Four standouts that fit the Kansas City Chiefs
Haason Reddick – LB – Temple – 6’1″ – 237 pounds
Before the Senior Bowl, Temple’s Haason Reddick was a prospect many weren’t sure what to do with in the NFL. He was a highly productive player in college but far too undersized to play defensive end in the NFL. Could he transition to a linebacker position? Did he have the speed and athleticism to work in space in the NFL? He was a prospect that had a lot of evaluators curious but at that point it wasn’t likely that a team would gamble a first round pick on him. That started to change at the Senior Bowl where Reddick was one of the stars of practice and showed a natural feel for the linebacker position. He looks comfortable in space and his strength and speed looked more than adequate for the NFL.
Fast forward to this weekend at the combine and Reddick’s stock took another boost. With the exception of Jabrill Peppers, who will likely be a safety not a linebacker, Reddick had the best 40 time of all the linebackers. He actually ran the drills with the defensive line (which was silly) but he clearly looks like a linebacker both in size and ability. He also was a standout in the bench press where his 24 reps was tied for third. His vertical jump of 36.5 inches was fourth best and his broad jump of 133 inches was the best of all linebacker prospects.
Reddick will need good coaching in the NFL to make the change to linebacker. There will be bumps in the road as he tries to make the leap from Temple to the NFL and learn a new position in the process. Still, when you match his college production as an undersized defensive end with his performance as a linebacker at the Senior Bowl and now his eye popping numbers at the combine and you get a prospect that would be very tempting for the Chiefs to consider with their first round pick. If you still aren’t sold on KC taking Reddick I’ve got one more tidbit that surfaced over the weekend that may convince you. Chiefs reporter BJ Kissel tweeted out this nugget:
Haason Reddick told me #Chiefs DL coach, Britt Reid, who spent a year w/ him at Temple (2012), was "one of the first to believe in him."
— Chiefs Reporter (@ChiefsReporter) March 4, 2017
I think taking Reddick at No. 27 to be the heir apparent to Derrick Johnson would be a great pick and it sounds like there is a connection there already that could mean its a real possibility.
So what do you think Addicts? Do you like any (or all) of these prospects for Kansas City? Were there other standouts at the combine that you really like for the Chiefs? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Also, I’d like to take a second and thank all of you that read my ramblings on a weekly basis. Believe it or not, this is my 400th piece for Arrowhead Addict. I can’t thank both the AA staff and you the readers enough for giving me this outlet for my Chiefs obsession. The fact that anybody actually takes the time to read my work (and maybe even occasionally enjoy it) still boggles my mind.
So as I always say at the end of these things, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!