Should the Kansas City Chiefs take a chance on Shawn Oakman?

Shawn Oakman is a free man and the Chiefs are overhauling a struggling defense. This could be a cheap tryout that could pay off for both parties.

Three years later than hoped, Shawn Oakman is ready to start again.

Oakman, a star defensive lineman out of Baylor, was primed to be an early pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. However, two weeks before the draft, he was arrested and accused of raping another student. Any potential pro hopes were placed on hold at that moment as NFL teams moved on past another troubled prospect.

A jury in Waco, Texas determined that Oakman was not guilty last Thursday, and now the former star is looking for his chance in the NFL. In 2019 Oakman is ready to finally enter the NFL if a team will have him—and all of the risks involved.

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Oakman has expressed his desire to “play football at the highest level”, and at 26 he still has some good years left in him. Not a lot is known about his current condition, but Oakman says that he has been working out and is in good shape. Being away from the game on a day by day basis, however, for a few years will likely leave him with significant conditioning ahead.

With a lack of quality defensive lineman in free agency and the switch to a 4-3 defense, the Kansas City Chiefs will be looking for pieces to help a struggling defense who ranked 31st in total defense last season. One of those pieces could be Oakman, who at the NFL Combine weighed in at 6’8, 287 pounds and is an absolute monster of a man.

When Oakman failed to declare for the 2015 NFL Draft in order to return to school, it wasn’t long before early mocks were projecting Oakman to be a top pick in the following year’s draft. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report projected him as a Top 20 pick, and Chad Reuter of NFL.com called Oakman the second best returning senior of the entire class. Dane Brugler of CBS was even higher and placed him at No. 11 overall.

NFL scouts said that he may not be as productive of a pass rusher that he was at Baylor, but he could be a very good run stopper in the NFL. It is also possible with a little coaching from a good defensive line coach, Oakman could also improve as a pass rusher in the NFL. The offseason could provide an ideal time for a team like the Chiefs to check in on a project like Oakman to see what’s there.

Then again, Oakman still faces serious questions about his character. He was acquitted of the rape charges, but he was also kicked off the football team at Penn State for assaulting a female cashier who tried to stop Oakman from stealing a sandwich from the cafeteria back in 2013—three years before the sexual assault charges for which he was recently on trial.

The Chiefs have enjoyed great success giving a second chance to players like Tyreek Hill, but the Chiefs also kicked star running back Kareem Hunt off the team after a video emerged of Hunt kicking a woman in a Cleveland hotel just three months ago. Are they ready for another such ride?

Oakman is now a free man is ready to show what he can do. The Chiefs are remaking the front seven and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likes the trenches deep. Is the past too troubled to make an attempt in the present? What do you think? Sound off in the comments.

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