KC Chiefs rookie report: George Karlaftis continues hot streak
How did the rookies on the Kansas City Chiefs play in the 31-13 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders?
The Kansas City Chiefs have finished their regular season at 14-3 with their Week 18 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Which rookies saw playing time against Denver and how did those players perform?
The Chiefs selected ten players in this 2022 NFL Draft, with nine of them making the final roster after training camp, and eight have seen playing time on offense or defense so far this season. Despite making the final roster, Darian Kinnard has only dressed for one game this season, in which he only saw six snaps on special teams, and Nazeeh Johnson is on the practice squad but has dressed in eleven games this season, playing only special teams snaps. Skyy Moore was inactive due to a hand injury.
Here are the snap counts for every rookie in Week 18:
- Trent McDuffie, CB: 72 total snaps (70 defensive and 2 special teams)
- Jaylen Watson, CB: 55 defensive snaps (47 defensive and 8 special teams)
- Leo Chenal, LB: 41 total snaps (23 defensive and 18 special teams)
- George Karlaftis, EDGE: 48 total snaps (45 defensive and 3 special teams)
- Bryan Cook, S: 39 total snaps (24 defensive and 15 special teams)
- Isiah Pacheco, RB: 24 total snaps (21 offensive and 3 special teams)
- Joshua Williams, CB: 10 special teams snaps
- Nazeeh Johnson, S: 9 special teams snaps
Joshua Williams, Cornerback (Round 4, Pick 135)
If the final game of the regular season was any indication, Joshua Williams seems to have been benched. Maybe there’s more to the story, but he has been up and down over the past couple of months, while Jaylen Watson seems to have found his stride over the past three games. It’s also possible that there may be certain matchups that the coaching staff prefers to play Watson over Williams, but I don’t think that’s the case.