Creed Humphrey makes PFF’s Preseason All-Rookie Team

When the K.C. Chiefs used a second-round pick on center Creed Humphrey in the 2021 NFL Draft, they were hoping to see the level of play along the offensive interior greatly improved over a year ago or even more. While the preseason is technically meaningless, the early returns on their investment are already looking as hoped.

The folks at Pro Football Focus have put together their metrics for the preseason and come up with an All-Rookie Team from the three preseason games played by each team. Humphrey was named the team’s center after performing at a high level in both run and pass blocking for the Chiefs up front.

Humphrey was named to the All-Rookie team as the lone Chiefs’ representative there, which means linebacker Nick Bolton was edged out by Micah Parsons, a first-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys, and a sleeper in Elijah Sullivan of the San Francisco 49ers.

"Humphrey was one of the most battle-tested centers in the draft, making his smooth transition unsurprising, to say the least. He earned a 75.6 run–blocking grade to go with an 83.7 pass-blocking grade. That looks even more impressive when you consider it came while running with the Chiefs starters."

Creed Humphrey’s preseason performance impressed PFF.

For the Chiefs, the addition of Humphrey was part of a bigger picture along a completely rebuilt offensive line. From the signing of Joe Thuney at left guard to the selection of Trey Smith at right guard, the Chiefs have a brand new offensive interior to go with their shiny new bookends in Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle and Lucas Niang at right tackle.

Humphrey is also an upgrade over veteran Austin Reiter, who has manned the position for the last two seasons as the primary starter, despite a short stretch in which the Chiefs tried to see what Daniel Kilgore could do around midseason in 2020. Reiter was a league average starter, which is a nice find for a former waiver claim, but the Chiefs sorely missed the level of play they lost when Mitch Morse departed in free agency for the Buffalo Bills a couple years back.

While he’s a rookie and is bound to make mistakes as he grows into the position, Humphrey also entered the NFL about as ready as any college prospect can be after not allowing a sack at Oklahoma in each of the last two seasons.