Kansas City Chiefs meet with prospects at East-West Shrine Bowl
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs met with at least a few players who piqued their interest at the East-West Shrine Bowl this last week.
The majority of players, coaches and staff members for the Kansas City Chiefs are busy these days preparing for the whole Super Bowl thing standing right in front of them, but there are a few folks who work at Arrowhead Stadium who are concerned primarily about the future. That is, they are focused on unearthing tomorrow’s rookie class in the hopes of sustaining the team’s current success for another year or five.
The East-West Shrine Bowl was played on Saturday and the Chiefs were on hand all week to talk to NFL hopefuls in an effort to find out more about character and talent, strengths and weaknesses. The fine folks at The Draft Network have a list of prospects and the teams that have shown interest, and the Chiefs were pegged with four meetings. We’ve decided to help you get ready for the future as well by taking a closer look at all four players to see what the Chiefs might like and how each might fit come draft day.
LeVante Bellamy, RB, Western Michigan
Other teams interested: Unknown
The Chiefs are likely to add some sort of draft talent to the mix at running back after sorting through a carousel at the position in 2019. LeSean McCoy will be one-and-done on the roster, and a few players are back with something to prove apiece, but that shouldn’t stop Brett Veach from making things interesting with a real competition for limited spots.
While Darrel Williams, Damien Williams, and Darwin Thompson focus on next year, LeVante Bellamy is the sort of Day 3 flyer that Veach could add to help elevate the depth chart while not occupying any major draft slot. The fact remains that other positions need to be addressed before running back, so the idea of drafting some new bell cow near the top of the team’s draft haul makes little sense.
With Bellamy, there’s little left to prove at the collegiate level after a season in which he put up 23 rushing touchdowns in the MAC for Western Michigan. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry on his way to 1,472 rushing yards and another 55 yards through the air.
That production is possible due to an eye-popping time in the 40-yard dash of 4.28 seconds. He’s also recorded a 41.5 inch vertical leap. If that makes your mouth water at the thought of adding him to the Chiefs, it should, but it’s also clear that the Chiefs need well-rounded backs who can do more than just sprint at a moment’s notice and it’s here that Bellamy has some real questions to answer.
Bellamy is likely to turn heads this pre-draft season by confirming what’s known about him. He’ll also want to address concerns about his hands, his blocking ability, and other aspects of the game likely to keep him from taking the field if he’s not ready. If, however, he can answer those questions well or address the weaknesses with coaching, he would absolutely give the Chiefs another option who is lethal in space.