Five offensive tackles we think the Chiefs might target in the NFL Draft
The Chiefs have added three potential starters to their offensive line this offseason, following through on an insistence to prioritize revamping a group that got exploited in the Super Bowl.
And yet, the most prominent question about their roster resides .... on that offensive line.
What will the Chiefs do at left tackle?
They made a hard run at Trent Williams before he elected to stay with the 49ers. And thus, the need remains — as it stands today, some order of Lucas Niang, Mike Remmers and Martinas Rankin represent the depth chart.
It’s become late in the free agency period. And while there are a couple of veterans still on the market, it’s looking more and more as though the Chiefs will head into this month’s NFL Draft without a long-term answer.
On the positive side, it’s not a bad year to be in that market. This is a deep draft class for left tackles.
The Chiefs hold eight selections in the draft, their earliest at No. 31 overall in the first round. That leaves them out of the mix for the blue-chip guys such as Penei Sewell (Oregon), Rashawn Slater (Northwestern) and Christian Darrisaw (Virginia Tech), who are almost certain to be off the board by then— unless, of course, Brett Veach feels the urge to move up, an itch he’s been unafraid to scratch in years past.
But for argument’s sake, let’s say the Chiefs hold their current picks on the first couple of days. Here are some players they could target early in the draft to fill the roster’s most glaring need.
Samuel Cosmi, Texas (6-6, 314)
Cosmi has willed himself into this conversation over the past three years, adding more than 50 pounds to his frame in college and showing improvement year to year. He started a combined 21 games at left tackle as a sophomore and junior after 13 starts at right tackle as a redshirt freshman.
In eight games in 2020, he allowed only eight quarterback pressures in 368 snaps in pass protection, according to Pro Football Focus, though some wonder if the Big 12 had the quality edge rushers to test him often enough. Still, with 34 starts under his belt, the proof is in the film.
His strengths rest in his athleticism — he moves well in space — and that could provide an ideal fit for an Andy Reid offense.
Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State (6-5, 300)
He’s been one of the most dominant players on a perennial championship team ... but at the FCS level. Absent another signing, the Chiefs are looking for someone who could start Day 1, and the leap from FCS to blocking for Patrick Mahomes is a big one. We get that.
But he’s an intriguing prospect who attended the Senior Bowl and walked away with the overall practice player of the week award. That honor went to future Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert one year earlier, and he won the NFL rookie of the year. That’s sure to catch some scouts’ attention.
He’s a bit underweight — you know, relatively speaking — at 300 pounds, but he plays with an aggression nonetheless. Given his background as an FCS prospect, he’s among the more difficult players in which to protect his landing spot. Might the Chiefs be able to snag him in the second round, or would he require first-round capital?
Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC (6-4, 308)
Questions follow every prospect, and two primary ones are attached to Vera-Tucker’s potential fit with the Chiefs. Will he even be available at No. 31? And will he play left tackle, or does he project more as a guard at the next level?
What’s unquestioned: Vera-Tucker was incredibly reliable in college, no matter where USC put him. He started at left guard in 2019 before shifting to left tackle in 2020, and he made the transition look much smoother than it should have. He allowed only eight pressures all season, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s enough to make an NFL team wonder what he could do with a longer concentration at the position. Like Cosmi, his athleticism is an attraction.
Alex Leatherwood, Alabama (6-5, 310)
If you’ve been following The Star’s coverage, you’ll know Herbie Teope’s first mock draft pegged Leatherwood to the Chiefs in the first round. It makes sense — Leatherwood started 40 games for the most successful program in college football, the last 26 of them at left tackle. His experience makes him among the most likely to be prepared to step in immediately, a quality that should entice the Chiefs.
That’s the positive. The flip side? He’s too often shown a susceptibility to getting beat at the top of the pass rush by speed off the edge, and the game only gets faster from here. Many projections now have him falling out of the first round and into the middle of the second. If the Chiefs are interested in Leatherwood, could they trade back and still get him?
Walker Little, Stanford (6-7, 310)
Let’s throw a wild card in here.
Little has appeared in only one game over the past two seasons. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2019 opener and then opted out in 2020.
But he started 18 games at left tackle in his first two college seasons — the first freshman left tackle at Stanford in two decades — and looked to be on track to becoming one of the draft’s top prospects.
It’s a risk, in another words, and the medicals will determine exactly how great of a risk. In that sense, it doesn’t help that COVID-19 protocols wiped out the combine, leaving some teams scrambling for full medical analysis on prospects.
With two seasons lost — one to injury — how much development did he miss? Did he lose his timing? Did other prospects pass him by? As we said, he would represent a risk. But if he falls to the Chiefs at No. 63 overall, it might be one worth taking. The potential is there.