Our friend Luke Easterling over at Draft Wire is following the bread crumbs for the Kansas City Chiefs in his latest way-too-early 2021 mock draft.
Easterling chose to send Alabama OG Deonte Brown to the Chiefs at pick No. 32 in his 2021 mock draft. Keep in mind that he’s using the latest Super Bowl odds to determine the draft order here.
Brown is a powerful blocker, who really excels pulling from the guard position. He’s known as a finisher who always plays through the whistle. For a guy listed at 6-4 and 340 pounds, he moves very well in space and does a good job on screen passes. He is also really good at selling blocks on RPO’s which makes him a valuable asset for a team that runs the most RPO’s in the NFL.
In 2020, Brown needs to show more maturity off the field (suspended six games for violating team & NCAA rules) and consistency on the field. He has shown the versatility to play both guard positions, but I’m wondering which spot he’ll start at this season. Ultimately, I feel like his athletic testing ahead of the draft is going to determine Brown’s fit with the Chiefs more than anything else.
So why does Brown make sense for Kansas City in 2021? Well, the team struggled to address the need at the position this offseason.
This week new information emerged detailing the Chiefs’ interest in interior offensive linemen in the 2020 NFL Draft. New Orleans Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland revealed that they had “pretty strong intel” that Kansas City would draft Cesar Ruiz were he available at pick No. 32. Ruiz, of course, was drafted by New Orleans at pick No. 24. Prior to the draft, the Chiefs showed interest in OL Andrus Peat in free agency, who ended up re-signing with the Saints.
The Chiefs did draft TCU OT Lucas Niang, who will compete for a spot on the offensive interior right away according to Brett Veach. But I’m not certain that guard is his best position in the NFL. The team added some undrafted free agents following the 2020 NFL Draft, but not of those players are a sure thing to stick in Kansas City.
Combine all of this information with the fact that starting RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif’s restructured contract can and will likely void in 2021. Former starting LG Andrew Wylie is scheduled to become a free agent. The only interior offensive lineman on the roster with starting experience for the Chiefs beyond 2020 is Martinas Rankin, who was injured during the 2019 season.
Kansas City has a clear and present need at the interior offensive line position moving forward. So a player like Brown is certainly one to keep an eye on throughout the 2020 college football season.
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