Arrowhead Report Roundtable: Kansas City Chiefs draft Michigan EDGE Michael Danna
With the 177th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs took Michigan EDGE, Michael Danna. The Arrowhead Report Roundtable breaks down the selection and answers the question: what do you think of the pick?
Jordan Foote: Michael Danna comes to the Chiefs after having a good 2018 season with Central Michigan, but a ho-hum 2019. His athletic profile is solid and, while he might be strong enough to record a few sacks per season in the NFL, this is easily Brett Veach's most questionable pick of the draft. After nailing the first four selections, taking Danna in round five seems like a reach. With that said, maybe he can carve out a career as more than strictly a special teamer and depth piece on defense.
Sam Hays: Michigan edge defender Michael Danna is an interesting addition to the defensive line. Danna initially played for Central Michigan and tore up the MAC. Danna had 105 pressures and 17 sacks in his sophomore and junior years with the Chippewas, but was unable to get much playing time with the Wolverines in 2019 due to the overwhelming amount of talent at EDGE (Josh Uche, Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye). Danna still found some success in limited action there with a PFF grade of 80.9 and pressure rate of 11.6%. This is a good value pick for pick 177.
Conner Christopherson: Michael Danna seems to be a pet project of someone in the Chiefs' scouting department, because he does not fit what a Spags defensive end is. The idea of defensive end depth is a good one considering Spags loves to rotate defensive lineman constantly, so the jury is out on whether Danna can contribute to that rotation.
Mark Van Sickle: Michael Danna was a beast at Central Michigan in 2017 and 2018 before he grad transferred to Michigan to play an extra year of college football. He was a rotational player at Michigan and will probably play a similar role in the Chiefs' defense. He will likely fit in as a defensive end with the possibility to rotate at tackle as well. This was my least-favorite pick of the draft since this is a rotational/depth pick, but as we know, the Chiefs are running it back so they didn’t need a starter here. He is a bit undersized but if the staff can coach him up, he could be a guy that is a piece of the puzzle for Spagnuolo and company.
Joe Andrews: Danna could pay off, but it seems unlikely considering his size. He was dominant at Central Michigan in 2017 and 2018 but fell off in his rotational role with Michigan. The fifth-round pick is clearly for depth purposes, but he has the chance to leave an impact on special teams. Maybe there’s something Brett Veach and the Chiefs see that those on the outside don’t.
