Trent McDuffie, Cornerback (Round 1, Pick 21)
Trent McDuffie’s NFL debut ended prematurely as he left the game against Arizona with a hamstring injury. Even though his game ended early, he still played enough to prove the Chiefs right in trading up to the 21st pick to take him. Before leaving the game with an injury, he played 32 snaps, 21 in coverage and 11 against the run. In his 21 coverage snaps, he was targeted zero times and recorded a very good PFF coverage grade ($) of 69.9. He also racked up a single tackle.
I would classify McDuffie’s first real game in the NFL as a success. Not being thrown at a single time in that many snaps is a badge of honor for a cornerback, especially a rookie. That means he was playing well enough that Kyler Murray didn’t feel comfortable throwing at a receiver that McDuffie was covering.
Jaylen Watson, Cornerback (Round 7, Pick 243)
When Trent McDuffie left the game, it was Jaylen Watson who took his place. He played over 30 snaps, most of which were in the passing game. In two targets, he allowed one catch for six yards and a touchdown for an opponent’s passer rating of 95.8. He also had a pass break-up which was one of the defensive highlights of Week 1. Despite the touchdown, he played very strong, especially for a seventh-round rookie coming off the bench.
Whether or not Watson can keep up his strong play is a question but if he can repeat the level of play he had against Arizona, the Chiefs may secretly have one of the best young secondaries in all of football.
George Karlaftis, Defensive End (Round 1, Pick 30)
No Chiefs rookie saw more snaps against Arizona than George Karlaftis at just about 50 snaps. He also played the most snaps of any defensive linemen for Kansas City.
In 33 pass rush attempts, Karlaftis recorded six pressures (1 hit and 5 hurries) and a pass rush win rate of 22.6%, according to PFF ($), third on the Chiefs with at least 5 pass rush snaps behind only Michael Danna and Chris Jones. Although he had a good day rushing Kyler Murray, Karlaftis showed a lot of room for improvement in stopping the run where he recorded a tackle but also missed a tackle.
In the end, Karlaftis did not have the strongest game but he had flashes of brilliance. He was my favorite draft pick immediately following the 2022 NFL Draft and he’s backing up the belief I had in him. He still has a lot of room to grow but there’s little doubt that he’ll be a starting defensive end for the Chiefs for the next several years, at the very least.