Troy Apke – Penn State – 6’1″ – 200 pounds
Troy Apke was likely headed towards being an undrafted free agent before his combine performance. He didn’t put up huge numbers at Penn State and when you watch his game tape its “okay”. So why would the Chiefs want to use a late round pick on him? Because he showed some FREAKISH athletic ability at the combine. Normally that wouldn’t be enough to win me over but Apke only really has one year of playing experience as a safety. He came to Penn State as a receiver and his senior year was the only year he started in college. Obviously this would make Apke both a major project and a gamble. However, if the Chiefs think they can develop his game he certainly has the athletic upside to take a flier on.
Look at these combine results (and where it ranked amongst the safeties).
40 time: 4.34 seconds (1st)
Bench Press: 16 reps (11th)
Vertical Jump: 41 inches (3rd)
Broad Jump: 131 inches (4th)
3 Cone Drill: 6.56 seconds (1st)
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.03 seconds (1st)
He didn’t just win the underwear olympics he left all the other safeties in the dust. Now, that guarantees absolutely nothing at the next level, but I like my late round picks to have some home run potential. Troy Apke may not be a very safe pick, but the upside potential is definitely there. The Chiefs would just need to sign a veteran to help their weak safety depth while they try to develop Apke.
So there you have it Chiefs fans. Five safety prospects to keep your eyes on in the upcoming NFL draft. There are several promising safeties in this class so I definitely think the Chiefs could walk away from this draft with someone that could really help bolster a currently weak position group in Kansas City. Do you like these five guys as well? Are there other prospects that are higher on your wish list? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!