NFL Draft 2019: Jerry Tillery is an elite prospect the Chiefs can’t ignore
HOW DOES HE FIT KANSAS CITY’S NEEDS?
In my mind, grabbing Tillery in the first round would be a no brainer. I get the fact that they already have Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi along the interior with Xavier Williams as a backup. That doesn’t mean you can’t improve at the position. Tillery offers a much higher upside and floor against the passing game than both Nnadi and Williams.
While I would like to see the Chiefs address the edge position, I feel that most of the first tier of talent will be gone by the late twenties. Grabbing Tillery somewhere in the twenties allows you to have a better rotation of players and likely move on from Williams. He also reminds me of Chris Jones coming out, which we all know has worked out quite well for the Chiefs.
Given the amount of draft capital that Kansas City holds, including two second-round picks, I feel they could move up in the second round to grab one of the second tier edge rushers to bolster that position. The quickest way to the passer is up the middle and with quarterbacks getting rid of the ball in two or three seconds in today’s pass-heavy league, it makes too much sense to grab another great talent along the middle.
His quick burst off the line is exactly what the Chiefs need in the middle. Guards struggle to handle the quick get up on Jones but imagine if there were two of them in the middle. He could use some work against the run, but given additions like Okafor, who we already discussed as a solid run-stopping defensive end, and linebackers actually being able to attack, the Chiefs can grab Tillery and develop him a bit against the run to go along with his lethal pass rush.
Next. What it looks like for the Chiefs to trade up. dark
Tillery is not without his concerns, including off the field issues that plagued him early at Notre Dame. However, he’s done a good job of getting his head straight the last two seasons and he’s developed into a pro-ready defensive lineman. If he continues to improve, the Chiefs could be looking at two elite pass rushers up the middle of this defense.