[mm-video type=video id=01f4n6gbznrd8zz1ky2a playlist_id=01eqbwa53mtds520q2 player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f4n6gbznrd8zz1ky2a/01f4n6gbznrd8zz1ky2a-2e540c5093bad7916af78b3aa6278564.jpg]
The Kansas City Chiefs’ first selection in the 2021 NFL draft came at pick No. 58, when they grabbed Missouri LB Nick Bolton.
Each year for the past 37 years, veteran NFL beat writer Bob McGinn has collected quotes from scouts to inform his pre-draft rankings. When it comes to the linebacker position, everyone is said to be looking for the next Devin White With the 2021 NFL draft class, scouts were skeptical that a player like White was available.
An AFC personnel executive seemed to like this class, though, telling McGinn that the “top five is a really good, strong group.” After that, the personnel executive seemed to believe there was some drop-off. Brett Veach himself ahead of the draft called the linebacker position, “isn’t extremely deep.”
Bolton was the fifth linebacker off the board in the 2021 NFL draft, but opinions on him from McGinn’s poll of scouts varied. Bolton came in squarely at No. 5 in his rankings.
“He should have been playing in the ’50s, ’60s or ’70s,” One scout told McGinn. “He’s a hitter. Tough kid. Like the old-school linebackers with a little better speed.”
Welcome to Kansas City, Nick Bolton
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) May 1, 2021
Bolton certainly plays like a linebacker from a different era, you can see it as soon as you turn on his tape. Hopefully, the big hits won’t be to his detriment in the NFL but will bring some more edge to the Chiefs’ defense. One scout made an apt comparison to a linebacker who has made a very successful career for himself in the NFL.
“He reminds me of Demario Davis,” A second scout told McGinn. “Physical like that. He’s got nice, instinctive feel. Makes a (lot) of plays.”
Beyond the comparison, another scout seemed to think he might do better playing outside linebacker than the MIKE role that he played at Mizzou. Veach has said that he can play both MIKE and WILL linebacker spots, with the weakside being his likely home with Anthony Hitchens manning the middle of the field.
Bolton isn’t without his warts as a prospect, however. For as much praise as he received, there were also several concerns with his game. The same scout that compared him to Davis said that he’d, “like to see him develop a better feel in the passing game.”
Bolton’s pass coverage graded well with Mizzou with a career 91.2 coverage grade since 2019 according to PFF. The area of concern here appears to be his ability to match up in man coverage.
“He does not read the inside blocking schemes time after time,” Another scout said. “He gets fooled by play-action pass, which is a killer for me.”
Another scout was concerned with his effort when the play gets past him.
“Small run-around guy,” Another scout said. “Gets beat up. I don’t think he has good instincts. Chase downfield effort guy.”
There’s clearly a lot to like about Bolton, from his physicality, toughness, tackle numbers and playstyle. Peel back the surface and it seems like he has a lot of questions to answer as the Chiefs’ top draft choice.
[listicle id=92595]