Kansas City Chiefs find undrafted gem WR Mitch Mathews

The Kansas City Chiefs may have found a gem in the undrafted free agent pool in former BYU wide receiver Mitch Mathews…

It would seem nearly impossible that a 6-6 wide receiver who runs a sub-4.5 second 40-yard dash with 20 touchdowns over the last two seasons would go undrafted in today’s NFL, but here we are.

The Kansas City Chiefs found one of the top undrafted players in this year’s class as far as I’m concerned when they brought in former BYU receiver Mitch Mathews, one of the tallest players in this class at his position and a guy that definitely should have been among the 250 players selected.

Mathews has elite level athletic ability, checking in at 6-6 and 222 pounds, running a 4.49 and posting a 36-inch vertical jump. That athletic ability was consistently on display as a member of the Cougars, where he became a household name nationally with his Hail Mary touchdown catch in the final seconds of a game against Nebraska…

While his height doesn’t lend to route quickness like Antonio Brown, there’s no doubt that Mathews finds ways to get himself open. He uses his size to shield defenders, to be a weapon around the sideline and in the red zone, and when you give him an opportunity to win 1-on-1 balls downfield, he rarely loses.

He’s a long strider with good speed to take the top off of defense, but it takes him a bit to get to that top gear.

It will be very interesting to see what the Chiefs do at wide receiver this year with two draft picks (Demarcus Robinson, Tyreek Hill) taken on day three. Will there be a spot for a player like Mathews? The Chiefs also signed Rod Streater to a modest contract, and have former undrafted players Albert Wilson and Frankie Hammond that have made an impact.

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Could Mathews be the next in line? He certainly provides the Chiefs with another deep threat and a size mismatch down the field. His height advantage and catch radius are skills that Kansas City could certainly benefit from.

Like with all undrafted players, he’s going to have to have a great training camp and preseason. The preseason will also be an audition for every other NFL team who might have wanted him after the draft, but couldn’t make a strong enough pitch.

Either way, this seems like the type of guy who is eventually going to make it in the NFL one way or another. His ability to high point the ball and make plays downfield at 6-6 is something you don’t see come around every year.

The Chiefs may have a big time steal on their hands.

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