KC Chiefs: Five options if Orlando Brown Jr decides to hold out

Darian Kinnard

If there’s a sleeper on the roster who could potentially surprise and step up for the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s fifth-round choice Darian Kinnard.

It feels a bit silly to project a fifth-round pick at such a level but the Chiefs just watched sixth-round pick Trey Smith step into a starting role from Week 1 last year at this time and Kinnard comes with loads of starting experience on the left side at the highest levels of college play in the SEC. He’s also a mauler in the mold of Brown.

The Chiefs traded up for Kinnard and seem to have slated him in the competitive mix at right tackle for now with Niang and Andrew Wylie, but knowing there could be a real need at left tackle instead, the Chiefs might want to try Kinnard at a position swap to see how well he looks in place of Brown.

There’s a lot working against this idea compared with others, including his rookie status and his long-term experience on the right side instead of the left, but a young mauler might be just what the Chiefs need in place of Brown until he reports.