2018 NFL mock draft: Chiefs get lots of defensive help per Pro Football Focus
By Matt Conner
No. 86. Dorian O’Daniel, Clemson, Linebacker
They say:
"The Chiefs add a potential coverage linebacker to their corps of run-stoppers as O’Daniel is one of the most athletic linebackers in the draft and he graded at 83.8 in coverage and 85.7 against the run last season."
We say:
At the beginning of the NFL offseason, the idea of adding such a well-rounded linebacker like Dorian O’Daniel would have been seen as a significant boost, a major point of need at a position that was both thin and aging. Over the last year, however, Brett Veach has done his best to remake the linebacking corps in the middle and now it seems like such a pick, especially on Day 2, could be overkill.
Last summer, Veach pulled off one of his first heists with the trade for Reggie Ragland of the Buffalo Bills. Ragland was coming off of ACL surgery but was healing quick and it only took a few additional weeks after arriving before he became a serious contender for majority reps on defense. By season’s end, Ragland showed the sort of productivity envisioned for him when originally selected in the second round as he formed a nice rotation with aging star Derrick Johnson and Kevin Pierre-Louis, another preseason import.
Fast forward to the first day of the new league year and the Chiefs announce the signing of a major defensive addition in Dallas Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens. After playing behind the likes of Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith, the Cowboys let Hitchens hit the open market and the Chiefs responded by making him one of the highest paid ILBs in football.
At this point, Hitchens and Ragland are going to form the one-two punch in the middle of the Chiefs’ base defense, which leaves a player like Dorian O’Daniel on the outside looking. He’s already a strong special teams contributor, so he’d be a definite upgrade on the roster from a Terrance Smith and he’d also bring depth and youth, but it’s not as if Ragland and Hitchens aren’t already very young themselves, and they’re both locked up for the next few years.
That makes O’Daniel nice insurance at a point in the draft when the Chiefs could still potentially grab a starter at a position of need. As nice as making such a value pick would be, the Chiefs roster just isn’t positioned for such luxuries just yet.