What did NFL draft experts say about Joshua Kaindoh in 2021?

Training camp kicks off in two weeks for the Kansas City Chiefs, and we will finally get a better understanding of which players will earn the chance to make a bigger impact in 2022. As the speculation phase of the NFL offseason reaches its peak over the next couple of weeks, let’s take an objective stance and look back at what expectations the experts had for one of the most likely players to emerge in a bigger role this season.

Joshua Kaindoh was selected by the Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he was painted in a light which left him with much to prove. As a five-star high school recruit, Kaindoh was lauded as one of the top defensive players in the country, and expectations were high when he signed with Florida State in 2017.

Kaindoh’s true freshman season was highlighted by appearances in all 13 of the Seminoles’ games, and while he only gained one start across 12 games as a sophomore, there was still a belief that he would break out in his first draft-eligible season. His junior year, however, was limited to just three games after he suffered a season-ending leg injury, and the narrative surrounding him went south quickly.

Let’s look back at what draft experts said about Joshua Kaindoh before the 2021 NFL Draft to see what he might offer the Chiefs going forward.

Being 6’6”,  weighing 265 pounds, and carrying notable length, Kaindoh’s physical traits are what kept him in the draft conversation. There simply wasn’t enough sample size in his collegiate career for the experts to fuel him up pre-draft. His 10 total starts and apparent struggle to heal from his ankle injury in 2019 left draft analysts with no choice but to offer ifs and buts in regards to Kaindoh.

While his abilities to set the edge and convert speed to power were noted, Kaindoh’s potential was anchored by pundits with a harsh critique of his unpolished technique and inability to finish or display endurance. Lance Zierlein labeled him with a 5.65 prospect grade at NFL.com, which set an expectation for him to be a late day three selection—a likely practice squad candidate with limited potential as a professional.

Veach was clearly more focused on the potential of Kaindoh’s physical traits when he took him with the Chiefs’ third overall selection in last year’s draft. With him only playing 46 defensive snaps across three games in the 2021 season, there wasn’t much evidence to disprove the claims that limited his ceiling. However, given the depth on the Chiefs’ defensive line, he will all but certainly shoulder far greater responsibility in the upcoming season.

Only time will tell, but in a few short weeks, we will know if Kaindoh’s developmental year was exactly what he needed to fully bounce back from injury and prove everybody wrong. For the sake of this defensive line, and the outcome of the 2022 season, let’s hope that it was.