The Kansas City Chiefs entered the NFL Draft with a glaring need at left tackle. In the second round on Friday night, they addressed that need.
The Chiefs traded up one spot with their Super Bowl opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, to select BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia. The 6-foot-4, 326-pounder will have the opportunity to protect the blind side of quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
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‘The Beast’ breakdown
Suamataia ranked No. 40 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL Draft guide:
“A two-year starter at BYU, Suamataia lined up at left tackle this past season in offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick’s RPO offense, which utilizes wide and mid-zone schemes. Highly recruited, he had a short stint at Oregon before feeling ‘more comfortable’ closer to home with BYU, where he played both tackle spots. His 1,342 offensive snaps in college were evenly split between left tackle (48.8 percent) and right tackle (51.2 percent).
“Suamataia played in an offense that wanted to run the ball downhill, and he was happy to oblige, displaying range and an initial pop as a drive blocker. He is nimble in pass protection with the strength to lock down rushers, but his timing, technique and recognition skills remain immature.
“Overall, Suamataia is still very young and lacks refinement in several areas, but his blend of size, mobility and core power are the foundation of a scheme-diverse NFL starter. He will require a patient coaching staff who can ease his transition to the pro level.”
Scott Dochterman grades the pick
The Chiefs traded up one spot to secure an athletic marvel in Suamataia. Raw but oozing with potential, Suamataia started 11 games at left tackle and 12 at right tackle at BYU. It might take some time, but with 34 1/4-inch arms and a 5.04-second 40, Suamataia has the physical skills to secure a long-term starting tackle spot by midseason or in 2025.
Grade: B-plus
The @Chiefs just selected Kingsley Suamataia, who is 6’5″ and 326 lbs and can do this ⬇️
📺: #NFLDraft on NFL Network/ESPN2/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/fUOTn55Ba0— NFL (@NFL) April 27, 2024
Check back shortly for more analysis of the Suamataia pick.
(Photo: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
