Chiefs

Chiefs make linebacker Gay their 2nd-round NFL Draft pick after vetting his background

By Herbie Teope

Updated April 25, 2020 12:23 AM

After going with offense in the first round, the Chiefs focused on defense in the second.

The Super Bowl-champion Chiefs selected Mississippi State linebacker Willie Gay Jr. with the 63rd overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft Friday night.

Given the departure of Reggie Ragland, who signed a free-agent deal with the Detroit Lions, Gay fills an immediate need at the linebacker position and could be viewed as an every-down player.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said last week that he was intrigued by the linebackers in this draft, especially those who could help out in coverage. He found one of his top targets.

“I think if this guy comes back to school next year, plays a full season and is healthy, you’re looking at a first-round pick,” Veach said. “The guy’s got tremendous upside. The guy can play SAM (strong side), he can play MIKE (middle) or WILL (weak side).”

The 6-foot-1, 243-pound Gay has speed, evidenced by a 4.46 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in late February. He finished his college career with 99 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and four passes defensed in 28 games over three seasons.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said during a Friday night news conference that defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo enjoyed Gay’s playing style.

“Spags loved the way he played,” Reid said. “He’s reckless. He fits right in with Tyrann (Mathieu) and Frank (Clark), and that whole group on defense that just cuts it loose and gets after people.”

Spagnuolo should make good use of Gay’s speed and play-making abilities in his scheme, and the team’s newest linebacker is excited to contribute.

“I know for a fact they play a lot of man (coverage),” Gay said. “They do a lot of everything and I feel like more speed with Tyrann (Mathieu) on the defense, man, a great defense all around him, Chris Jones and those great linebackers, I feel like it’s perfect for me. I can get better from those guys, learn a lot, they can teach me a lot. … I’m just sponge out there.”

Gay joins a linebacker group led by returning starters Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson, who enters a contract year. As of now, Gay projects to compete with Ben Niemann, Dorian O’Daniel, Emmanuel Smith and Darius Harris for playing time.

While he only played in five games in 2019, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Chiefs expect Gay to compete for a starting job immediately.

“Like all these guys that we get, we try to make them get in and earn that right to play and that whole thing,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “So we give them an opportunity to show (it), but at the same time you’ve got to get in and you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to handle it mentally and you’ve got to handle it physically.

“Willie’s been a great special teams player also, so that’s always an avenue for linebackers, safeties, to kind of get in the picture of things. And so he’ll have a role there, and then he’ll try to battle to get himself in a starting position somewhere in there.”

Gay will arrive in Kansas City having left Mississippi State a year early. He couldn’t play in eight of his team’s 13 games last season because he and nine other Mississippi State players were suspended following an academic scandal. He also reportedly brawled with freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader before the 2019 Music City Bowl. Shrader was left with a broken orbital bone after Gay punched him.

On Friday night, Reid addressed Gay’s issues in college, pointing out that Veach and the Chiefs’ scouting staff “dug into” the red flags. More importantly, he said, the Chiefs wanted to know how the linebacker handled that adversity.

Reid said he also talked to Gray’s college coach to get additional background information.

“Every guy, whether they are no issues or some issues, you’re going to do a ton of work on all these guys because you really don’t know until you get into the schools, and our area scouts do a great job,” Veach said. “You’re going to talk to coaches, trainers and academic advisors, high school coaches. … Everybody that coached him loves the kid.”

Ultimately, the Chiefs felt good enough about the information they collected to select Gay one day after making LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire their first-round pick.

“We felt very comfortable taking him at that spot,” Reid said. “And, listen, it helps to have the people in the locker room that we do with Tyrann and Frank. They’ll take him under their wing.

“Hitch(ens), our whole linebacker room is a very tight group. They’ll take him in and make sure he’s in good hands, so they’ll teach him the right way.”

Gay said he answered all questions asked of him and took responsibility for his transgressions.

“They asked me about everything — the quarterback situation, suspension for the academic thing,” Gay said. “It’s not like I’m going to say it wasn’t my fault, because it was something I could’ve avoided easily.

“I dealt with the consequences of it. It made me a better man. It made me a better person. It helped me appreciate the game of football. It made me really find the love of football even more, and now, man, I’ve grown from it and I’m just ready to play ball.”