Monday
The Kansas City Chiefs bolstered their defense last weekend with five of their six selections in the 2018 NFL Draft. Here's a detailed breakdown of Kansas City's draft class.
The first five picks of the draft for the Chiefs came on the defensive side of the ball—showing a desire to get more young talent on that side of the ball.
And not just younger, Veach has also consistently talked about adding players who bring a certain edge and mindset to the defense. Based on the evaluations of all the players the Chiefs selected—that seems to be the case.
"If you sit there at 54, you're not going to get this guy," Veach explained of the decision to move up and take Speaks. "You have to affect the quarterback. You can't go out there and play 7‐on‐7, and we looked at it as the last opportunity to get a guy that can affect the quarterback.
"That's why we did what we did and went up and got him."
For more observations from the Chiefs' draft, click here.
Several of the experts from around the league had a thing or two to say about each of the Chiefs' six picks.
Each of Kansas City's draftees made their mark in college statistically, from the traditional measures to the advanced metrics.
Breeland Speaks (Pick No. 46 overall) - Ranked fifth among defensive linemen in 2018 NFL Draft in PRP (pass-rush productivity) at 11.3, per Pro Football Focus.
PRP is number based on a formula that combines sacks, hits and hurries, and averages them out with the total number of snaps played to come up with a number that reflects how many snaps in passing situations on average it takes for player to affect the opposing quarterback.
For more stats on the Chiefs' newest players, click here.
The architect of the Chiefs' draft plans, General Manager Brett Veach, was happy with Kansas City's selections but emphasized that the work is far from over.
Veach spoke about how he feels about the roster right now:
"I'm excited about the roster…I don't think again ever as an evaluator, you're ever happy or keep your eyes closed. If there are opportunities to get our depth better or to acquire players that will help us, we'll do that. We did that in August last year and if something happens during the course of training camp where we can make a deal or do something with the team that will help us, I think we'll pursue that.
"Happy? Yes. Content? No. That'd be the best way of saying it."
For more on Veach's thoughts following the draft, click here.
Tuesday
The Chiefs' final draft selection, Kahlil McKenzie, was a defensive tackle in college but will make the switch to offensive guard in Kansas City.
It's a move that both McKenzie and the Chiefs are excited about.
The Chiefs ultimately believed in their evaluation enough to use both of their seventh-round picks (No. 233 and No. 243) to move up to the sixth round (No. 198 overall) to select McKenzie, who said he's ready to make the transition.
"I just prefer to play football," McKenzie said of the move to guard. "They're going to get the absolute best out of me. I think I can come in and dominate that position."
Check out the rest of the story here.
In other news, the Chiefs Ambassadors announced the date of the inaugural Chiefs Legends Youth Football Camp on Tuesday. Kids between the ages of 8-14 are invited to sign up for an afternoon of on and off-field instruction from a handful of former Chiefs on June 20.
Click here to sign up for the event.
Wednesday
One constant in the Chiefs' draft classes over the years has been the presence of players that competed in the annual Senior Bowl. The postseason all-star game, which takes place at the end of January in Mobile, Alabama, attracts some of the top draft-eligible prospects in the country and has produced a handful of current Chiefs.
Over the past six years, the Chiefs have drafted at least one player who competed in the Senior Bowl every year, and 10 players in total.
Last year, two of the Chiefs' first three picks competed at the Senior Bowl and were both small-school guys—running back Kareem Hunt (Toledo) and linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon (Villanova).
After leading the league in rushing last year, Hunt was awarded the Senior Bowl Rookie of the Year Award this offseason.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
Kansas City Chiefs linebackers hosted a Play 60 at the University of Kansas Health System Training Facility.
One of those players, linebacker Tanoh Kpassagnon, was joined by seven of his teammates earlier this week for a Play 60 clinic.
"It's always fun to work out with the kids," Reggie Ragland said. "They take it out of you – I'm breathing pretty hard right now – but it's a lot of fun."
That combination of thrill and exercise is the goal of the NFL's Play 60 initiative, which encourages young people to stay active for at least one hour of every day.
"Once you start being active and you see how you feel after workouts, your body feels that much better and you're going to live a longer and healthier life," Anthony Hitchens said. "Even when I'm done playing football, I'll still stay active."
Friday
The Chiefs made a handful of additions on Friday with the signing of 14 undrafted free agents.
Beyond those 14 signings, the Chiefs also invited several players to Kansas City this weekend for a tryout. In total, 68 players are participating in rookie minicamp this year.
Chiefs Rookie Minicamp: 68 Players Set to Participate, Plus Other Important Info
Considering all but five of these guys have ever seen a Chiefs' playbook, these practices generally run a little slower with a lot more teaching taking place by the coaching staff between reps. That said, there's always a few players who stand out and give us a glimpse of what we can only hope to see once the pads come on at training camp.
The biggest area these players can impress coaches and personnel guys is their ability to retain a lot of information being thrown at them in a short amount of time.
Click here for the rest of the story.
The annual rookie dinner is a tradition the night before rookie mini camp. Many Chiefs alumni in attendance to welcome them to the team.
Saturday
Those 68 players hit the field on Saturday for the first day of rookie minicamp.
Following practice, Head Coach Andy Reid and a handful of the Chiefs' rookies spoke with the media. For a full transcript of what was said, click here.
