After moving up the draft board with three consecutive picks, the Kansas City Chiefs stand pat in Round 5 and grab their second edge rusher of the draft.
This time they took a highly productive FCS prospect in BJ Thompson, who got his career started at Baylor before transferring to Stephen F. Austin. With the Lumberjacks over the past three seasons, Thompson started 27 games with, recording 69 total tackles with 18.5 sacks.
Thompson took a top-30 visit with the Chiefs, which makes him the second player in this draft class to have had a pre-draft visit with the team. He had pro day numbers that rivaled one of the top athletes in this class in Georgia DE Nolan Smith with 4.4 speed, a 40-inch vertical, and a 135-inch broad jump.
He was a star at the East-West Shrine Bowl, showcasing great length, burst and explosion during the course of the practice week. He backed it up with a great game where he recorded four total tackles, 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.
I’m not surprised to see the Chiefs double down at the edge rusher position and create some competition at the bottom of the roster. This should light a fire under some depth players like Joshua Kaindoh and Malik Herring, who are looking to take the next step in 2023.
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