Grading the KC Chiefs defense prior to the 2021 NFL Draft

Linebackers: C

In my opinion, ever since Derrick Johnson’s achilles injury in 2016, this unit has never really been the same. Johnson was truly an elite physical talent in the middle of the unit, and the linebacking corps has suffered from his absence ever since.

The Chiefs front office gambled during the 2018 offseason, signing somewhat unproven commodity Anthony Hitchens to a major deal. No disrespect to Hitchens, but he has struggled to live up to the market rate he was given. This has been one of the reasons the team has struggled so much against the run. When you’re interior linebackers fail to fill their gaps on a consistent basis, it’s not surprising when a running back is able to regularly get to the second and third level of the defense.

Two things happened during the 2020 season. The Chiefs invested early in the linebacker position taking Willie Gay Jr. out of Mississippi State in the second round of the NFL Draft. Gay possessed the type of athleticism the Chiefs had been missing at the position. While raw from a technical standpoint, the expectations were high.

The Chiefs also appeared to transition to a three-safety look near the close of the season. This was likely in part due to injuries in the linebacker corps, but it also begs the question: will they maintain this going forward? If so, a tandem of Hitchens and Gay plus a couple promising backups and an addition or two this offseason makes this group much more appealing than at first glance.

With questions still outstanding, this is probably a below average group. If Gay can improve on his rookie season and become a lynch pin with his athleticism, this group has the potential to improve on its current grade of “C.”