothing that I’m about to say is an implicit or explicit endorsement of the acts Hill was formerly accused of. This is purely a football take on what I think he’ll bring to this team’s table in the upcoming season. If all hearts and minds are clear, let’s continue.
Not unlike others in Chiefs Kingdom, I’m still a bit miffed over the climactic chapter of the 2015 season where De’Anthony Thomas is concerned. The team account of his five-week hiatus, at the end of the year, appears to be widely divergent from his own story. I’m not convinced that he and the team are on good terms, despite his participation in organized team activities earlier in the offseason. Were I a betting man, I’d wager that Thomas moves on in the near future.
If he does depart for another team, I’m persuaded that it will open the door to Hill being a frontrunner for Mack Lee Hill honors. With his elite speed and special team coordinator Dave Toub’s ingenuity, he could prove to be a nightmare for coverage teams around the NFL. Toub had this to say about Hill early last month:
"“When you evaluate players, you always compare them to other people,’’ Toub said. “[Hill is] a dynamic returner. You can see it clearly on tape, his speed. I probably said a couple of [times] that he’s Devin Hester-ish. “He’s a really good catcher,’’ Toub said. “He makes people miss. He’s got great agility, great quickness, great first-step quickness. His top speed is second to none. Four-two-five? That speed is real. That’s one thing we’ve learned over the last month is that he’s got legitimate speed.’’"
We all remember what Toub did with Hester during his stint in Chicago. In more recent years, he had similar success with De’Anthony Thomas (the Mack Lee Hill Award winner in 2014). Coaches raved about Hill’s abilities after seeing them firsthand at the Arrowhead training facilities. If Hill can continue to build upon the success of his offseason campaign, I believe it’ll be his award to lose.
Next: Final thoughts...