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The Kansas City Chiefs‘ draft haul, for most, was centered around what the franchise did with the offensive line, given the struggles last season.
Josh Simmons was taken in the first round to solidify the left tackle position, while Jalen Royals was taken in the later rounds to add another receiver for Patrick Mahomes.
But the best thing about the draft is that everyone has differing opinions on each team’s selections, both good and bad.
For Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema, in naming his favorite draft selection, he landed on defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott.
“Norman-Lott boasted some of the best pass-rush efficiency numbers in the class, with an 18.9% pass-rush win rate and an 88.3 PFF pass-rush grade against true pass sets,” Sikkema writes. “Even if he doesn’t develop into a three-down player, the Chiefs know how to maximize one-gap attacking defensive linemen.”
A solid pass-rusher in college for a defensive lineman, Norman-Lott didn’t produce big numbers, totaling just 13.5 sacks in his four seasons, but his energy and willingness to keep pressing the offensive line eventually saw them break down, leading to his pass win rates, PFF mentioned above.
With the Chiefs needing some help for the aging Chris Jones, Mike Penne, and George Karlaftis, Norman-Lott, as things stand, looms as a top of the rotation guy for Steve Spagnuolo.
Granted, that might change once training camp gets underway and if Norman-Lott shows potential, but we imagine that Sikkema’s favorite pick might have to bide his time before he can see genuine snaps in the regular season.
But there’s no denying the pass-rush potential, and as we know, Spagnuolo loves quarterback hunting.