Ryan Hunter hopes his versatility stands out for Kansas City Chiefs
By Matt Conner
Ryan Hunter is hoping his previous experience at left guard and versatility across the line will help win a spot on the Chiefs active roster.
The Kansas City Chiefs are likely going to head into the regular season with nine or even ten offensive linemen. Alex Hunter is hoping there’s room for at least more more foreign import among the lot.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is already the anomaly along the line for multiple reasons, most of which have to do with being the only medical doctor playing professional football these days, but LDT first made waves as a Canadian import from McGill University. Hunter is himself a Canadian native who played college ball in the MAC at Bowling Green. He’s hoping to be the second linemen for the Chiefs from the Great White North.
In a recent interview with Le Journal de Québec, Hunter said that Duvernay-Tardif has been especially helpful to have as he transitions from college senior to pro roster hopeful. It not only helps to have someone with similar experience in the transition but LDT in particular has been very successful at the next level, enough to earn the major payday that eludes so many pro players.
For Hunter, he’s hoping his versatility from his days at Bowling Green serve him well as he tries to earn reps and favor with the Chiefs coaching staff.
"“At the beginning of my university career, I trained as a guard on the left. I had the chance to play a little at the five positions on the line, so the learning curve is not too big. It takes me a while to feel natural, but it helps a lot to play the same position a few days in a row,” he said."
Hunter has surprised fans already by earning some reps with the first line at left guard, which shows that Andy Reid wanted to at least see how the 6’5, 320 lb. linemen looked between Mitch Morse and Eric Fisher. The carousel has hardly stopped spinning all offseason with potential candidates, and Andy Reid made it clear that it would take training camp to really sift out the competition—one that also includes Bryan Witzmann, who started most games in 2017, and Parker Ehinger, who held down the spot in 2016 until he tore his ACL and missed the next year.
Hunter played left tackle for Bowling Green this last year but he’s also spent time at left and right guard as well as right tackle. Given that he’s already at least slotted in some noted reps with the first team could give the impression that he’s got a leg up on any other rookie competition.
You can check out some of his Pro Day highlights here to get a better sense of Hunter’s talents.