Why KC Chiefs rookie Leo Chenal says he came by his physical playing style naturally
Kansas City rookie linebacker Leo Chenal didn’t need long to make an early impression on Chiefs fans.
At last week’s FanFest, Chenal was asked by Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus what he’d be bringing to the team.
“Violence and physicality, man. That’s it,” Chenal said with a smile, with the crowd roaring at the response. “I am addicted to hitting people. I love it. I can’t get enough.”
Chenal — the Chiefs took the 6-foot-2, 261-pound Wisconsin linebacker with a third-round pick in last week’s NFL Draft — told reporters Saturday ahead of rookie minicamp he’d developed that type of worldview because of his environment. Chenal grew up in a family with 16 children, which included eight siblings and seven half-siblings.
“Just having all those brothers and sisters, you have to be like the most physical,” Chenal said. “You have to be the toughest, or else you’re gonna get beat up. So it’s just kind of having that competitive and tough mindset with that big family. They kind of pushed me throughout my life.”
Leo’s older brother, John, played fullback with him at Wisconsin. Leo credited him, in particular, for helping him develop a tenacious style.
“He’s a tough kid, a tough guy. I shouldn’t say, ‘Kid’ if he sees this,” Leo said with a laugh. “But yeah, we go back and forth a lot, but it’s been good.”
Chenal said Saturday that Chiefs coaches had told him they’d envisioned him fitting in at the strong-side linebacker position. However, he said he’d be taking middle linebacker reps for this weekend’s three-day rookie minicamp to learn the spot and gain comfort making defensive calls in case he was ever needed there.
For now, Chenal said he was focusing on taking in all the information given to him, which included learning a new playbook and scheme. While at Wisconsin, for example, he played a 3-4 defense, while the Chiefs are a 4-3.
Chenal said his transition from college to NFL, then, had an initial focus of making the most of this weekend.
“Always just be willing to be open, ask a ton of questions, (have) a ton of notes. Every single guy in here has taken as many notes as they can,” Chenal said. “We’re all fighting for spots. But yeah, I’m still learning how things go here.”
