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The Kansas City Chiefs came away with three players from Louisiana schools in the 2020 NFL Draft.
First, they grabbed LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire at No. 32 overall. Later, on Day 3, they’d grab a pair of cornerbacks in L’Jarius Sneed out of Louisiana Tech and BoPete Keyes out of Tulane.
So what’s so special about the players coming into the NFL from Louisiana? Are they bigger, stronger and faster? Is it something in the water? Why did the reigning Super Bowl champions put all of their chips in on players coming from one state?
Chiefs area scout Willie Davis is responsible for Louisiana, covering the southern region. He spoke to Kansas City media members about why they target so many players from the Louisiana area. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just because he gets to eat Creole and Cajun food when he’s down there scouting the players.
“If you go watch these kids practice, I think first off it starts with how they practice,” Davis said. “They really work those kids down in Louisiana. They understand what it takes before game time, the preparation and everything that needs to go into preparing before playing the game. I’ve watched LSU and Louisiana Tech and I’ve watched them for 13 years now, nothing’s really changed. They practice hard, they prepare and they understand how to be professionals before game time.”
From the sounds of it, players from Louisiana get to the NFL and just happen to be more pro-ready than some other players because they already know how to work. They know how to practice, they know how to conduct themselves on game day. This is something that could be increasingly important for Chiefs’ rookies with an abbreviated offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Davis thinks these players get a distinct advantage coming into the NFL because of how they’re taught at the college football level. If he’s right, it could give Kansas City an advantage during the defense of their Super Bowl title.
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