Week 17 could allow the Chiefs to look at several young players

Ukeme Eligwe

Coming into the 2017 offseason, the Chiefs had a serious linebacker problem. The best players were aging or injury prone and the previous attempts at stocking the cupboards with youth had proven to have a lower ceiling than expected. Something had to be done and it’s clear the Chiefs entire front office knew it.

Before the preseason acquisitions by Veach of Reggie Ragland and Kevin Pierre-Louis, John Dorsey’s answer for the team’s linebacker issues was found in the fifth round of the draft when Ukeme Eligwe’s name was submitted on a draft card. He’s been lost in the shuffle, largely relegated to special teams only for the duration of the regular season, but the initial promise is still there.

In case you’ve forgotten, Eligwe has tremendous sideline to sideline speed and a rare physical burst. He was, however, a Georgia State product who was going to need time to adapt to the NFL level, a la Kpassagnon. Nearly one full season in, the Chiefs could see what they have in Eligwe if they allow him to play either on the outside or even in a Derrick Johnson role in Week 17 on a regular basis.