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Kansas City Chiefs draft wish list: Taylor Rapp, safety, Washington

By Grant Tuttle

SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 02: Taylor Rapp #21 of the Washington Huskies runs back an interception during their game against the Colorado Buffaloes in the Pac-12 Championship game at Levi's Stadium on December 2, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 02: Taylor Rapp #21 of the Washington Huskies runs back an interception during their game against the Colorado Buffaloes in the Pac-12 Championship game at Levi's Stadium on December 2, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 10: interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo of the New York Giants looks over his plays against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half in the game at MetLife Stadium on December 10, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 10: interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo of the New York Giants looks over his plays against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half in the game at MetLife Stadium on December 10, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

PROSPECT’S STRENGTHS

Instincts

My favorite thing about Rapp is the way that he ranges from one side of the field to the other. Very rarely does he get beat by a quarterback “looking.” He shows great ability to find where the ball is going. With these instincts, he is able to adjust and break on the ball with great efficiency.

Versatility

As aformentioned, Taylor Rapp can play all over the field. Whoever drafts Rapp will get a player that can be lined up in the defensive backfield at virtually any position. This means that he could play every down and be a playmaker playing in the box, shallow or deep. While they are not of the same caliber, Rapp will likely be used in the same manner that the Chargers used Derwin James.

Physicality

A lot of safeties in the NFL play at the same level of physicality that cornerbacks do. Rapp is a more physical player. He shows very good break on the ball and on ball carriers. Additionally, he is a good tackler in space which is huge in the NFL where good tacklers are a premium.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Rapp is flying under the radar right now, but I believe that he will be one of the first safeties off the board. In fact, Pro Football Focus had him rated as their best safety of the 2018-2019 season. If the Chiefs are still looking for a safety at draft time, I would love to see them select Rapp at No. 29 overall.

I believe that Rapp immediately fills the need that the Chiefs hold for Spagnuolo’s new defense. If he were added to the Chiefs roster, he would immediately add a solid tackler and playmaker to the back end. This was one of the biggest areas of weakness of last season and I believe that a player like Taylor Rapp fixes more than one issue on defense.

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