How the Kansas City Chiefs second-year players could make a leap forward
By Matt Conner
Round: 3
What We’ve Seen: Some of what can be said about Breeland Speaks can also be applied to Dorian O’Daniel. The Clemson linebacker was not drafted into the best overall situation for his skill set, and there are hopes that Spags’ new system can provide him a better home for his agility and speed. That said, even if he was an odd fit overall last year, the Chiefs linebackers were so poor that it wouldn’t hard for a promising player to truly stand out.
What We Could See: After seeing only 10 total snaps on defense through the first six weeks of the season, O’Daniel earned quite a bit more playing time (300 total snaps on defense) as the season continued. That experience along with the scheme change could really work together in O’Daniel’s favor to help him turn a corner and land a starting position in Spags’ base.
O’Daniel should have the inside track on a starting position in the team’s Will linebacker slot and could offer a speedy coverage linebacker option on obvious passing downs. Then again, the Chiefs just traded for Darron Lee for a reason, which could reflect on how the Chiefs are viewing O’Daniel’s developmental internally.