Senior Bowl 2018: 3 key players for Chiefs fans to watch

Matt Phillips from 40 Yards Scouting graced us with a Chiefs-centric look at Senior Bowl prospects to watch at today’s all-star exhibition.

With the East-West Shrine game and NFLPA Bowl firmly in the rearview mirror, carefully scouted and selected collegiate seniors assembled in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl this week in what is one of the most valuable All-Star events in the pre-draft player evaluation process.

Why is this important for Chiefs fans to keep close tabs on? Kansas City’s recent draft record is heavily tied to those talents who have really used the week of Senior Bowl to stand out as big winners. So much so, the franchise invested the first overall selection in left tackle Eric Fisher in 2013, outside linebacker Dee Ford a year later and FCS standout defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon ten months ago.

The pattern here is important, with all three named on the practice and All-Star game standouts at the week-long event and, in so doing, launching their respective draft stocks into the stratosphere. With John Dorsey no longer at the personnel helm, we have a lack of valuable precedent to predict how general manager Brett Veach operates or in which direction his scouting will be influenced.

However, today’s All-Star action from Ladd Peebles Stadium is a fascinating one for Chiefs fans, with the considerable question marks at a plethora of positions on defense to keep an eye on. Below are three key talents who we believe you should keep a close eye on.

NORTH TEAM

#59 Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio State, 6’2, 276 lb.
Our Grade: Round 2 (Top 50)

Highly productive, three-year starter whom offers intriguing positional flexibility, having lined up both inside at tackle and more predominantly at defensive end. Despite playing in a 4-man front in Columbus, Lewis would fit the Chiefs defense as a 3-4 defensive end and as a sub-package tackle on Sundays.

I just love his outstanding functional strength to not just hold up at the point of attack but to consistently press both interior linemen and tackles on the outside, utilizing his standout lower body strength, outstanding core strength and anchor to consistently push opponents back into the lap of the quarterback.

Displays plus awareness and vision to keep head up and vision to diagnose the development of the play throughout his move, maintaining his position on the edge and this providing a physical edge to force running backs and passers back inside (visions of Mariota cutting outside still loom large in the mind). Possesses an array of pass rush moves with hugely effective rip and spin moves alongside ability to swipe away blockers with his strong arms and get skinny through the gap inside.

Plays hard through to the whistle that makes it impossible to block for long, his effort and awareness gaining him countless sacks and tackles for loss thanks to his great positional awareness.

While he possesses movement that stands out on the screen, he isn’t the quickest in a straight line, but in a short area, his burst to close in on the quarterback once he’s shed his opponent is enough to break for the sack incredibly quickly. Lewis can be plugged in right away as a physical run defender on the edge or inside for whichever defensive front is called.

SOUTH TEAM

#98 B.J Hill, DT, North Carolina State, 6’3, 321 lb.
Our Grade: Round 2

It goes without saying the Chiefs need a strong anchor at the nose position. B.J. Hill is one half of the Wolfpack’s miserly interior defensive line (along with fellow standout Justin Jones) that was No. 1 against the run a year ago and conceded just 3.9 yards per carry this year.

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A physical force upfront that caught my eye once again this year, Hill won’t wow in the stat sheet, but he has to be double-teamed to blunt his outstanding power to be held in check. Possesses eye-catching burst and power off the snap that has interior offensive linemen trucked back on their skates.

His consistent play at the anchor of Dave Huxtable’s suffocating defense has been the foundation to attract blocking attention away from standout defensive ends Bradley Chubb and Kentavious Street. Impressed throughout the week of practice, winning the vast majority of 1v1 drills, moving his opponent back with the natural leverage, functional strength and consistent pad level to get under the pads of offensive linemen.

Stout against the run, Hill also adds a pocket pushing presence with a motor that fires to the whistle.

With Bennie Logan hitting free agency following a disappointing campaign, the Chiefs have sorely missed a big, nose tackle to keep their linebackers clean to make the big play and Hill fits that mold and more. This missing element has been the little talked about ingredient of a lack of pass rush in 2017 due to the loss of a healthy Dontari Poe and, previously, Jaye Howard. This has played havoc with the influence their talented linebackers possess, placing such strain on both Ragland, Kevin Pierre-Louis and the defensive backs in the team’s run defense.

#25 Ito Smith, RB, Southern Mississippi, 5’9, 201 lb.
Our Grade: Round 4/5
Offense?! I hear you. There’s no doubt that Kansas City possesses some of the finest playmakers on this side of the ball in the league while the defense is creaking. Yet Smith, the standout former Golden Eagle, is just the type of talent Andy Reid and newly-appointed offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy love.

While Charcandrick West has played at a high level again this season as the Chiefs third-down option and a highly skilled receiver, he is at this time a free agent with no guarantee of his return, of which I would wholeheartedly favour.

A diminutive yet ultra-productive four-year starter, Smith has been an extremely productive tailback at the head of a strong running attack in Hattiesburg. One of the finest at his position in the ‘Group of Five’, the senior has been a highly dependable, outstandingly quick offensive weapon for the Eagles, who during his career has been one of the most productive in school history behind Damion Fletcher.

Such has been his impressive level of play, he was justifiably rewarded with a Senior Bowl invitation to return to his home town of Mobile, Alabama—an opportunity of which the senior has taken full advantage. Smith put in an impressive week of practice as a multi-dimensional talent, elusive inside and out as a ball carrier, a crisp route runner and a key factor in the passing game, where his reliable hands and ability to catch and transition to amassing yards after the catch have seen him consistently average 10 yards per reception throughout his career.

In whichever manner Smith has the ball in his hands, his eye-catching vision and awareness to avoid would-be tacklers jumped out at me this season, giving him added value as a dangerous kick returner—something he was asked to do more of in December’s Independence Bowl matchup with Florida State.

Smith has breached the 1,000 yard mark the past three consecutive seasons, nearing almost 2,000 yards all-purpose as a junior. While the Chiefs possess a very similar talent in Tyreek Hill, they stand to lose D’Anthony Thomas. Smith is also more suited to a bigger role on offense whose special teams returning ability would make Smith something of a steal during the third day of the NFL Draft.

Other notable Chiefs fits to keep an eye on:

South

#4 Quin Blanding, FS, Virginia, 6’2, 209 lb. (Our Grade: Round 3)
#16 J’Mon Moore, WR Missouri 6’2, 209 lb. (Our Grade: Round 4/5)
#50 Darius Leonard, ILB South Carolina St., 6’2, 229 lb. (Our Grade: Round 3)

North

#80 Durham Smythe, TE, Notre Dame, 6’5, 253 lb. (Our Grade: Round 4)

If you liked this then head to 40 Yards Scouting at www.ukdraftguide.com for more information on our scouting work and charity fundraising.

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