Fourth round preview
The fourth round is the final round the Chiefs should go for a specific position before selecting the best player available.
Like the wide receiver position, the Chiefs should not look into the free agency market to address the need. Linebackers Damien Wilson and Ben Niemann are both free agents this offseason, and the Chiefs may just look to move off one if not both of these players. That would leave Anthony Hitchens and Willie Gay, Jr. as the two primary linebackers on the Chiefs’ roster for the 2021 season. Thus, there’s a need for depth and possibly a player who can overtake Hitchens spot at some point in the future.
One name that is very exciting to think about is Ohio State linebacker Baron Browning. Browning is a 6’3, 248 pound inside linebacker that creates havoc for an opposing offense. He is highly athletic and versatile, but is still an under-the-radar prospect, and can be a player that slips into the fourth round of this draft.
A pairing of Browning and Gay Jr. would be a very interesting one for Chiefs fans. Kansas City’s defense is built around speed and athleticism, and Browning would be an ideal fit in this Chiefs’ defense. When watching film, Browning jumps off the screen with sideline-to-sideline speed and proves to fill running lanes very quickly. The Ohio State product totaled 109 tackles and seven sacks in four seasons with the Buckeyes. Pro Football Network describes Browning like this:
"Browning has excellent explosiveness both downfield and laterally, and his dense frame is hard to shake when he has momentum. Browning also has good lightness of feet, and he’s also an extremely energetic player who leaves everything on the field.”"
Kansas City is in the prime of their championship window, but the Chiefs have to remember to not settle. Not every pick has to be flashy or grab headlines. Selecting an offensive lineman or linebacker can seem so boring and unimaginative, but in the NFL, whoever wins at the line of scrimmage battle tends to have a better chance of succeeding. Just look at the Super Bowl for example. Tampa Bay dominated both sides of the ball and that started at the line of scrimmage. The Chiefs looked like the inferior team just based on those two factors alone.