Six practice squad prospects the Chiefs should steal

Isaac Nauta, tight end

Nauta came into the league as the Detroit Lions seventh round pick out of the University of Georgia, a junior whose body of work in the SEC made him a draftable target. Nauta fell a bit farther than some would have imagined, but it was especially odd to see him land with the Lions, who had already taken the best rookie tight end in the draft class in T.J. Hockenson.

Nauta is now on the team’s practice squad, since the primary roster is only carrying two options. That works well in the Chiefs favor to bring aboard a drafted talent who had 30 catches for 453 yard and 3 touchdowns last year for the Bulldogs. He’s a bit smaller and slimmer (6’3, 245) than other tight ends in the league, so he’s not going to break the sort of tackles that Travis Kelce will. That said, Nauta’s hands are a good enough asset and he’s a renowned blocker, despite his size, who helped greatly with Georgia’s running attack.

Nauta would give the Chiefs a tight end with solid SEC experience who could be an immediate asset while also providing a nice ceiling as a prospect over others whose potential has clearly been hit (Blake Bell). The fact that a team hasn’t already grabbed Nauta is a head-scratcher to me.