The Kansas City Chiefs have made plenty of moves this offseason to bolster their defense, which includes signing defensive lineman Charles Omenihu and linebacker Drue Tranquill and drafting defensive linemen Felix Anudike-Uzomah and Keondre Coburn in the first and sixth rounds respectively.
Yet ESPN’s Bill Barnwell doesn’t think the defending Super Bowl champions are done adding to their defense, specifically the interior.
After a career year from All-Pro Chris Jones, Barnwell believes the Chiefs shouldn’t bank on Jones replicating his success from the 2022 season, which is why he’s predicting that general manager Brett Veach will try to acquire a defensive tackle mid-season.
“I suspect we’ll see Veach dip back into the market for one more veteran here, although it might be an in-season move,” Barnwell wrote on May 30.
Keondre Coburn Could Be Key Contributor as Rookie
As it stands, Kansas City’s defensive tackle room consists of Chris Jones, Derrick Nnadi, Tershawn Wharton, Keondre Coburn, Danny Shelton, Daniel Wise, Phil Hoskins, and Matt Dickerson.
Though overall the Chiefs’ defensive tackles — outside of Jones — lack a level of talent that makes them quality starters in the NFL, Coburn could quickly diminish that narrative as early as his rookie season.
Despite being a sixth-round pick, Coburn was quickly labeled as one of the draft’s biggest steals due to his potential ability at the NFL level. Take USA Today’s Doug Farrar, for example, who had a fourth-round grade on Coburn prior to the draft. Or PFF’s Michael Renner, who ranked Coburn as the 9th-best defensive tackle in this year’s draft class as of December 29.
“Coburn’s flashes are first-round caliber. His combination of power and quicks leads to reps that leave your jaw on the floor. At 344 pounds, he’s a handful when he wants to be,” Renner wrote.
The problem that lies with Coburn, though, is his consistency. He shows flashes of a first-round talent on the football field, but will often follow those flashes up with plays that make him look like the Day 3 prospect he was selected as in April.
Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen has a brief history of getting the most out of his defensive linemen in Kansas City. So, if he can do just that with Coburn, then Coburn could go down as one of general manager Brett Veach’s biggest draft steals. And if that happens, then the need for an in-season trade for a defensive tackle in 2023 will not be necessary.
Twitter Chats About Keondre Coburn
Twitter users have been chatting about Keondre Coburn since the Chiefs selected him.
“Dude definitely flew under the radar. Hopefully he can finally be that middle of the line guy we need to stop the run,” one Twitter user wrote.
@HaroldRKuntz3 Dude definitely flew under the radar. Hopefully he can finally be that middle of the line guy we need to stop the run.
“I’m excited to see Chris Jones mentor him and turn him into a beast alongside of him,” another user wrote.
@HaroldRKuntz3 @ArrowheadLive I’m excited to see Chris Jones mentor him and turn him into a beast alongside of him.
“I’m excited about the chiefs drafting the big guy,” another user wrote. “He fills a much needed role and skill set for KC. Just look at all those short yardage conversions the eagles made in the SB on the chiefs. That will not be as easy now for teams to convert, and it free’s up Jones others more.”
@HaroldRKuntz3 I’m excited about the chiefs drafting the big guy. He fills a much needed role and skill set for KC. Just look at all those short yardage conversions the eagles made in the SB on the chiefs. That will not be as easy now for teams to convert, and it free’s up Jones others more.
“Gigantic and wearing 99. We won’t miss a beat,” another user wrote.
@HaroldRKuntz3 @ArrowheadLive Gigantic and wearing 99. We won’t miss a beat.
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Analyst Predicts Chiefs Will Make In-Season Trade for Key Position