Chiefs take defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi from Florida State in third round

The Chiefs moved to shore up the interior of their defensive line with the third-round selection of Florida State’s Derrick Nnadi on Friday night.

The Chiefs moved up 11 spots in the NFL Draft via a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. That enabled them to grab Nnadi, who started all 13 games for the Seminoles in 2017 and recorded 53 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss.

Nnadi said he met Chiefs coaches and officials at the NFL Scouting Combine and is “somewhat familiar with the organization,” he said.

The Chiefs will have a different starting nose tackle for the third straight year. They signed free agent Xavier Williams this offseason to replace Bennie Logan. In 2015, Dontari Poe was the man in the middle.

Nnadi will provide depth. He was a first-team All-ACC choice in 2016, when he finished with 10 1/2 tackles for loss, including six sacks. He’s considered an outstanding run defender, and many draft analyses have him as one- or two-down player.

“Coming into the season, I’m going to try to learn as much as I can, as soon as I can,” Nnadi said.

Nnadi called himself a consistent player.

“Everything I do comes down to technique,” Nnadi said. “That’s what I’ve always worked on. Everything else falls in after that.”

Nnadi was a three-year starter for the Seminoles. He also played as a freshman and had his best game in FSU's ACC Championship Game victory over Georgia Tech with six tackles.

He was named Florida State’s most improved defensive player as a sophomore and made an All-ACC team in each of his final three years.

This story was originally published April 27, 2018 at 9:06 PM with the headline "Chiefs take defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi from Florida State in third round."