For the Chiefs’ defense, 2021 is all about improving in the red zone
Inside the 20-yard line, the defense had more than its share of struggles last season and it’s a point of emphasis for 2021.
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On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their first week of full-team, on-field practice for the 2021 season. During these voluntary organized team activities, there still isn’t any live contact with other players but offenses are allowed to line up on defenses, and it feels more like real practices than the walkthroughs they’ve been allowed to conduct during previous phases of the offseason program.
A recent NFL ranking and more on the Chiefs’ receiver position in 2021
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No. 2 - Kansas City Chiefs
Here’s Frelund:
The Chiefs’ rebuilt O-line and uncertainty at wide receiver in terms of depth (it appears they have 14 WRs on the depth chart as of right now) are the two factors that contribute to them finishing just shy of the Bucs in this exercise. Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce do combine for the highest QB-WR-TE win-share trifecta in the league, though. I was kind of joking about WR depth, but also kind of serious. With Sammy Watkins now a Raven, Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson will be tasked with playing a bigger role. They both had slightly lower off-ball impact numbers in 2020 than they did in 2019, which means they weren’t drawing coverage that created more space for their teammates as often. However, with time comes space, and the new O-line forecasts to give Maho
’ 2021 draft process is complete, it’s time to start evaluating how each player fits into the team’s scheme, how they’ll factor into the 2021 depth chart and how they project to contribute in the long term. I finish my breakdown of the draft class with 2021’s 226th overall selection: Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith.
Team fit
During his final two seasons, Smith started at left guard for Tennessee earning first-team All-SEC honors in both years and becoming a second-team All-American in 2020. However, he started his college career as a left tackle, playing there as a true freshman and before his blood clot issue took him off the field, for the first seven games of his sophomore season, too.
Now that the
’ 2021 draft process is complete, it’s time to start evaluating how each player fits into the team’s scheme, how they’ll factor into the 2021 depth chart and how they project to contribute in the long term. I continue with 2021’s 181st overall selection: Clemson wide receiver Cornell Powell.
Team fit
In college, Powell excelled as an outside wide receiver playing on the ball as an “X” receiver and off the ball as a “Z” receiver. While he also lined up in the slot, most of his production came from widened alignments.
At 6 feet and 204 pounds, Powell has the physique the Chiefs like to see in “X” receivers; he is very similar in size to Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson. During the draft process, he didn’t turn in as fast of a 40-yard dash as they did, but he posted better results in the vertical jump and broad jump. He also has 10-inch hands a half-inch larger than either of them. Per Mockdraftable.com, Powell’s hands are in the 87th p