The Chiefs’ Rookies Continue to Stand Out in Positive Ways
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The youth movement in Kansas City has happened quickly, and it's the real deal. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs had the fourth-youngest roster in the league weighted by the number of snaps played.
After Week 4, those numbers assuredly will trend even more towards the Chiefs fielding one of the youngest teams in the NFL. All of the rookies the Chiefs drafted in 2022 are either on the roster or on injured reserve. Six of those 10 draftees played significant snaps on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Additionally, each of them showed flashes of the player they could be long-term and why the Chiefs made the right decision in getting younger. Let's take a closer look at them.
George Karlaftis
George Karlaftis has yet to record a sack through the first four weeks of his career, however, he has still made a significant impact. He has 10 pressures, the second-most on the Chiefs and the second-most for any rookie in the entire NFL. Coming out of college, the knock on Karlaftis was functional athleticism, as he had a tough time turning the corner and bending under tackles. Now, he looks much more explosive on the field after cutting some weight in the offseason. Karlaftis can win with power, around the edge or when dipping inside. He was close to recording his first career sack on Tom Brady with a beautiful swim move on one of the better tackles in the NFL.
Another play that shows who Karlaftis is as a player was this run stop. He cuts in front of the slanting tight end, follows the Buccaneers' offensive line into the backfield and records the tackle for loss.
Skyy Moore
Many have been clamoring for Skyy Moore to get more run on offense. He finally saw 20-plus snaps and recorded two catches for 31 yards on Sunday and was good in the action he saw. He ran precise routes, caught every ball in his radius and showed an understanding of Andy Reid's offense. The Chiefs are seeing more man coverage this year, and what Moore brings to the table can help them beat that. Understanding the offense is crucial for Moore to continue seeing his snap count increase. For example, Moore made a third-down catch to continue a drive because of intelligence, not physical ability. He realized the easiest way to get open was to run his 'whip' route underneath Travis Kelce, leaving him wide open for the conversion.
Bryan Cook
As Moore did, Bryan Cook also saw his most snaps in Sunday's game. Most of that was due to the Chiefs being ahead and playing in their dime defense, but Cook put together some solid tape. After playing primarily on special teams in the first three weeks, folks were finally able to see why Cook was drafted in the second round. The first thing that pops out is his physical size; he looks like a linebacker playing safety and uses his physicality. Cook also has the versatility to play at any spot on the field, making the safety room interchangeable. The best play from Cook against the Buccaneers was his PBU in the end zone, where he had to recover and get his arm in to break up the touchdown.
Leo Chenal
Leo Chenal saw his lowest number of snaps on Sunday (which is not surprising because of the game's flow), but his impact was still felt early. On the play shown earlier, when Karlaftis recorded the tackle for loss, Chenal fit the run perfectly, blew up the pulling tackle and would have made the play if not for Karlaftis. That perfectly sums up who Chenal is as a player. He's a downhill run-stuffer who is physical at the attack point and disrupts the opponent in the backfield. As he improves his coverage ability, he will help the Chiefs' run defense, and the dividends are already paying off there as the Chiefs are the number one unit in the league.
Jaylen Watson
Sunday was probably Jaylen Watson's roughest game in his young Chiefs career. He was targeted the most times, allowing the most catches and most yards of any of his first four games. With that said, Watson still showed why he has been a playmaker for Kansas City early in his career. He's a long physical corner who fits the Steve Spagnuolo mold. He moves well on the field for a guy his size, allowing him to play man coverage against the opponent's top wide receivers when called upon. The one thing that sticks out about Watson is his ball skills. It always feels that he knows where the ball is and tries to make a play on it.
Isiah Pacheco
On Sunday night, we saw why the hype train for Isiah Pacheco was out of control during training camp. He had his highest yardage output against Tampa Bay and is starting to build a case to get more playing time. The physical tools are there with Pacheco, as he has the top-end speed to stretch the defense but is also physical like a power back. Once the seventh-rounder gets going, he's a forceful runner that is hard to bring down. He was constantly picking up extra yards and putting the Chiefs' offense in better positions in Week 4. One thing that you can see improvement in is his vision. He was more patient and waited to see the play develop before choosing which hole to hit against Tampa Bay.
