The Kansas City Chiefs could use some upgrades along the interior offensive line. It was the one area of questionable depth during their Super Bowl-winning season. If it wasn’t for Stefen Wisniewski being miraculously available, they could have been in a lot of trouble.
Historically, the team hasn’t invested a lot of draft capital and free-agent spending in the guard and center positions. Since Andy Reid’s arrival in 2013, the top-drafted interior offensive lineman was Mitch Morse in with pick No. 49 in 2015. The strategy lately has been to draft and develop players in the late round, while established players are already in place.
Many project the Chiefs to be positioned to draft some of the top interior players in this class. That could potentially allow them to alter their strategy a bit. Here’s a look at some of the interior offensive line prospects Kansas City could consider in each round of the 2020 NFL Draft:
AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
Round 1: Michigan IOL Cesar Ruiz
Ruiz is a versatile and dependable interior offensive line prospect, who will be 21 years old during his first NFL season. At 6-3 and 307 pounds, he’s been calling the shots for the Michigan offensive line as starting center for the last two seasons.
In 2019, Ruiz was the top pass-blocking center in the country, allowing just eight pressures in 447 pass-blocking snaps. He’d be a perfect fit in the Chiefs’ zone-blocking scheme. He can handle pulling duties and redirect defenders. He’s very active as a run blocker and a pass protector, always going the extra mile.
Center was easily one of the biggest weaknesses for the Chiefs in 2019. While Austin Reiter didn’t have any snapping issues, he struggled in pass protection and run blocking. They could use an upgrade there and Ruiz would be the top to fortify the position for the next five seasons.