The Kansas City Chiefs have done a great job restocking their roster in recent seasons largely because of their success in the NFL draft. The front office and scouting department have gone an excellent job of pinpointing prospects they want to add to the roster and pouncing on the opportunity to select them when the time comes.
While there have been a lot of hits in recent years, there have also been a few misses. The draft is an inexact science after all and prospects don’t always pan out. For the Chiefs, there are two misses in particular that stand out.
Offensive linemen Lucas Niang and Darian Kinnard have both been picked as potential cut candidates during training camp this year. Niang was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft but opted out of playing during the pandemic.
He has played the last two seasons with the team but he hasn’t been much of a factor. He has played in 19 games total, with nine starts, all of which came during the 2021 season. Kinnard, a 2022 fifth-round pick, appeared in only one game as a rookie.
Chiefs’ insider Charles Goodman believes that both Niang and Kinnard could be released once roster cutdowns begin in the coming weeks. His projection includes the Chiefs going light on offensive linemen for the 53-man roster, keeping only eight.
“I decided to go light on the offensive line in this particular projection,” Goldman began. “It wouldn’t be the first time Andy Reid has carried just eight offensive linemen (2013 and 2015), but it would be the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
“I think that the team is grooming Wanya Morris to play swing tackle,” he went on, explaining: “Both Nick Allegretti and Mike Caliendo have interior versatility (both guard spots and center) and we all know Joe Thuney can play tackle in a pinch. There just seems to be little progress from players like Lucas Niang and Darian Kinnard, and it might be better to rip the Band-Aid off quickly.”
Another Chiefs writer, Matt Derrick, also believes that Niang could be on the chopping block. But, he believes Kansas City will give Kinnard at least one more season, predicting the Chiefs to keep nine offensive linemen on their 53-man roster heading into the regular season.
Another player to keep an eye on is Prince Tega Wanogho. Derrick has him making the roster in his prediction, but Goodman has left him off of his roster prediction. Nick Allegretti and Mike Caliendo are the two backups that each Chiefs’ writer has in common as a backup. Goodman has predicted Wanya Morris will make it over Wanogho.
