Kansas City Chiefs: Grading each 2021 NFL Draft selection

With the No. 58 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs used their first pick of the draft on Mizzou linebacker Nick Bolton. This was an interesting choice for Kansas City, as the pick has good and bad merits, depending on how much you value the linebacker position.

The good: Bolton was a regular starter for the Tigers, playing in 32 games during his college career. Bolton is a typical downhill attacking linebacker, someone who can wallop running backs and tight ends with fast instincts off the snap and great upper-body strength.

The Chiefs needed another middle linebacker to pair up with Willie Gay Jr., a second-rounder from 2020. The two will be a solid duo in 2021, defending the intermediate levels of the field while letting the front seven get creative in the box. Many considered Bolton a late first-rounder heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, so getting him this late in the second round is a good value for the Chiefs. An elite run-stuffing linebacker, as evidenced by the stat below:

The bad: Bolton’s ceiling is a bit of an unknown in the NFL. At 5-foot-11, 230-pounds, Bolton will have a harder time hitting against bigger offensive players, especially taller tight ends. His ability to play in coverage (a necessity for modern linebackers) is a bit of an unknown as well.

Bolton wasn’t particularly impressive on film dropping into coverage, though he saw signs of improvement in 2020. He ran a better than expected 4.38 40-yard during his Pro Day but didn’t look to have elite speed at Mizzou, a contradiction that will need to be resolved during training camp.

Ultimately, linebacker was a position of need for the Kansas City Chiefs and they drafted a guy who was projected to be off the board much earlier, so the value is there. But considering they didn’t have a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, taking an off-ball linebacker first is curious here. The value of the position has been on the decline in the NFL and considering Bolton’s coverage skills (arguably the most important trait of an NFL linebacker today) are still unproven, it is hard to give the pick unconditional praise. But considering Bolton is liable to be a Week 1 starter in the NFL, it’s hard to dock the Chiefs too many points either.

Grade: B

This is arguably their best pick of the night, as offensive lineman Creed Humphrey brings a ton of upside to the Kansas City Chiefs. The team needed to address the offensive line during the offseason and this pick reminds fans how much work they needed to do to overhaul it, for both the start of the 2021 season and for the future. Humphrey didn’t allow a single sack in 37-games at Mizzou and was named the Big 12 offensive lineman of the year in 2020. Tremendous value at the end of the second round.

The former Oklahoma Sooner got plenty of experience in Norman, playing in every game for the team since 2018, starting in 37 out of 39 games (per his Sooner profile). Blocking in a pass-heavy offense in college, Humphrey has the prerequisite skills needed to defend Mahomes in the trenches and will give the Chiefs some options on the offensive line during his rookie season.

You can only nitpick this selection to find a flaw in it. The Chiefs brought in veteran Austin Blythe during the offseason, so you could make an argument that drafting Humphrey wasn’t a Week 1 necessity. But I believe that speaks more to the dedication of the Chiefs’ front office to have a deep roster of blockers for their star quarterback rather than the soundness of the pick. Humphrey was the best value at the end of the second round and will either win the starting role in training camp or will be a depth piece for the Chiefs, who can start after Blythe leaves next offseason.

No complaints here. Isn’t it refreshing to see a front office prioritize offensive blockers for a franchise quarterback for a change?

Grade: A+