Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay Jr. draws comparisons to Derrick Johnson

The Kansas City Chiefs used its second pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, No. 63 overall, to draft linebacker Willie Gay out of Mississippi State and set Twitter ablaze.

With the No. 63 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected linebacker Willie Gay Jr. from Mississippi State. Instant comparisons—namely from Arrowhead Pride’s draft guide—were to former Chiefs great Derrick Johnson.

That’s pretty huge praise. Johnson is one of the best linebackers in Chiefs history. ESPN was quick to mention Gay’s history, where he had been suspended for cheating on a test as well as a fight with Mississippi State quarterback Garrett Shrader in practice. This led to some bitter reactions on Twitter toward both ESPN and Gay Jr., with some calling the latter out for being “aggressive,” and mentioning the apparent lack of character the Chiefs’ draftees possess.

https://twitter.com/Mathieu_Era/status/1253861224560971776

Aside from his off-field concerns, Gay is a legitimate athlete. According to Pro Football Focus, he had the highest coverage grade out of any linebacker in the draft class—on top of being an athletic monster. Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu also praised his coverage skills, and athleticism.

That’s pretty huge praise, and for good reason—Gay is such a competitor. He has the skill set to make the sort of on-field impact that the Chiefs have been missing since DJ’s retirement, but he’ll need to be coached up well by the Chiefs’ defensive staff and head coach Andy Reid if he’s going to succeed as they envision. He’ll need to clean up his decision making, because he has a tendency to latch onto a target and almost ignore everything else. That’s good, to an extent, but is very risky and eliminates the need for a versatile and dimensional defense.

And that’s all you need to know about Willie Gay. His off-field concerns were showcased by ESPN in rather poor taste, leading some fans to believe that he’ll end up being an aggressive and dirty player. That’s simply not the case—while he hits like a tank, it’s almost a given that the Chiefs, namely Reid and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo won’t put up with that regardless. Seeing past his supposed character concerns, Gay will be a tremendous asset for Kansas City and its defense, which will have a tough challenge on its hands in the AFC West.