While discussing Austin Reiter’s release, we mentioned earlier that the Kansas City Chiefs signed 17 rookies on May 6.
The first was the No. 30 overall pick, George Karlaftis, but he was soon joined by several others including six members of the 2022 draft class — cornerback Trent McDuffie, safety Bryan Cook, offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, cornerback Jaylen Watson, running back Isiah Pacheco and safety Nazeeh Johnson.
We have signed the following College Free Agents ⤵️
G Mike Caliendo
LB Jack Cochrane
QB Dustin Crum
RB Jerrion Ealy
RB Tayon Fleet-Davis
DB Nasir Greer
TE Kehinde Oginni
T Gene Pryor
LB Mike Rose
WR Justyn Ross
10 undrafted prospects also signed, officially, eight of which were initially reported last weekend in our Heavy on Chiefs UDFA tracker. Those players were running backs Jerrion Ealy and Tayon Fleet-Davis, quarterback Dustin Crum, wide receiver Justyn Ross, guard Mike Caliendo, tackle Gene Pryor, tight end Kehinde Oginni, linebackers Jack Cochrane and Mike Rose, and defensive back Nasir Greer.
ALL the latest Chiefs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Chiefs newsletter here!
Chiefs Rookie Jersey Numbers
Not long after, the complete list of Chiefs’ rookie jersey numbers for drafted players was revealed — although these initial selections are generally subject to change after camp.
Some players took to social media to make the announcement, like Cook, who hashtagged his “new profile pic” with the No. 6 jersey pictured.
A photo of wide receiver Skyy Moore with his college number, 24, on the back of a brand new Chiefs jersey made the rounds on Twitter as well — via Chiefs Core.
New #Chiefs 2nd round pick WR Skyy Moore will wear his college number, 24.
The same trend occurred with linebacker Leo Chenal, as he held up the No. 49 in a viral photograph. Nick Jacobs tweeted out the picture.
All I’m saying is Chenal missed a huge opportunity to be the top selling jersey if he had picked the number five.
The rest of the class soon followed. The entire list of the current rookie numbers is below:
- Trent McDuffie, 21.
- George Karlaftis, 56.
- Skyy Moore, 24.
- Bryan Cook, 6.
- Leo Chenal, 49.
- Joshua Williams, 23.
- Darian Kinnard, 75.
- Jaylen Watson, 35.
- Isiah Pacheco, 10.
- Nazeeh Johnson, 13.
Follow the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest KC-related daily content, analysis, features and more!
Updating the UDFA Tracker
As mentioned in the open, most of the UDFA signings were accounted for last weekend but two new names did ink contracts with the Chiefs this week.
Kehinde Oginni Hassan, tight end, International Prospect – Nigeria
Oginni is a very interesting story out of Nigeria. The American Football International website detailed: “Kehinde Oginni Hassan is one of three Nigerians to make it to the final stage of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program (IPP).”
They continued: “In 2014, Hassan’s football journey began in Abuja, Nigeria at an Ejike Ugboaja Foundation (EUF) camp. The 6 ‘7″ Hassan, initially thinking he was too lanky to play the sport, was convinced by the American coaches to pursue a career in football.”
Mentored by former New York Giants pass rusher Osi Umenyiora, Hassan made the final IPP Combine cut and wowed NFL scouts in the process.
Nasir Greer, safety/DB, Wake Forest
Kansas City hosted Greer on a top-30 visit back in early April. Now, the 6-foot-tall safety signs with the franchise after going undrafted.
At Wake Forest, Greer forced eight takeaways over 28 games, via interception or fumble. He also accumulated 131 total tackles (two for a loss) and seven passes defended.
The defensive back’s college career was derailed by an ACL injury in 2020. NFL Draft Buzz scouted him as a “strong, aggressive tackler” that “should excel as a zone defender because of his closing speed to wrap receivers after the catch.”
Then there are the missing names. Three previously reported UDFAs have yet to sign. Those players are wide receiver Trevor Begue, safety Qua Brown, and defensive tackle Christian Clark — brother of Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark.
It’s possible that those three players were misreported as signings when they were tryouts from the start, but we will continue to monitor the UDFA market as rookies come and go.
Comments
Chiefs Announce Initial Rookie Jersey Numbers as 17 Sign