Breakout year? The Kansas City Chiefs expect these guys to fill bigger roles in 2021
The third season is breakout season.
It’s perhaps more conventional wisdom in the NFL than consistent behavior, but there are reasons the adage that players shine brightest in their third seasons would have some merit in Kansas City. It’s well known that Chiefs coach Andy Reid operates with an elaborate playbook, and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has earned a similar reputation.
It can take some time to learn both schemes, offense and defense.
Which leads to a breakout in Year Three, right?
The Chiefs hope so. They might even need it to be true, in some cases. They’re placing big roles on some of their third-year players from the 2019 NFL Draft Class. The Chiefs cut sixth-rounder Darwin Thompson, but they have five remaining players from that draft class.
Let’s take a look at each of them.
Mecole Hardman, wide receiver (2nd round, 56th overall)
Hardman said in late July that he feels no pressure as the presumed replacement for Sammy Watkins, who signed a free-agent deal with the Baltimore Ravens during the offseason.
But make no mistake about how Hardman views this season, which could go a long way in helping shape his career.
“I think this is one of my important seasons coming into this training camp,” Hardman said. “I think it’s just up to me, personally, to do what I need to do and take advantage of every opportunity that’s given to me, and gain the trust of the coaches, the rest of the staff and Pat (Mahomes) and my teammates.”
Through two seasons, Hardman has 67 catches for 1,098 yards and 10 touchdowns. While that production is far from gaudy, the Chiefs will expect more from their former second-round pick in 2021. His moment to finally emerge from Watkins’ shadow has officially arrived.
Juan Thornhill, safety (2nd round, 63rd overall)
Boy, if the Chiefs could select a player to have a breakout season, it would be harder to find a better defensive option than Juan Thornhill.
He flashed all the tools in his rookie season before a Week 17 ACL tear robbed him of the postseason. It stole his confidence in 2020, too, seemingly halting any progress he’d made one year earlier.
He says he’s not only 100% healthy in 2021 but that he has also mentally rebounded from the hesitation prompted by the injury and subsequent recovery process. The Chiefs would prefer to have him as a regular member of their defensive rotation, but they’ll make him earn it, not just hand it to him.
“We need Juan,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We need him in there feeling good about himself and playing.”
Thornhill saw a heavy workload in the preseason — playing with the first-team unit all the way down to the third-team group. It was all part of the plan to help him get his confidence back.
Khalen Saunders, defensive tackle (3rd round, 84th overall)
Speaking of lost seasons, Saunders injured his elbow in Week 1 last season and just never felt quite right again. He’s on the smaller side for a defensive tackle, and the elbow injury prevented him from using his upper-body strength for leverage. As a result, he appeared in only three games, recording just three tackles.
But Saunders has responded with a strong preseason, particularly the final couple of weeks of training camp in St. Joseph. He’s on an inside track to regain his spot in the rotation, playing behind starters Derrick Nnadi and Jarran Reed.
“I knew coming into this year that I kind of had to re-introduce myself as far as on the field, so that’s just kind of been my focus this whole offseason and leading into this preseason,” Saunders said.
Rashad Fenton, cornerback (6th round, 201st overall)
Versatility makes Fenton a valuable piece. He can play inside or outside cornerback, placing him as the next man up for multiple spots in the defensive backfield.
Fenton actually played 49% of the team’s defensive snaps in 2020, his second season, and that’s a lot of mileage for a sixth-round pick. (For reference, he was on the field more often than linebacker Ben Niemann and defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi.)
He should hover around that number again this season, likely as the fourth cornerback in a room that features Charvarius Ward, L’Jarius Sneed and Mike Hughes. Fenton had 35 tackles and one interception last season.
Nick Allegretti, interior offensive lineman (7th round, 216th overall)
While he won’t become a full-time starter at this point, the Chiefs covet versatile depth on the offensive line, and they have it with Allegretti, who can play center and guard.
The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Allegretti has proven reliable as a spot starter at either guard position, and he appeared in all 16 games with nine starts in 2020, also starting the Super Bowl.