Meet the 4 players signed by the Kansas City Chiefs to reserve/futures contracts

Makinton Dorleant, defensive back

Let’s get the red flags about Makinton Dorleant out of the way. Bad news first, as they say.

Dorleant has some significant hurdles before he’s going to make any sort of positive impact on the field for the Chiefs. As a small school prospect out of Northern Iowa, he was always going to be a developmental prospect despite his All-American status in FCS play. He’s also smallish, at just over 5’10, as the Chiefs tend to like their corners to play physical and clock in at 6’0. (Dorleant is now the smallest defensive back on the roster along with Steven Terrell).

In addition, there is some real drama here to be concerned about, which likely means Dorleant has the shortest leash of any of the new signees. Dorleant entered the NFL in 2016 as an undrafted free agent with the Packers and spent the first 11 games of the season on injured reserve. However the Packers used one of their designated to return slots on Dorleant to see what he could bring to the secondary down the stretch. Unfortunately he tore his ACL near season’s end against the Detroit Lions and was placed back on injured reserve.

Then, this last offseason, Dorleant was arrested for being involved to one degree or another in a fight at a bar in Cedar Falls. He was cited for “interference” and was subsequently released by the Packers last April. He tried out for the New York Jets earlier this year but the Chiefs are his first official home after losing his place with the Packers.

As for the good news, there is some here. Dorleant is fast—very, very fast. He runs a 4.39 40-yard dash and flashes the same speed when reacting to the ball on tape. Speaking of tape, he has 2 interceptions and 28 passes defended from his college tape at Northern Iowa, where he made 40 starts. He’s experienced, athletic with strong instincts. Now he just needs to stay focused and appreciative for this second chance Brett Veach has given him.