A Chiefs fan’s guide to the NFL Draft: The Linebackers

Kemoko Turay – Rutgers – 6’5″ – 253 pounds

If the Chiefs feel like they need a pure 3-4 OLB with the upside to be a full-time starter but Lorenzo Carter is off the board, then my plan B would be Rutgers’ Kemoko Turay. There are some similarities in Carter and Turay in that they are both players with good length and athleticism that are still more potential than production.

Turay only played two years of high school football and then essentially had two of his four college years impacted by injuries. As a freshman pass rush specialist Turay had a team high 7.5 sacks but failed to reach that number again. He had 4 his senior season as a full time healthy player. He did have 8 quarterback hits and 17 hurries so he was applying pressure even when he didn’t get the sack.

While he didn’t run as fast as Carter his 4.65 second 40-yard time was still great for a player his size and he shows the ability to get around tackles while rushing the passer. Here is Turay showing a good punch and the speed to get around the edge.

Here is a clip from the senior bowl where Turay shows good bend and ability to get under and around the tackle.

Finally, I enjoyed this clip where Turay shows the strength to knock Penn State’s Mike Gesicki completely off balance at the start of this play.

I think Kemoko Turay has the upside to be a great pass rushing 3-4 OLB someday. The question will be if the Chiefs both think they can develop him to his full potential and aren’t concerned about his injury history. It’s because of that injury history that I wouldn’t touch Turay until the third round at the earliest. If he falls to the fourth or fifth round then that upside would definitely be far too tempting to pass up.

Now its time to get to the guys that could help KC’s pass rush but don’t exactly fit the traditional 3-4 OLB mold.