Chiefs rookie review: Draft class comes up big against Texans

Mike Danna

The most surprising news of the pregame news cycle was the active status of rookie fifth round pick Mike Danna. It was not surprising because Danna is bad; rather, it was surprising because defensive end is the deepest position on the Kansas City roster and Danna was active over veterans Demone Harris, who was quite good for the Chiefs down the stretch last season, and former first round pick Taco Charlton, who by all accounts was excellent in training camp.

For Danna to make the active roster on game day was both surprising and exciting for the future potential he brings to the squad, especially as the Chiefs face the reality of potentially losing Charlton, Harris, starter Alex Okafor and key reserve Tanoh Kpassagnon to free agency this offseason.

Danna was solid for Kansas City in their Week 1 win. He registered three tackles on the game, and when he saw the field on defense, he was good at taking up blockers and setting the edge. That was essentially his biggest job, at least against an offensive game plan that tried to limit the Chiefs pass rush by using short, quick passes and few dropbacks.

The fact that Danna was not only active but a solid contributor from the beginning is great news for the defense—for both this year and beyond.