Kansas City Chiefs: Five combine standouts that would fit the defense

The Kansas City Chiefs have already lost several defensive starters this offseason. Here are five combine standouts that could help replace them.

The countdown to the NFL draft is officially on. Despite not having a first round pick, fans of the Kansas City Chiefs are beginning to kick their draft speculation into high gear. Last Monday, I gave you three standouts from the NFL combine that would be a perfect fit for the Chiefs on the offensive side of the ball. This week, it’s time to do the same for the defense. I don’t know if it was because there were more standouts to choose from this week or because the Chiefs have more holes to fill on defense, but this week I’m giving you five players as opposed to the three on offense.

Before we get to the list, let me recap how I went about putting it together. First off, the players listed had to have a great Combine. There are several defensive prospects that I really like for the Chiefs that aren’t on this list because their Combine performance wasn’t especially noteworthy. Those players may still be great prospects, but this list is specifically about guys that you may have heard mentioned as combine “winners” or “standouts”.

Second, if the player isn’t a great fit for what the Chiefs do or play a position that the Chiefs don’t really need, I didn’t put them on the list. Finally, if a player is so highly regarded that I don’t see it as possible for the Chiefs to draft him in the later half of the second round, then they didn’t make this list.

For example, I love Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea as a run stuffer for the Chiefs. He had a great combine putting up 41 reps on the bench press and running an impressive 5.1 forty yard dash at 6-foot-4 and 347 pounds. However, he’s not making it to the Chiefs pick in the second round, so he’s not on the list. Another guy I would LOVE to see as the heir apparent to Derrick Johnson is Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. He had a great all around combine and looks like he could be a dominant player on all three downs both against the run and in coverage. Again, he is likely going to end up going in the late first round so he’s also not on the list.

Enough about the guys that aren’t on my list, let’s get to the ones that are.

There may not have been a better story at the combine than that of this first draft prospect.