Washington pass rusher Joe Tryon would make an excellent fit for K.C. Chiefs

No matter what happens the rest of NFL free agency, the K.C. Chiefs will probably still need to address defensive end in the 2021 NFL Draft. It’s been established that the Chiefs need someone opposite Frank Clark to open up the pass rush and that is a competent edge setter on the other side.

The ideal scenario would be to pair a veteran defensive end on a one-year deal with a rookie draft pick and then have Taco Charlton and Mike Danna as general depth. That gives whatever rookie you draft some time to develop and you won’t have to ask them to do too much in year one. Then you can hope that the draft pick then becomes your full-time starter over time.

Also, this is just me reading the tea leaves, but Clark seemed like a no-brainer restructure candidate this offseason and didn’t. I think what this tells you is that because restructuring Clark pushes his guaranteed money into the future, making him harder to cut down the road. If Clark has another disappointing season next year, the team could conceivably move on from him. That’s just a theory, though. If that is, in fact, the case, then drafting an eventual replacement for Clark is also appealing.

With all of that being said, a perfect fit for the Chiefs in the 2021 NFL Draft is Washington defensive end Joe Tryon. First impression of Tyron is that he has the perfect size and versatility to play for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. At 6’4″, 250 lbs and with very long arms, Tryon has plenty of length to project as an ideal 4-3 defensive end in the NFL. Tryon has also lined up as a 3-4 OLB, dropped into coverage, and blitzed a lot as a linebacker and was pretty effective for the Huskies in doing so.

Tryon is a good athlete. He’s very fluid in his movements with really good athleticism, which is why he was trusted in so many different roles for the Huskies. When watching his film, a few things stand out. One, his main pass-rush move, which is taking on the inside shoulder of the tackle, is very effective. He will need to add to his arsenal in the NFL, but the important thing is he has a good go-to move.

Joe Tryon makes sense as a pass rusher for the K.C. Chiefs.

Secondly, Tryon is very patient in playing the run and flashes potential as an edge setter at the next level. His long arms give him leverage on blockers and he’s good at closing on his tackles because of that as well. Tryon also has plenty of speed, which makes him a threat when he turns the corner.

Tryon may need to add some strength, but he doesn’t have too many weaknesses. Tryon may not be an all-world speed rusher at the next level but he’s very disciplined and he’s all about using his length and strength like most Spagnuolo defensive ends. He was very productive in his career at Washington recording 61 total tackles, 14.5 TFL, 9 sacks, and two passes defended.

As far as where he might get drafted, it’s hard to tell but he’s been mocked anywhere from late first round to late second round. If the Chiefs want to add a future starting defensive end with Pro-Bowl potential that fits the scheme and can be competent on the other side of Frank Clark, they should consider Joe Tryon.