Who should the KC Chiefs target with their first-round pick?

Kingsley Enagbare, EDGE, South Carolina

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: this is the Kansas City Chiefs first-round selection if London is gone. Heck, even if London isn’t gone they should still consider Enagbare one of the top choices at pick 30.

Strengths

Enagbare is a top-tier edge rusher when you consider everything that he offers. When you see a guy who is 6’3″ and 270 lbs. you don’t expect him to be an athletic freak. When it comes to Enagbare, there are no limitations to his game given his full potential. He shows consistency with his ability to beat tackles using his God-given traits. Athleticism is one of the most important traits in a defensive end, and Enagbare definitely has that.

Not only does he show an elite level of athleticism on film, but Enagbare uses his athleticism by translating it to speed and strength off the edge. With elite burst after he beats the tackles, he puts his speed on full display. Yet he also shows strength with his ability to finish the tackles. After disengaging from the block he is able to use his speed to get to the football quickly.

When you look at some of the pass rushers in the NFL, you may notice that not many of them are able to combine their speed to create strength and vice versa. Enagbare can do just that. With the ability to move the opposition off the first step, he can pretty much man-handle anyone who tries to block him.

If the Kansas City Chiefs have the ability to draft him with pick 30, they should take it and never look back.

Weaknesses

Run stopping is arguably one of the hardest things to grade for an edge rusher. Unfortunately, Enagbare struggles with this. Making the decision rather to play for a run or play for a pass, it’s not easy by any stretch. That’s why teams will rotate guys early and late. On early downs, they are primarily looking for a run attempt. Moreover, if you look at a late down defensive line, they will probably get more pressure on the quarterback because they are playing for the pass.

Now, there is no question that Enagbare is in fact an elite pass rusher and a pretty good run stopper. However, most of his run stops happen on failed blocking attempts. With his speed and strength, he usually makes a misdirection to beat the tackle and make his way into the backfield. Once he does that, it’s just a matter of finishing the play. However, where he struggles is making the tackle on outside zone runs.

Enagbare is a truly great pass rusher, but his football IQ part is, far and away, the worst part of his game. With obvious problems when diagnosing run plays, he always thinks pass and adjusts to the run. Now, you can’t say he doesn’t make up for his mistakes given his effort, but he does have problems reading certain plays.

How He Fits With the Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs’ weakest point on the defensive side of the ball has to be at pass rush or safety. Enagbare, well he doesn’t play safety but he does played defensive end which helps the Chiefs out greatly. Between Frank Clark (if he returns), Mike Danna, and Joshua Kaindoh, there just isn’t enough firepower for the Kansas City Chiefs pass rush.

With the limited cap space that the Kansas City Chiefs have, they will need to make sure they obtain a day one starting edge rusher.  Enagbare meets every requirement that the Chiefs could want from a potential pass rusher. He has the athleticism, speed, strength, hand usage, motor, and explosiveness that makes him a threat. He will be a great pick for the Kansas City Chiefs.