KC Chiefs hoping for sophomore step up from ’21 rookies

Nick Bolton

The collective sign you just heard was opposing offensive coordinators thinking about Nick Bolton’s growth curve.

Bolton earned the honor of being called the Mack Lee Hill Award winner for the Chiefs in ’21, which is awarded to the team’s best rookie. Last season, even when forced to sit at times behind nearly everyone else called a linebacker on this roster, Bolton still came up huge for the Chiefs as an enforcer with a nose for the opposing backfield and perhaps the best pure tackler in his draft class.

Last season in only 60 percent of the snaps, Bolton had 112 tackles, including 11 for a loss, and 3 passes deflected. He returned a fumble recovery for 86 yards and a score. He was a beast against the run and should be a potential Pro Bowler next to Willie Gay Jr. for years to come.

Bolton is being tasked with replacing Anthony Hitchens as the primary communicator and field general for the Chiefs, a big honor in his second season, but this collective unit could really be something with Gay’s own emergence and the addition of Wisconsin’s Leo Chenal in the third round.

Last season, Bolton was already a hammer whose instincts allowed him to affect the course of multiple games down the stretch. Given him another offseason and training camp to grow and the second level of the Chiefs defense could be among the league’s finest.