6. Trent McDuffie leads the team in interceptions and pass breakups
Brett Veach traded up to the 21st pick in April’s 2022 NFL Draft, and did so to select former Washington standout, cornerback Trent McDuffie. The team, predictably, has high hopes for the former All-PAC player, and seem primed to name him a starter to begin his rookie campaign. Despite that, the results throughout the offseason have been somewhat underwhelming; we heard little about McDuffie during rookie minicamp, throughout OTAs, in training camp and when we finally got the opportunity to see him in live game action during the preseason, he was mostly just okay.
Despite that, fans should not be concerned about the trajectory of the top pick’s rookie season. McDuffie is going to get every opportunity to learn and grow into a CB1 for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, and he’ll blossom as a result of it.
We should be under no illusion that the Chiefs new corner will break the NFL record for interceptions by a rookie – held for 70 years now by Night Train Lane, who snagged 14 in 1952 for the Los Angeles Rams. But, there is every reason to be optimistic that he could approach or break the Chiefs rookie record for picks, currently co-held by Bobby Lane (1962) and Marcus Peters (2015) who each grabbed eight during their first seasons in the league.
In addition to leading the team in interceptions this season, McDuffie will also lead the team in pass breakups. This has more to do with the quality of his play-to-play positioning than anything else. Last season, cornerback Charvarius Ward led the team with 10 passes defensed – but we’ll see the former Husky surpass that mark this season.
5. George Karlaftis leads the team in sacks
The Kansas City Chiefs record for most number of sacks by a rookie is 10, a mark earned by Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas in 1989. Now, 33 years later, Kansas City rookie edge rusher George Karlaftis is going to break that record. We’ll stop short of saying that he’ll break the NFL record for sacks by a rookie, a mark set by Tennessee Titans rush end Jevon Kearse in 1999 when he got to the quarterback a whopping 14.5 times. But, that does not mean that the Purdue product will not have an excellent season.
There are a few reasons why Karlaftis has the opportunity to achieve such a high mark as a rookie. First, he will set the Chiefs rookie record because of the people playing around him. Defensive end Frank Clark looks like he’s taking a major step forward (relative to last year) back to his double digit sack potential. Defensive tackle Chris Jones will not have to fight through the position change (failure) that was the start of last season, and will return to his All-Pro form as a result. Couple them with the growth of end Mike Danna playing inside and out, Tershawn Wharton, the emergence of Khalen Saunders, and the numbers start to get difficult when it comes to how to block this Chiefs front. Teams will look to double team Jones and Clark, leaving Karlaftis one-on-one against tackles or in less fortunate scheme decisions, tight ends.
The second reason Karlaftis will break the long standing Chiefs record is the game script other teams will be forced into. Anyone who still thinks that Kansas City’s offense will take a step back without wide receiver Tyreek Hill has not been paying attention during the preseason. The Chiefs will average around 30 points per game (again) and as a result, other teams will spend a lot of time late in games passing a lot, and that will give Karlaftis a bevy of opportunities to pin his ears back and go after the quarterback.