Dadi Nicolas, Tamba Hali gives Chiefs competition at pass rusher for first time in 2017

SAN DIEGO, CA - JANUARY 01: Demetrius Harris
SAN DIEGO, CA - JANUARY 01: Demetrius Harris
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GLENDALE, AZ – AUGUST 15: Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton of the Kansas City Chiefs on the sidelines during the pre-season NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on August 15, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. The Chiefs defeated the Cardinals 34-19. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – AUGUST 15: Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton of the Kansas City Chiefs on the sidelines during the pre-season NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium on August 15, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. The Chiefs defeated the Cardinals 34-19. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Kpassagnon’s development

The Chiefs made a few interesting moves for the future in this year’s draft when they traded up to get Patrick Mahomes as their future franchise quarterback and selected Tanoh Kpassagnon to provide a pass rush anchor once he’d adjusted to the pros. The former was expected to sit for a year. The latter was supposed to sit until he was ready.

The good news is that Kpassagnon has largely sat until recently when he’s been slowly earning more and more reps along the way. Just recently he played in 10 snaps in a game, his highest total, but that’s trending upward which means Sutton and Andy Reid are seeing something in practice they want him to duplicate on the field.

If Kpassagnon can show flashes on the field of the sort of potential spoken about by John Dorsey when they first selected him, this could be the biggest boost of all for the Chiefs. After all, Kpassagnon earned comparisons to Jason Pierre-Paul and Sean Jones coming out of Villanova. The bust rate on edge rushers can be a bit high and the leap from Nova to the NFL is a large one, but the Chiefs planted a second round stake in this one, showing their level of belief.

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