NFL Draft grade: KC Chiefs earn high marks with Nick Bolton pick
By Josh Fann
With the 58th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Nick Bolton, Linebacker, Missouri!
As a big Missouri fan, I am extremely biased about my evaluation of Bolton, but there is no shame in this pick at all. I’ll be honest I didn’t expect the Chiefs to actually pick Bolton—or at least to draft him that high—but that won’t hurt his grade at all.
Having watched Nick Bolton for the past few years, one thing I can tell you is this guy is a leader. He was the heart and soul of the Mizzou defense in 2020, which suffered greatly from COVID and opt-outs. Bolton ended the season with a nagging ankle injury and it showed on the field for Mizzou when they gave up nearly 150 points combined in the last three games. That’s also why you can’t take Bolton’s missed tackle rate at face value either because he played hurt, and for every tackle he missed he made two more.
Bolton had essentially two straight 100-tackle seasons at Mizzou with 100 in 2019 and 95 in 2020 despite the shortened schedule. Simply put, he is a tackling machine. Bolton also came up clutch several times for the Tigers with his high football IQ, such as the time he batted away a pass intended for LSU’s Terrace Marshall on 3rd down with the game on the line which led to a successful goal line stand for the Tigers.
The K.C. Chiefs did very well to grab linebacker Nick Bolton.
The big concern about Nick Bolton that I’ve heard is that he’s not good in coverage. Look, Bolton doesn’t turn his hips and run with guys like a Jabril Cox type of player, and his testing numbers won’t scream “athletic,” yet when you turn on the tape, he’s better than what combine truthers will tell you. Bolton has earned a relatively high coverage grade from PFF the past two seasons including a 90.4 overall grade in 2019. Furthermore, Bolton leads all draft-eligible linebackers in passes defended over the past two seasons with 12.
The great thing about Bolton, though, is he has all the traits you want in a future middle linebacker. When Anthony Hitchens’ contract is up, I expect Bolton to line up next to Gay in the middle and man…you talk about two guys who can blitz, explode off blocks, and can hit like a truck, I would be terrified to run up the middle and meet these two if I’m a running back. The Chiefs run defense woes should be no more with Bolton’s downhill ability.
In conclusion, Bolton is an NFL-ready linebacker with an old-school style of play that’s also mixed with characteristics you’d want in a modern NFL linebacker. He should be able to contribute immediately, and I believe he can overcome doubts about his coverage ability.